Women in Life Sciences: Pioneers of Progress and Innovation

Credit: iStock “Representation matters and showing young women that they belong in science is incredibly powerful.” DR. LIN TIAN “We need a diverse workforce to be able to do the best and most meaningful science we can and there are so many roles you can do that will make a difference.” DR. SHEENA CRUICKSHANK “My biggest hope is that the future of STEM evaluates people's contributions based on their merits, without demographic qualifiers.” ROBYN ARAIZA WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: Pioneers of Progress and Innovation CONTENTS 04 A Tribute to Margarita Ostrowski de Núñez 07 Christine Metz, PhD 10 Elizabeth K. Neumann, PhD 14 Franka Kalman, PhD 21 Joanna Bowtell, PhD 24 Lin Tian, PhD 26 Mélise Edwards, PhD 30 Nita Forouhi, PhD 35 Robyn Araiza 38 Sheena Cruickshank, PhD 42 Contributors WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 3 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM FOREWORD Research has shown that persistent gender inequalities exist in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) workforce. In particular, women are underrepresented in both leadership positions and technical roles. Although there has been a significant increase in the number of women going to university to study a STEMMrelated subject, there is a huge shortage in job opportunities adding to the overall decline in the number of women employed in STEMM. Research has shown that women face several barriers such as biases in recruitment, performance evaluations and networking. Furthermore, studies have also shown that women are more likely to quit positions due to needing to manage family responsibilities and experiencing hostile work environments and microaggressions. Despite these challenges, women continue to make huge impacts and discoveries that shape the world we live in. In 2023, Katalin Karikó was jointly awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for her research which enabled the development of life saving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. There are two exclusive dates marked for celebrating the contributions of women from all over the world; February 11, International Day of Women and Girls in Science and March 8, International Women’s Day. To commemorate this, we have put together an eBook highlighting a selection of remarkable women in science who share insight into their careers, personal challenges and achievements, and offer inspiring words for the next generation. Encouraging more women to take on key roles in STEMM will not only have a positive impact on economic growth and employment but will help us move toward a future where gender equality is the norm. Laura Eghobamien Margarita Ostrowski de Núñez was a distinguished biologist whose work significantly advanced our understanding of parasitic worms. Her exhaustive research is marked by meticulous descriptions of their morphology, life cycles and host-parasite relationships. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1938, Margarita was the daughter of German immigrants. Her father, a pastor in the German Evangelical Church, arrived in Argentina with his family just before the First World War. Although his initial plan was to serve as a pastor in Buenos Aires for a short time, the family never left and settled permanently in the city. In addition to being a passionate researcher, Margarita was an enthusiastic teacher, always willing to transmit her knowledge with patience and detail. Margarita was also a devoted mother, grandmother and accomplished musician. She began playing the violin at nine, loved Baroque music and performed with friends until her final days. To me, she was a dear friend. She passed away shortly after Christmas in 2022. She was 84 years old. Three years ago, I invited Margarita to participate in an interview to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. She carefully considered the proposal but humbly declined it. She thought her research and experience were not noteworthy enough to serve as an example. I disagree. I believe her story is an inspiring example of how passion and commitment can empower women in developing countries – often juggling childcare responsibilities and scarce research resources – to have a long-lasting impact on the scientific community. This article is a brief tribute to her passion and dedication to science. Pioneering Helminthology in Argentina Margarita studied biological sciences at the University of Buenos Aires and graduated in 1963. She began her career under the guidance of Dr. Lothar Szidat at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires. Szidat, WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES A Tribute to Margarita Ostrowski de Núñez Mariana Gil, PhD 4 Credit: Rodrigo De Marco TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 5 a pioneer in helminthology in both Europe and Argentina, introduced Margarita to the intricate world of parasitic worms and host ecology. During her days as a student, she met Josué Núñez, a fellow prominent Argentine biologist, with whom she formed a family. While doing her PhD, Margarita married, had three children and supported her husband’s career. Margarita finished her PhD in 1973 and welcomed a fourth child soon afterward. Despite the challenges of raising a large family, her curiosity and dedication to science never wavered. The family moved to Venezuela between 1976 and 1982, where she carried out her research at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research. They next settled back in Buenos Aires where she was appointed Professor of Helminthology at the University of Buenos Aires. Margarita also taught at other universities in Argentina, Germany, Mexico and Uruguay, forged international collaborations and travelled for research stays on several occasions across Europe. Margarita is celebrated as one of Argentina’s leading figures in helminthology and her research significantly advanced the understanding of helminths’ biology, ecology and taxonomy. These creatures include four major types of parasitic worms: roundworms (nematodes), thorny-headed worms (acanthocephalans), flukes (trematodes) and tapeworms (cestodes). These animals have a fascinating biology, with most species exhibiting complex life cycles. The larval stages can be found in one or more intermediate hosts, while the adult stage – in which the worm matures and sexually reproduces – infects a definitive host. Thus, these organisms must infect multiple host species in a specific order to mature, reproduce and complete one generation. Helminths infect wildlife and humans producing significant morbidity and mortality in vertebrate populations (in developing countries, they are the most common human infectious agents). Studying helminths is laborious and involves several steps. First, specimens need to be collected from the hosts (this involves collecting potentially infected animals in the field). The parasites must be collected while still alive (i.e., shortly after euthanizing the host) and prepared for careful examination under the microscope. Expert knowledge is needed to differentiate helminths from other tissue debris and also to recognize different organs and structures allowing for taxonomic identification. Elucidating their complete life cycle adds complexity as it requires infecting the right host with the right parasitic stage (eggs, larvae or adults) at the right moment, and then going back to the morphological examination at each stage. Margarita excelled at all this. She demonstrated remarkable endurance and good humor during exhausting specimen collection campaigns in the field. She worked tirelessly with precision and dedication, producing exquisite descriptions and images of hundreds of alien-looking helminths. Her resourcefulness stood out, as she often crafted her own instruments – something extremely valuable for scientists working with scarce research funding. Her tenacity led her to describe over 100 larval stages and experimentally elucidate the life cycles of more than 30 species of helminths from the Neotropical region. She discovered several new species, particularly within the groups of acanthocephalans and trematodes. Her accurate analysis also allowed her to solve numerous cases of cryptic species, that is, species with morphologically identical adults but distinct life cycles. One of the most unique aspects of Margarita’s story is that much of her research took place in a home-based laboratory. With her husband’s support, she converted a hut in her garden into a fully equipped lab. There she kept everything she needed for her experiments, including books, a microscope, parasite preparations and live animals (e.g., snails, fishes and chickens) serving as helminths hosts. Though she taught and supervised students at the university, Margarita spent countless hours in her home-based lab, often at odd hours, painstakingly observing parasites across their developmental stages. After officially retiring in 2013 as a principal investigator at the university, Margarita remained highly active in her home-based lab. Her work during the post-retirement years led to the publication of some of her most significant contributions. