Ash Hope is just as comfortable talking about chemotherapy as choreography.

When the doctoral candidate and breast cancer treatment researcher is not working in a laboratory at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), she trades her lab coat for her red and white cheerleader costume and pom poms.

Ms Hope dances with the St George Illawarra Dragons NRL club and Illawarra Hawks NBL side.

"People still have the stereotype of the dumb blonde cheerleader, and having the blonde hair I do doesn't help," she said.

"It's challenging every day to have to prove you have some sort of intelligence that's not expected of you."

Ms Hope's intelligence was recently recognised with an International Women's Day scholarship after graduating last year with a Bachelor of Medical Biotechnology at the University of Wollongong with first class honours.

She is also a lifelong trained dancer and has been a professional cheerleader for the past four years.

Ms Hope said people's surprise at her two jobs reflected the stereotypes that women like her lived with.

"This is where the gender bias comes in to play," she said.

"I don't think a male PhD candidate who did footy outside of the lab … would have the same reaction [as they do with me].

"Dancing keeps me fit and healthy, and it's something outside of my career I can go to to decompress after a long day and have fun with my friends."

'Still some mansplaining that goes on'

Ms Hope said she was lucky in her medical biotechnology degree that it attracted an even gender ratio.

However, she said it did not seem to translate to the STEM — science, technology, engineering and maths — workforce.

"Women in the STEM workforce still represent less than 30 per cent so obviously there is a discrepancy happening," Ms Hope said.

She said she noticed subtle evidence of gender stereotypes while she has been working and studying in science.

"I notice microaggressions that question my intelligence or a preference to my male peers over myself and my female peers," Ms Hope said.

"There's still some mansplaining that goes on day to day [in Australian society] and I have friends who talk about how they were mansplained to in class."

Ms Hope said the key to attracting women into STEM subjects was to show that it was possible to balance a career with a manageable and healthy lifestyle.

"Having the mental load of housework or family life puts a big strain on lots of women to pursue a career in STEM," she said.

"Many put it in the too-hard basket.

"My goal is to be able to have a successful career in academia and research without having to compromise on what I like to do — dance — outside of my work."

Cancer treatment increases 'quality of life'

Ms Hope's love for science started with her high school teachers who she said formed a support network around her from a young age.

After she completed a university internship with her now-supervisor Kara Vine-Perrow, Ms Hope became a researcher.

Her current investigations involve putting existing breast cancer drugs into tiny implants that are inserted directly into a tumour.

The drugs are then slowly released over a period of time, meaning the treatment is targeted to the affected area.

"This happens without subjecting the rest of the body to toxic side effects," Ms Hope said.

"You reduce the volume of the tumour and increase the patient's quality of life, which is an important aspect of cancer treatment that's not as often talked about as the efficacy of the treatment."

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