Associate Professor, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC - CRSNG) Atlantic Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, Canada.

Tamara Franz-Odendaal is an Associate Professor of Biology at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a developmental biologist specializing in skeletal biology. In 2011, she was awarded the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for Atlantic Canada. Her program, WISE Atlantic, encourages young women to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Dr. Franz-Odendaal is the current NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (Atlantic Region), Canada.

Associate Professor Franz-Odendaal shared her recent data on the influencers that affect the subject and career choices of junior high school girls at the Gender Summit 3 North America 2013. She discussed how her programs inspire girls to pursue the STEM professions through mentorship, webinars and workshops.