A donation of AUD100 million from the Khuda Family Foundation, the largest ever made to the University of Sydney, will fund an ambitious 20-year program, creating a pathway for girls from Western Sydney into STEM education and careers.
Beginning in Year 7, the program has three stages, including tutoring, mentoring and University scholarships. It will be one of the largest investments in women in STEM globally and is the largest single philanthropic gift in NSW.
Robin Khuda, founder and CEO of Australian-founded data centre business, AirTrunk, established the Khuda Family Foundation with a focus on improving STEM skills and increasing the number of women in technology.
The Khuda Family Foundation STEM Program aims to address the persistent under-representation of women studying and working in historically male-dominated STEM degrees and employment by attracting more girls to STEM subjects in school, then retaining and supporting them through tertiary studies to pursue STEM careers.
“Robin Khuda came to the University with a challenge he knew we cared deeply about – the lack of gender diversity in STEM and of opportunities and support for students to pursue their interest in STEM studies and careers,” said Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Scott. “We’ve worked together in close collaboration to create this program and forge this partnership, which will create life-changing opportunities for girls and women from Western Sydney.”
“Thanks to the exceptional generosity of the Khuda Family Foundation, the program’s impact on their education and professional futures will lead to a generational change in addressing diversity, skills and participation in STEM.”
The program’s structure has three stages:
- Khuda Family Foundation Outreach Program– in high schools, years 7 to 10. Working with partnership with schools, it will offer specialised STEM curriculum-aligned activities for boys and girls in schools and on campus to ignite an interest in physics, maths and engineering. Fully implemented, it will reach 40,000 students.
- Khuda Academy – in high schools, years 11 and 12. Open to girls in partner schools through academic support and an annual bursary to enable girls to retain their STEM subjects. It includes dedicated group tutoring, mentoring by University of Sydney students and on-campus STEM activities. It aims to reach over 1200 students once fully implemented.
- Khuda Scholars – Academy graduates will access a guaranteed scholarship stipend, including funds for university-owned accommodation as needed. This stage of the program offers specialised mentoring and support to participants throughout their STEM undergraduate degree. It aims to graduate a cohort and community of over 300 women.
The program is unique in guaranteeing an undergraduate place and scholarship for girls who qualify at the HSC stage. No other program in Australia has this full pipeline model. It will also consider communities outside Western Sydney where girls and women face obstacles pursuing STEM studies and careers.
The outreach stage of the program will commence with six schools and the first pilot cohort scholars are expected to enrol at the University in 2027.
“AirTrunk is playing an essential role in scaling the relentless growth of our region’s digital future,” said Robin Khuda. “The recent acquisition of AirTrunk is the outcome of many years of hard work and dedication. Now, I want to give back and make a long term positive societal impact because of my belief in the importance of diversity in STEM. My vision, shared with the University of Sydney, is that this program that we’ve created will become a game-changing template that others can leverage and scale in the future.
“The Khuda Family Foundation Program will establish an invaluable cohort-effect – creating a community, and in time STEM alumni and leaders, giving girls the resources, role models and mentors to empower their success. It is a long-term program, and its benefits will multiply over time,” he added.
Khuda lived in Western Sydney when he first moved to Australia from Bangladesh, and he opened his first data centre there in 2017. In his experience growing AirTrunk, he found it challenging to find women for technical and senior management roles, increasing his awareness of the crucial need to diversify the pipeline of employees, including from the local area.
“Western Sydney, compared to other areas of Sydney, hasn’t had the same level of educational support for students to pursue an early interest in science and technology, and converting their interest into a University degree with that focus,” said Khuda.
The program builds on the University’s 70-year history of engagement with Western Sydney. The University’s Western Sydney presence also includes veterinary and agricultural facilities in Camden and Cobbitty and the University’s Nepean Clinical School and associated teaching hospitals Nepean Hospital and Nepean Private Hospital.
The University is also continuing to explore the development of a multidisciplinary campus within the Westmead Health and Innovation District at Parramatta-Westmead.
“This donation aligns with the University of Sydney’s 2032 Strategy of continuing to work with communities in Western Sydney by expanding our educational offering and impact,” said Scott. “This landmark program speaks to what is of critical importance to the University and we excel at – changing lives through transformative education, generationally.”
“Throughout our 175-year history, the University of Sydney has been committed to equitable access to education, supported by generous philanthropy,” he added. “The Khuda Family Foundation shares in the University of Sydney’s commitment to investing in the lives and careers of women in STEM whose ideas, talents and contributions are essential in not only creating a culture of inclusion and support in STEM professions, but in defining innovation, leadership and impact into the future.”
“We’re honoured that Robin has chosen to partner with the University to address this critical issue and excited by the possibilities of this program to create meaningful change of long-standing benefit to the participants and to the broader community.”