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 6 Recognition and Impact Margarita authored over 100 publications in international journals and left an indelible mark on her peers. She mentored various scientists who then consolidated research groups across Argentina. As a testament to her authority, the international helminthological community honored her repeatedly during her lifetime, with several species named in her honor (e.g., Neoechinorhynchus ostrowskiae sp., Travassiella margaritae sp.). Moreover, in 2018, the World Federation of Parasitologists awarded her with the Distinguished Achievement Award for her outstanding contribution to the field. Margarita's research expanded scientific knowledge of helminths diversity, their ecological roles and their evolutionary relationships. Her legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire new generations of researchers. Yet, beyond her scientific achievements, Margarita will be remembered for her humble, funny and passionate character. Those who had the joy of knowing her will forever treasure her vibrant spirit and unwavering dedication to both science and life. • 7 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCESCredit: iStock Dr. Christine Metz is a professor in the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. She is also a professor of the departments of obstetrics and gynecology, as well as molecular medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine. She received her BS and MS in human nutrition from Cornell University and her PhD degree in immunology/ pathology from New York University. In 2019, Metz was identified as one of the top 100,000 scientists in the world (among 7 million) based on her productivity and the impact of her work. Her research primarily focuses on identifying mechanisms that underlie dysfunctional inflammatory responses, and in recent years, she has focused on conditions that affect women, including preeclampsia, preterm labor and endometriosis. Q: What motivated you to pursue a career in science? A: Two things really motivated me to pursue a career in science. First, back in the early 1980s, I was recommended for the undergraduate honors program at Cornell University. This program allowed me to conduct an independent research project and it helped me learn more about research-related careers. The second motivating factor was a personal one. While I was in the undergraduate research program, my father was suddenly hospitalized with septic peritonitis (a severe abdominal infection). Although doctors knew what was wrong with him and he was receiving excellent treatment in a top hospital, he faced a 50% chance of survival. I was truly frustrated by this! Credit: Christine Metz Christine Metz, PhD Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research Kate Robinson TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 8 I will never forget his physician telling me that current treatments were limited and more research was needed to improve survival in sepsis patients like my father. Luckily, my dad survived. Still, this experience was pivotal and led me to choose the “research path” so I could develop new treatments, improve diagnostic methods and ultimately improve human health. Q: Please tell us a bit about your work on endometriosis. Why have you chosen to work in this area of research and why is it important? A: Most of my early research focused on the regulation of inflammation, a complex process implicated in many diseases and conditions. Balancing the body’s pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses is critical for maintaining health. My research related to endometriosis started in the 1990s. I was inspired by a collaborator studying the inflammatory lesions of endometriosis; these lesions occur mainly in the abdominal cavity and look like endometrial cells that typically line the inside of the uterus. It was clear to me that despite its wide prevalence (affecting about 1 in 10 menstruators), little was known about endometriosis, and inflammation was likely implicated in its development and/or progression. In fact, many areas related to women’s reproductive health were relatively underexplored – leaving lots of opportunities for researchers like me to make meaningful advances. At Northwell, I co-founded the ROSE (Research OutSmarts Endometriosis) study more than a decade ago with my collaborator, Peter Gregersen, MD. The goals of the ROSE study are to better understand the development and progression of endometriosis so that we can develop a non-invasive method for earlier detection. Additionally, we hope our research will lead to more effective treatments, which are sorely needed for patients with endometriosis. To achieve these goals, we study menstrual effluent (also known as menstrual blood or menses). We chose menstrual effluent for many reasons, including: 1. Endometriosis lesions are comprised of endometrial-like cells that normally line the inside of the uterus and are shed as menses. 2. Endometrial alterations, including inflammation and differentiation defects, are found in patients with endometriosis. 3. Menstrual effluent has been largely ignored as a biological specimen and will likely inform us about uterine health and infertility, a common symptom of endometriosis. Q: What barriers exist for women in STEMM, and what could be done to better support them? A: Although the barriers for women in STEMM have improved over the past couple of decades, there are opportunities for improvement. The biggest barrier for me was the limited number of ”prominent female researcher” role models, mentors and inventors. Although this number has increased, we have too few female researchers in leadership positions, particularly in academic research, to mentor women in STEMM. I attribute my success, in part, to collaborating with successful male researchers interested in improving women’s health; they have been amazingly supportive. Mentorship and solid research networks are critical for securing funding, particularly for those interested in advancing women’s health where there is gravely inadequate research funding. Although there have been improvements in funding for women’s health (e.g., ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s The inability to access funding and the overall lack of funding can seriously limit the advancement and success of women researchers who specialize in women’s health. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 9 Health), the current investment is insufficient, leaving patients to suffer from delays in diagnosis and a lack of effective treatments. Substantial increases in research funding are needed to help researchers make a significant impact on women’s health. Q: What’s the best thing about being a woman in science? A: The opportunity to lead research focused on improving women’s health and mentor women in STEMM! Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a woman considering a career in science, what would you say? A: Maintain your persistence, and don’t let others discourage you from pursuing a career in science. Persistence will help you overcome the obstacles you face along your career path (which may not be a straight line). View your setbacks and obstacles as opportunities for growth and improvement. • Prof. Christine Metz was speaking to Kate Robinson, Science Editor for Technology Networks. 