Ryan believes the challenge for Australia is to maintain a cutting-edge professional environment so as to encourage young, talented Australian scientists to stay and work here rather than seek out greener pastures overseas. No stranger to the so-called "brain-drain" herself, having spent 29 years in the United States, Ryan says the continued development of these sophisticated computing technologies is essential if Australia wants to keep pace with the rest of the developed world.

"If Australia doesn't have top world-class level statisticians, mathematicians and computer scientists we're going to be left behind in terms of the scientific arena; it's absolutely essential for us to be a world-class scientific nation."

Based in North Ryde, Sydney, Dr Ryan took up her new role with the CSIRO a few weeks ago. She will remain on the Harvard faculty as an Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics.