…. What made you want to become a scientist/academic? I come from a completely non-academic family. My father worked in a steel factory and my brother is a carpenter. I went to a big, urban state comprehensive school where I discovered that I was passionately interested in biology. I had no idea what sort of jobs might be open to me at that point, but I had a general idea that science might present more opportunities to me than history and English,…
…any problems we have faced in our work. It helps to know we are not the only ones who are going through any difficulties. We also help the newly joined women manoeuvre the process till they ease into the flow of work and the system. Why is it important to empower women in science? Even excluding all the greater reasons, performing science in itself is thrilling, exciting and in its own way akin to magic. It hurts me to know some girl child would…
…s. Did you have any role models/anyone that inspired you while you were early in your career? No one person really, but the late Prof David Beadle, who became Head of Biology soon after I joined Brookes, was instrumental in supporting and helping me to establish my research in the department. How would you describe your experience as a woman scientist? I have never experienced any issues except when going through the process of spin out; there was…
…d! Did you have any role models/anyone that inspired you while you were early in your career? My honours project (which is a year of pure research in Australia) was on biodiversity in intertidal habitats, and was supervised by Professor Gee Chapman, who is a world leading marine ecologist. To date, this year was the steepest learning curve I have ever endured. She held me accountable for my project and was strict but fair. That year was incredibly…
…y. Did you have any role models/anyone that inspired you while you were early in your career? Early in my career, my PhD supervisor was very encouraging. He had a big impact on creating a very positive experience for me as a researcher and I’m very grateful to him for this. How would you describe your experience as a woman scientist? Overall, it has been a very good experience and I have enjoyed having such an engaging and interesting role. I’m fo…
…s – and above all had loads of fun. Amazing energy, positivity, fantastically professional – and a bit mad. Anglia Ruskin University admissions team– for generating team spirit, support and connectivity through virtual activities. Over the course of the last year the Admissions Team have had fortnightly meetings on Teams which have consisted of business but fun and team building activities. Meeting themes have included a Bake Off competition w…
…pertFile) has shown that less than a fifth of academic experts are externally and publicly engaged in this way and that there are many barriers to media participation. The campaign will help to take a major step forward in supporting more academics to be more media involved, to bring valuable insight and evidence on the major concerns of today and tomorrow through media coverage and to ensure we have a diverse representation of academics in the me…
…t step. If you think back to when you were 18, how ready were you to be fully independent? Most people are fortunate enough to have family to fall back on when things get tough, whether that’s to borrow a bit of cash to help with the food shop, or just to check in and make sure that they’re ok. For a lot of young people leaving care, the support they had as a child will stop abruptly on their 18th birthday, yet most of their peers who are not in c…
…ental exposure to asbestos, although 20% of patients have never been directly exposed to the asbestos fibres. In nearly 95% of the cases the life expectancy is poor, with only 9-12 months survival post-diagnosis. We are looking to improve this prognosis by developing a new bioanalytical method of fibre detection and diagnosis. To achieve this, we are using in vitro mesothelioma models and cutting-edge analytical techniques. This project is close t…
…the interaction of global economic forces and policy decisions taken locally and nationally – for many, this can be experienced in a way which feels distant and alienating. For universities, this demands a new civic role: a constructive engagement with problems and challenges facing society today, and using their convening power to bring together citizens, researchers, civil society and policymakers. The creation of Nottingham Civic Exchange is a…