10 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Dr. Elizabeth K. Neumann earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Baylor University in 2015, where she began her training in mass spectrometry as an undergraduate in Touradj Solouki’s lab. In 2019, she completed her PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the supervision of Jonathan Sweedler. During her doctoral studies, she deepened her expertise in analytical chemistry, mastered single-cell analysis techniques and applied them to neuroscience research. Following her PhD, Dr. Neumann joined Richard Caprioli’s lab at Vanderbilt University as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2022, she was appointed assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at UC Davis. In just a few years, she has established a dynamic interdisciplinary lab focused on unraveling the molecular and cellular architecture underlying neurological diseases and other complex biological systems. Her lab employs cutting-edge techniques – including matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI), highly multiplexed immunofluorescence, spectroscopy and transcriptomics – to create molecular profiles of biological samples within their spatial contexts. Beyond her research, Dr. Neumann is deeply committed to mentorship and outreach. She is passionate about inspiring students to pursue careers in science and supporting their journeys toward success. In this interview, she shares her experiences and vision for the future of her career. Q: What motivated you to pursue a career in science? A: My interest in science started just by reading. I grew up liking paleontology and how we could make all these inferences using dinosaur bones. The idea of many cells building the human body and how medical interventions can change people's lives was also compelling to me. I had science teachers in middle and high school who motivated me to think about science more broadly. Credit: Elizabeth K. Neumann Elizabeth K. Neumann, PhD Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department, University of California, Davis Mariana Gil, PhD TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 11 This was something I wasn't introduced to by my parents or anyone in my family. In fact, I’m the first one in my family to get a graduate degree. My dad finished college when I was very young. He worked in agriculture and landscaping. My mom never went to college. She worked really hard as a grocery store clerk for most of my life. They both struggled with alcohol dependence and financial issues. So, I haven't necessarily felt supported by them. When I went to college, I decided to pursue a degree in chemistry because I thought it would pay slightly better than other STEM fields, and it was something that I could use to leverage to go to medical school. I then decided that medical school wasn't the right path for me. I decided that I'd rather influence the clinical space by being a scientist. I thought I was going to do medically relevant research, just right out of undergrad as a technician. But then I met Touradj Solouki at Baylor University during my undergraduate studies. He was my teacher at the time and asked me to go to his lab to work as a researcher. And I fell in love with research! He also encouraged me to go to graduate school but, at the time, I didn’t know that was an option for me because I couldn’t pay for it. I come from a financially disadvantaged family and worked multiple jobs to support my studies. But he explained the different options I had and then asked me to draft a list of labs to where I wanted to apply. He encouraged me to aim high and pursue my dreams. He said: “You clearly have experience and papers, all while working multiple jobs; anyone would kill to have you in their lab”. He was the first person who believed in me fundamentally and without reservation. Thanks to him, I ended up working with Jonathan Sweedler at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jonathan is probably the first person that I've aspired to be intellectually. That is how I got into science. Q: Could you tell us more about your current role and research interests? A: I've been an assistant professor at UC Davis since the summer of 2022, so my research group is very new. At Jonathan Sweedler’s lab, I focused on improving the speed and efficiency of single cell analysis. Instead of setting a couple cells a day, we managed to study hundreds of thousands of cells per day and get their mass spectra or their rich chemistry. As a postdoc, I worked in Richard Caprioli’s lab at Vanderbilt and studied how cells interact with each other in a tissue context. This means including the cellular microenvironment into the single cell analysis. Now, as a principal investigator (PI), I focus on systems that are much bigger or much smaller than cells and study them using spatial multiomic approaches. For example, we're looking at lipids in the context of proteins or genes. I've always liked neuroscience, so the lab has a neuroscience backbone, but we also study many other things depending on the particular interests of my students. My students come with different interests and motivations, and I try to facilitate and nurture them. Thus, lots of my scientific pursuits are motivated by their interests. My lab has currently nine graduate students and about ten undergraduate students. They're very diverse in their background and all have strong motivations to be here. The benefit of a diverse lab is that they all come with different desires, and we're able to answer some of these problems with the technology we're developing. For example, we are currently studying the impact of sex on heart attacks and diet on Alzheimer’s disease, and the effects of plastic ingestion in the body. Q: Did you encounter any gender inequalities along your path to your current position? A: The answer is yes. As a graduate student, I had to file a Title IX lawsuit* against my university. I experienced significant sexism that qualified as federal workplace harassment and hostile work environment. I had to go to court to seek an order of protection against a senior graduate student who abused me while I was in lab. And, yes, he's still in science. Fortunately, it's one of those things I've grown from, and it's part of my motivation for being a PI – you need people who have experienced this type of violence to know how to help others. It is important to me to admit that these things happen, that they're very severe, but also highlight that I didn't let it stop me and I could make it to the other side. I still got many papers as a graduate TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 12 student, even though my time was immeasurably shorter because I frustrated people. Jonathan, my PI, was incredibly supportive throughout this process. But other people weren’t. For example, one of the higherups at the university said that if I wanted to graduate, I needed to learn to play nice in the sandbox, as if I were the aggressor. I graduated in about three and a half years. Instead of crying, I buckled up and published papers and then decided to get a postdoc. I spent years in therapy. I was very blessed to have lots of people around me who invested in me and understood the impacts of being victimized. I'm very stubborn and believe in creating a safe space for people who come after me. That motivated me to push through some of those inherent difficulties and create space on the other side. There are very few people who become a PI who are open about their experiences with sexual or physical assault. I know mine is a very severe case, but these cases happen. Equally challenging is sitting on an NIH panel and hearing people be very sexist. Often, they just happen to be harsh if the PI is female or has a name that the reviewers can’t pronounce. It may not be intentional, but there's clearly bias there. At the faculty, discussions for things like space are tougher for me than for my male colleagues. I also