HERSTORY on RTRFM: Cheryl Praeger

Cheryl Praeger was born and raised in Toowoomba, Queensland before moving to Brisbane to begin schooling. While attending Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Praeger developed an interest in teaching mathematics when she spent time helping other students with their work. From then on, she was determined to find out how she could further advance her skills in mathematics.

Praeger was the first Western Australian recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science in 2019, the first woman to be President of the Australian Mathematical Society, and the first pure mathematician to win an Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship. She taught for more than 30 years as an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at The University of Western Australia and became a Senior Honorary Research Fellow in 2021. She was the chair of the Australian Mathematics Olympiad Committee and the Australian Council of Heads of Mathematical Sciences, and served as Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science from 2014 to 2018. Her numerous awards and achievements have made her Australia’s most cited pure mathematician, who is recognised for her contributions nationally and internationally.

Cheryl Praeger was inducted in the Western Australia Women’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

In this episode of HERSTORY on RTRFM, Cheryl Praeger speaks to Bec Bowman about her love of mathematics, teaching at UWA, women in STEM, and growing up in a country town.

HERSTORY is an RTRFM podcast series about some of the remarkable women in the Western Australian Hall of Fame.

Join us as we shine a light on the lives and careers of women who have demolished barriers, lived incredible lives, and built a legacy of possibility for the girls and young women who follow in their footsteps.

Produced with the assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at www.cbf.org.au.