see some of my female colleagues who are on maternity leave get less respect than my male colleagues on paternity leave. These might seem minor issues in some regards, but they are still very severe and affect scientific productivity. *A Title IX lawsuit is a legal action filed against an educational institution for violating Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded schools. Q: What do you believe are the greatest obstacles that women face when working in science? A: I think this goes into two different buckets, and I've lived both of these experiences. One comes from the victim/survivor mentality. When you're physically or sexually abused, you're victimized. This leads to mental health issues that detract from your ability to do science and be competitive. Separately, any kind of imposter syndrome you have becomes multi-fold. The problem is that our society is not set up to be victim/survivorforward. It's always perpetrator-forward. Society often asks victims to act as perpetrators, such as pursuing orders of protection or advocating for oneself. So, victims/survivors have a really hard time. I think one of the challenges is to become more victim/survivorcentric. Can we think about how we are asking victims/ survivors to act? How do we re-integrate victims back into the workforce in a way that makes sense? Do we have resources for them? I think that's the first hurdle. The other challenge is dealing with the inherent bias in selection processes. I think this naturally will get better as more women reach senior positions, but as a society we need to investigate the selection processes to remove these social biases. I think women can be good role models for each other and should advocate on each other’s behalf. Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a young woman who is considering a career in science, what would you say? A: The piece of advice I tend to give is that yes, there's bias, yes, there's sexism, but you can deal and overcome it. There are people who care about you, and most of society does believe that you can succeed. People want I work in a fantastic department; I have senior colleagues that are female. Lots of my female colleagues have tenure. Some of them had children before they got tenure, which is super rare. Yet, we still experience sexism here quite frequently. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 13 scientists to exist. They want new inventions. They want to cure diseases. So, don't get bogged down by the loud minority. And if you find yourself starting to get bogged down by the minority, find some friends, mentor students, create that safe space and just know that you can rise above all this noise. None of it is so severe that you can't persevere through it. It can be a slow road, but I think it is incredibly possible to start from any background and do anything. As long as you have a growth mentality, you can make it as far as you want. Q: What do you find the most rewarding aspects of having a career in science and what would you say are your proudest achievements? A: My proudest achievement is to see the success of my students. Some of the students I mentored when I was a graduate student are following a successful career in science and seeing them achieve this is incredible. Also seeing how far my current students have come in two years is by far the most rewarding thing. I love research and think it's exciting – I wouldn't do this job if I didn't. I still remember getting the highs of an accepted paper. But, when my students get good data and I see that light in their eyes, that's way cooler because I can empathize with that feeling and it’s a shared experience. Seeing these students creating their own career paths is very enlightening. Q: How do you see your future? A: The next step for me is to get the tenure position, and I want to continue being an advocate. In 5–10 years, I would like to have a couple of generations of students. I wouldn't mind being in an upper administrative role, because I think you can do a lot of good there. But I also enjoy creating a lab and pursuing research. I would like to understand how astrocytes work in the context of autism and PTSD. These are two incredibly difficult diseases to study and to even get samples on. I've already started with more traditional disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. If in 10 years from now I could start looking at molecular changes in PTSD and other chronically neglected neurological diseases, I would be incredibly happy. • Dr. Elizabeth K. Neumann was speaking with Dr. Mariana Gil, custom content manager at Technology Networks. 14 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Born and brought up in East Germany, Professor Franka Kalman is a much-respected figure in the field of separation sciences. Following undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Technical University Budapest, Hungary, where she learned about the then emerging technique of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), she applied that knowledge to complete her PhD looking at the analysis of novel opioid peptides at Martin Luther University Halle, Germany. Her postdoctoral studies in the lab of the late, great Professor Csaba Horvath at Yale University, a placement that by all accounts provided both a grounding and springboard for her future career, were to be transformative and the techniques she developed there have gone on to be game-changing in the world of pharmaceutical development, analysis and quality control. Work for which she was recognized in 2012, when she was presented with the prestigious CEPharm Award from the Californian Separation Science Society (CASSS) for significant contributions to the practical application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. After her time as a postdoc, she spent 13 very successful years in the pharmaceutical industry, working at the interface between science and industrial applications. Now a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, (HES-SO Valais-Wallis), she combines teaching duties with her group’s research on endotoxin quantification and purification, currently a significant concern for health authorities worldwide, and is involved with Fix the Leaky Pipeline FLP, an initiative aiming to help women build their careers in science. In this interview, Franka shares insights on the journey that has led to be a successful and celebrated separation scientist, the people who have inspired and supported her along the way and how she’s helping the next generation of female scientists to find their path. Q: What led you to pursue a career in science? Were there any key figures that inspired or encouraged you along this path? A: I am fascinated by life sciences. I grew up in a nature-loving family with gardening and a lot of outside activities; my father could identify each bird from only Franka Kalman, PhD Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO Valais-Wallis) Karen Steward, PhD Credit: Franka Kalman Credit: Franka Kalman TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 15 hearing its call and he was a very good hand craftsman, fixing everything in our home by himself. In my country, East Germany, kids attended the so called polytechnical school system, which included life science courses from the beginning. I remember, maybe in the fourth or fifth class everybody had to buy a herring in the fish store, and we had to dissect it, it was fascinating for me to see the structured parts of the fish. Once a week, we spent half a day in a workshop, planning our pieces and sawing, polishing, screwing and gluing them. That, and a lot of handicraft work at home together with my father, probably got me into engineering (in terms of technical abilities my mother was completely the opposite). There was also a strong inspiration in my family and their friends. The best friends of my parents Prof. Heinz Leike – a famous researcher in practical plant breeding – and his family lived close to us. During our frequent get-togethers, Uncle Heinz spoke a lot about his research, I remember for instance hearing about his discovery of breeding orchids in nutrient solutions only without earth. That fascinated me. He and my father and both our families participated actively and with a lot of fun in discussions about those scientific topics. Besides that, my father was a teacher in history and sports and my mother a librarian. I got many scientific books from my parents, for instance I remember a book about cells, how they are built, how they function; that fascinated me, and I decided to study biochemistry. Our family friend’s son went to study abroad and that inspired me also to look for studies abroad. I went to the Technical University of Budapest in Hungary to study chemical engineering with a specialization in bioengineering. During my studies, my main interest started to be analytical chemistry, especially modern separation sciences such as the emerging technique HPLC. I did my bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as an after-master year in the department of analytical chemistry of the Technical University Budapest. It was, at this time, under the leadership of Professor Ernö Pungor, a very inspiring, clever and practical solutionoriented scientist who was well known worldwide, with whom I was in contact until the end of his life. After finishing my studies, I returned to East Germany to a fully newly constructed “Biotechnicum” associated to the Martin Luther University Halle, Saale, where I did my PhD work in a peptide synthesis group. It was the time of reunification in Germany. The two German chemical societies started to establish a common annual meeting of young “German–German chromatographers” in Hohenroda, Germany, where young analytical scientists and their professors held a mini-symposium covering all areas of chromatography. We got to know each other—many personal relationships from that time have accompanied me during my career to this today. Here, my husband and I met the world-renowned Professor Klaus Unger, a great German chromatographer and analytical scientist, in person; he wrote one of the first books about the emerging technique HPLC. He helped us to get in contact with Professor Csaba Horvath to perform our postdoctoral studies with him at the Department of Chemical Engineering of Yale University in New Haven, USA. In 1991, they established a new program for young East German scientists to join a former Humboldt fellow abroad to perform postdoctoral studies. I was one of two East German young scientists who applied for and received a scholarship from the prestigious German Humboldt Foundation, which financed my postdoctoral studies for three years. During the application process, Prof. Horvath gave me a lot of advice and supported me actively with putting together the strong research proposal needed to apply for the scholarship. My husband applied for and received, also with the help of Prof. Horvath, a scholarship at the Istvan Halasz Foundation. During our three years of postdoctoral studies in the Mason Lab of Prof. Horvath, both of us learned a lot, especially on the combination of theoretical sciences and practical applications. We started to give lectures at high-impact international scientific symposia, wrote our first high-impact publications (writing my first publication with Prof. Horvath took me six months, since it had to fulfil his high quality requirements – “every word is a drop of blood” was a frequent saying of Csaba), we got to know the whole international chromatographic society and found friends for life in the research group. We learned critical thinking, TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 16 thinking “outside the box” and to look for cooperation with/applications in other scientific fields (e.g., we had meetings and lunches with the mathematician Professor Benoît Mandelbrot, the father of the fractal theory to find cooperation possibilities between HPLC/modern separation sciences and his mathematical fractal models). As many analytical scientists consider Csaba Horvath to be the father of HPLC (he was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times but died in 2004 at the age of 74 – too early), I consider him to be the father of my scientific career. In a group named the “Csabaites”, many former students of Prof. Horvath continue to maintain a strong, functioning network. Many of them pursue a successful scientific and/or industrial career and hold important positions in the pharmaceutical industry and/or at well-known universities worldwide. Q: Can you tell us a bit about your career to date and your current research? A: After my postdoc years at Yale, my husband Andras Kalman and I returned to Europe. At that time, it was hard for young (bio)chemists to find jobs as too many of them were coming out of universities. Again, Professor Horvath helped me and my husband. He had been invited to give a keynote lecture at a worldknown international symposium on modern separation sciences in 1995 about my scientific results on structure-activity studies of proteins with the emerging technique CE. This lecture, he transferred to me, giving me the opportunity to present my results with lots of attention to a broad scientific audience. My future boss, from the Central Analytical Department at Ciba Geigy, Basel, Switzerland, was at this conference and heard my talk. Since they wanted to introduce the new separation technique CE, he contacted me, we spoke and I got a postdoc position with him (my husband found a job just over the river Rhein at Sandoz AG, Basel – also with the help and contacts of Csaba). I introduced the CE technique at Ciba Geigy that I’d performed and published – among one of the first scientists to do so worldwide – while at Yale in Prof. Horvath’s group. I established myself on the interface between theoretical science and practical uses, developing many new pharmaceutical applications of this emerging separation technique and convinced the management that this novel technique is useful for pharmaceutical quality control purposes. After giving birth to my daughter Lotti-Luisa in 1996, I established in the following years at Ciba Geigy a modern analytical test method development group with many enthusiastic young PhD students and postdocs who were experts in different analytical techniques such as HPLC, CE, analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) etc. We had many discussions in the team to find rational, modern strategies that might solve the challenging analytical tasks. We developed and validated novel analytical test programs using techniques that, until then, had not been used in the pharmaceutical industry to analyze and characterize the emerging complex (bio) therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides, proteins, glycoproteins, DNA, carbohydrates, etc. We succeeded in introducing many novel analytical techniques into the pharmaceutical industry and getting them into routine use. The analytical development and later-established quality control group were merged into the follow-up companies Novartis Services AG and Solvias AG in Basel, Switzerland. Besides developing novel pharmaceutical applications, my team and I continued to publish our results, to promote those new applications and techniques to the scientific world and trigger new developments. Staying in an industrial environment does not circumvent participating in international scientific life, such as giving lectures and publishing. Publishing with high standards can be difficult in an industrial environment, be it due to time constraints or confidentiality. But with hard work, a fantastic, highly knowledgeable and highly motivated creative (young) team, with everybody interested in science and advancement, it is possible and provides a lot of satisfaction to do so (clearly our publishing output was smaller than the one in a university environment, since in industry we must write a lot of reports, standard operating procedures, etc. and afterward come the publications). I participated as an invited speaker in many industry-oriented but TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 17 also academic conferences. Among others, for many years, I was part of the scientific organizing committee of the industrial symposium “CE in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries”, each year organized by CASSS, USA. I sent many of my best students who had grown up in academia to this industry-oriented symposium; it was like an eye opener for them, they realized that there is a solid reason why they are doing a certain kind of research and development, that there is a need for it. To foster cooperation between academia and industrial research and development, I participated in the organization of several international scientific analytical symposia. There, I usually represent the industrial aspects and initiate cooperation and exchange between academic and industrial scientists. For example, together with Professor Jean-Luc Veuthey (Geneva University) and Dr. Gerard Rozing (Agilent Technologies), I chaired the 27th International Symposium on MicroScale Bioseparations and Analyses, MSB 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland. Together with Prof. Dr. Eric Bakker (University of Geneva), Dr. Bodo Hattendorf (Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich) and Dr. Marc Suter (Eawag Dübendorf ), I chaired the most important analytical conference in Europe in 2023, the Euroanalysis XXI in Geneva, Switzerland. For many years, until the end of 2024, I represented the Division of Analytical Sciences (DAS) of the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS) in the board and steering committee of the Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC) of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS). I’ve been a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Valais-Wallis, Sion-Sitten, Institute of Life Sciences, Unit of Analytical Chemistry for the last 15 years. My teaching duties comprise general instrumental analytical chemistry/LC/CE and modern separation sciences as well as industry-related topics such as test method validation and pharmaceutical quality management at the bachelor and master levels. For 14 years now, my group has been performing research in endotoxin (ET) quantification and purification. We developed a quantitative chemical instrumental analytical ET test, which sounds simple but is quite complex. ET analysis is challenging due to their very complex chemical properties, which are a nightmare for an analytical chemist. ETs are built by several fatty acid chains (soluble in organic solvents) and several sugar chains (soluble in water), which differ from bacterium to bacterium that express the ETs. It follows that they aggregate heavily in any solvent and do not appear in samples as single molecules. They are heterogenous and have a very variable structure as well as a large molecular weight distribution even in one sample. They lack properties that an analytical chemist usually uses for analysis, like chromophores, etc. Today, there are no good chemical analytical tests available to identify and quantify them. On the other hand, ETs are omnipresent in large quantities in our environment. They cover the outer membrane of all Gram-negative bacteria non-covalently (not chemically, only physically bound). Even trace amounts of ETs entering the bloodstream of humans can cause severe immune reactions, e.g., fever, sepsis (blood poisoning) or even death. It follows that ET testing is a crucial quality control requirement for drug release in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to their variable chemical composition, today, ET testing for product development and quality control purposes is performed with biological tests. The gold standard is the limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) test. When ETs enter the bloodstream of the horseshoe crab, its blue blood coagulates at the invasion point, preventing the ETs from spreading further and securing its survival. This is a kind of primitive immunoreaction by this prehistoric creature, which is exposed to ETs from the bacteria in the mixed sea and river waters where it lives, such as the Gulf of Mexico. That coagulation principle is used by the LAL test. For the conventional LAL test, the blue blood of the horseshoe crab is harvested, and ET-specific measurement kits are built using it (or recombinant parts of it). For ET quantification, the blood coagulation is measured depending on the amount and kind of ETs used in the test. These biological tests show very large experimental errors and variation (precision: 25%; accuracy: 50–200%) that lead to unreliable test results TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 18 and conclusions. In addition, those tests suffer from the so called “low endotoxin recovery” (LER) phenomenon, which might even lead to false negative test results and the release of harmful medical products that may endanger human lives. Conventional ET testing is therefore one of the biggest concerns of health authorities worldwide today. Recently, our group developed a quantitative chemical instrumental analytical ET assay based on HPLC that targets an ET-specific biomarker sugar acid. The assay provides the pharmaceutical industry with a simple, cost-efficient, specific and accurate ET assay that does not show LER. Now, we are working on lowering the quantification limits of the test to the levels required by the Pharmacopoeias, as low as, e.g., 0.25 EU/mL (0.025 ng ET/mL) for water of injection (the kind of water pharmaceutical injection solutions are prepared with). Therefore, we want to improve the sensitivity of our already very sensitive test down to 0.1 EU/mL (0.01 ng ET/mL). That will make it possible to pass the Pharmacopeia entry requirements, a crucial step for operating the assay in a regulated pharmaceutical environment. We want to bring the novel ET assay(s) to market by the creation of a HES-SO, Wallis-based startup “Endolab” planned to be founded in 2025 by one of my female postdocs. Q: Have there been any barriers you’ve faced along the way and if so, how have you overcome them? A: That is difficult to answer. One finds barriers everywhere, not only in science. It’s more a question of how deeply you let yourself be influenced by them and how you get out. It was not easy for me to change from Eastern society (East Germany) to Western society. You kind of lose your home, the values you were raised with and the things you were used to. But I had my husband – he is Hungarian – who always supported me and was and is a great partner for finding solutions. Raising a child in Western society with a lot of pressure to be successful in your profession was also difficult. But I followed the way of my mother, who led a large library with many employees in Rostock, North Germany. She always worked full time when I was little, and I went to nursery and kindergarten, but when my parents had spare time, we did a lot of things together in the countryside; camping, traveling and visiting a lot of cultural events. Every evening the family, sometimes with friends, had dinner together with many discussions and fun around the dinner table. My daughter Lotti-Luisa was born one year after our return from the USA. Since I wanted to continue to work (I just started my industrial career after three years as a postdoc at Yale), I had to search actively and with a lot of creativity for good and affordable nursery and day school possibilities in Basel, my first workplace after returning from the USA, in Steinen-Hofen, Germany, the village where we lived at that time and later in the larger Lausanne area, where we moved to. It was, in general, difficult to find something appropriate since, at this time, the convention in society was more that mothers stayed at home with their child for at least three years. But following the path of my mother, I found them, enabling me to build and lead my group at Ciba Geigy AG in Basel. I talked to my superiors to reduce my working hours from 100% to 80% and it was possible, so every Wednesday and the weekends, I spent the full day with my daughter, often writing or reading publications and reports when she slept. I also got a lot of support from the young postdocs and PhD students in my group. We established flexible working hours, from which everybody benefited; sometimes even one of my team members picked up my daughter from childcare, and I could continue a just-started experiment or discussion to the end. They brought her into the laboratory and showed her simple chemical experiments, e.g., with colored solutions that fascinated her (but she did not become a chemist). We got a lot of support from my parents, not only in childcare when our daughter Lotti was little, they were always there to help. Q: What has been your proudest achievement so far? A: I am proud of my daughter Lotti-Luisa, who is enthusiastically and independently going her own way. I am proud of my husband, pursuing his own career TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 19 and being at my side, always a partner in private and scientific discussions and supporting me in any regard. I am proud that I get a lot of acknowledgments and trust from many of my former and current students, even though I am often asking more from them than other professors. I am proud that they become independent and respected in their own careers. I am proud of my 88-year-old mother, living alone 1,200 km from us on the Baltic Sea, North Germany, who is still a daily partner for discussions, advice and useful remarks. I am proud of my scientific network that I know I can always rely on and that always provides interesting and fruitful discussions and support if needed. Q: You’re involved with Fix the Leaky Pipeline FLP, could you explain what the program is? How and why did you become involved? A: Fix the Leaky Pipeline FLP is a career-building program for young women in science in Switzerland. The term “Leaky Pipeline” stands for the decreasing proportion of women who are moving from university studies towards advanced and leading positions in research, industry and science. It gives young female scientists the opportunity to reflect on their professional situations and to develop a strategy for finding the career path that fits them best. The core elements of the program are coaching groups, courses on careerrelevant topics, mentoring and networking events. The program – actively supported by all ETH Institutions and the ETH Board – also aims to provide opportunities to discuss alternative career tracks for young female Swiss-based scientists outside the academic system. The program is financed by the six institutions of the ETH Domain and by the ETH Board of Switzerland. It was initiated in 2007 and is now in its fifth round (2021 to 2024). One of my best female PhD – postdoc students participated actively in this program and benefitted a lot to find her own path. I was, among other Swiss women successful in science, invited by the program organizers to one of the networking events in Zürich. There, I gave a talk about my career path, what was driving me, what the stumbling blocks were, etc., to a large audience of young female scientists based in Switzerland. I had many discussions with those young ladies on how to organize their jobs and families, whether industry is a suitable and inspiring environment for a young female scientist, etc. Until the end of 2024, I was a member of the board of DAS of the SCS. We organize, each year in Beatenberg, Switzerland, CHanalysis, a small symposium where young Swiss analytical scientists from all over Switzerland can present their scientific results in the form of lectures and posters. Here, the main analytical players from academia and industry, as well as vendors, are present. Discussing her presented lecture, I got in contact with a young female postdoc from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG); she was enrolled in the Leaky Pipeline FLP program. She asked me whether I could be her mentor. We had several meetings in cafeterias in Bern (she worked in Dübendorf, Switzerland, me in Sion, two hours away by train) and discussed many aspects of her career opportunities, e.g., does it make sense to stay for more years at her prestigious research institute in Switzerland as a postdoc or go immediately for a professorship to Austria (which was what she finally did), how to organize when she will have a baby, etc. It was fun, and I guess it helped her a lot to find her path. Q: What advice would you give girls or women considering a scientific career? • Be yourself, follow your own interests, follow your dreams and be practical. • Do not follow people who tell you to chase the latest trend without understanding them, even if they are your superiors, following fads will not bring you to excellence in science. • Be aware that without hard work you will go nowhere. A: TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 20 • Go abroad for a while and see new horizons, get new ideas and new work practices. • Present talks and posters at many international symposia in industrial and scientific areas. • Build a strong and reliable international scientific and industrial network. • Build a strong, enthusiastic team around you. • Look for a partner in life who supports your scientific career. • Do not give up building a family because of your scientific career, you can have both and it can make you happier. • Work with people outside your specialization too, which can lead to new possibilities, applications and ideas in your field. • Participate actively in powerful local and international society/symposia organizing committee(s) in your field that give you useful contacts and broaden your network and knowledge. • Publish less but with high quality. • Prof. Franka Kalman was speaking to Dr. Karen Steward, Senior Scientific Specialist for Technology Networks. 21 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Professor Joanna Bowtell completed her PhD examining the effects of nutrition and exercise on protein turnover at Dundee University in 1996. She subsequently spent 3 years lecturing and researching at Loughborough University and 12 years at London South Bank University, where she led sport and exercise science research and enterprise activity. Bowtell has been at the University of Exeter since September 2011. After five years as head of the Sport and Health Sciences Department and three years as associate dean of Global Engagement for the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bowtell is now deputy pro-vice-chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Bowtell’s research focuses on exercise and nutrientinduced changes in human physiology and metabolism, their effects on exercise performance and recovery and their potential to support human health. Her research group – BioActivEx – is currently investigating the effects of a range of natural bioactive compounds such as polyphenols on athlete performance, healthy aging and their underpinning molecular mechanisms. Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in science? A: The primary motivation was a love of science, curiosity for how and why the world is how it is and a desire to do my small part in creating a positive impact. My father was a passionate ornithologist and lover of nature, so I was acquainted with the joy of focused observation early. My mother trained as a radiographer in the 1950s in a still war-damaged Guy’s Hospital – Gray’s anatomy was on the bookshelves at home. Science, medicine and health were a significant part of the discussion menu. One of my brothers is a Professor of Physics and Head of the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre at the University of Nottingham, so Mum did a good job of setting off our passion for science, medicine and having a positive impact on the world. Q: Can you describe your path to becoming a human physiologist? A: It has been convoluted! My initial career of choice was veterinary medicine, but having not made the Joanna Bowtell, PhD Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor of Human Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Exeter Isabel Ely, PhD Credit: Joanna Bowtell TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 22 grades, I decided to combine my love of sport, science and mathematics by studying for a BSc in sport sciences and mathematics at Loughborough University. I loved the human and exercise physiology aspects of the program, especially the lab work. This encouraged me to look for opportunities to undertake research. A PhD on exercise-induced muscle gene expression was advertised in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Dundee with the late Professor Mike Rennie. Having never picked up a pipette before and certainly not undertaken a northern blot, I was not the top candidate; however, Mike was able to find funds to create a studentship for me. My PhD was very open, which is sadly unusual now as projects tend to be very defined from the outset. The theme was to examine the effect of dietary protein on muscle protein turnover and the effect of carbohydrate intake. Mike was leading the way on stable isotope techniques to interrogate protein turnover and so it was a fantastic training opportunity and was my conversion to human physiology. I undertook an industry-funded postdoc with Mike after my PhD, applying stable isotope techniques to glucose metabolism, muscle/ liver glycogen storage and examining the impact of different carbohydrate sources and combinations with amino acids. I then returned to Loughborough University as a lecturer in human and exercise physiology, where I supervised my first PhD student in metabolic inertia and exercise and the anaplerotic potential of glutamine. After a brief spell of testing the water as a research manager at King’s College Hospital, I returned to academia at London South Bank University (LSBU) where I stayed for 12 years. During this time, I became the head of sport and exercise science research and established the Academy of Sport, working closely with Stewart Ross, the director of sport. Whilst at LSBU, I developed expertise in the assessment of motor control utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation and peripheral nerve electrical stimulation, which I combined with my expertise in muscle biochemistry. This was through a now longstanding and productive collaboration with Professor Katya Mileva and Professor Andon Kossev. It was also at LSBU that I undertook my first project investigating the effects of tart cherry supplementation on muscle recovery after intensive exercise, exploring the putative antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In 2011, I moved to Exeter, where I established the BioActivEx research group. I now co-lead the group with Dr. Mary O’Leary who joined as a research fellow in 2018 and is now a senior lecturer in the department. We investigate 1) the effects of plant-derived bioactive compounds, such as tart cherry polyphenols, 2) the effects of exercise on musculoskeletal, cognitive, vascular and metabolic aging, and 3) the effects of exercise performance using a combination of whole-body, cellular and molecular techniques. Our overarching goal is to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds to inform the development of evidence-based bioactive interventions to support longevity, exercise performance and quality of life. Q: Could you tell us about your current role and area of expertise? Why did you choose this area of research and why do you believe it to be important? A: Since joining the University of Exeter, I have undertaken some significant management roles. From 2015 to 2020, I was head of the Sport and Health Sciences Department, and during my tenure, the department achieved significant growth in size, research quality and power. This was recognized as the number one ranking for sport-related subjects in the Research Excellence Framework, 2021. The department was also consistently ranked in the top 3 of the national university league tables and climbed to 10th in the QS World University Rankings. After a brief stint as associate dean of Global Engagement for the College of Environmental Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the university was restructured from six colleges to three faculties, and I am now the deputy pro-vice-chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, with responsibility for three highly successful departments: Biosciences, Health and Care Professions and Psychology. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 23 Alongside this role, the BioActivEx group moves from strength to strength. The lab’s ongoing work ranges from examining the impact of pre-surgical conditioning with blueberry supplementation on the inflammation of tissues within osteoarthritic knees, to the mechanisms by which fruit polyphenols enhance recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage, which is also of relevance for frailty and sarcopenia. Check out our LinkedIn site for updates on our publications (with three in the last month and several more imminent) and exciting projects underway or imminent. The common feature of all the work is the proximity to translation and impact, which keeps me enthused and gets me up in the morning. Q: Have you encountered any setbacks along your path to success? How have they formed you as a scientist today? A: You need the hide of a rhinoceros to be a scientist, as there are frequent knockbacks – paper rejections, grant rejections, etc. But as a wise colleague told me, “all feedback is a gift” – although it is sometimes very hard to feel that way immediately upon receipt! It may need a bit of fermentation time. Reviewer feedback can always be used to improve the work, the concept or how you communicate the ideas. Science is multidisciplinary and collaboration is essential but can be challenging; I have had both the best and worst experiences. I now ensure that I only collaborate with people with whom I feel on the same wavelength and can build positive and fun working relationships. We may not always agree, in fact, constructive challenge is critical to good science, but I want to enjoy life and work, so I collaborate with people I like and respect. Q: What do you enjoy most about your work and what would you consider to be your greatest professional achievement? A: There is nothing more exciting than bringing sense and meaning to a complex dataset, the endorphin surge that accompanies those eureka moments is really hard to beat! I also really enjoy mentoring colleagues and seeing them grow and succeed. The most important aspect of my role as head of the department and as deputy provice-chancellor is to create an environment in which staff can thrive and reach their potential, so seeing others succeed and do amazing and impactful science is incredibly rewarding. Q: Is there any advice you would give to a woman looking to pursue a career in science? A: Do it, it is incredibly rewarding. If you love science and discovery, there is such a diversity of potential careers in science to explore and find the perfect fit for you. • Prof. Joanna Bowtell was speaking to Dr. Isabel Ely, Science Writer for Technology Networks. Resilience and optimism are critical and, very importantly, a good support team around you whether at work or home, to keep perspective and focus. 24 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Dr. Lin Tian is an internationally recognized leader in neuroengineering, renowned for developing molecular tools that have transformed the field of neuroscience. After earning her doctoral degree in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology from Northwestern University, Lin completed postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. During this time, she played a pivotal role in developing the calcium sensor GCaMP, a groundbreaking tool that allows researchers to optically measure brain activity during behavior. In 2010, Lin joined the University of California Davis School of Medicine, where she was a professor and vice chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. Since October 2023, she has served as scientific director of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. Her pioneering contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the NIH New Innovator Award, the W.M. Keck Foundation Award and the Human Frontier Science Program Young Investigator Award. Beyond her research and leadership roles, Lin is a passionate advocate for open science, actively sharing her methodologies with the global scientific community. In this interview, Lin discusses the inspirations that shaped her career, the challenges she has overcome along the way and strategies for achieving work-life balance. She also offers advice for empowering women to pursue careers in science. Q: How did your interest in science originate? Are there any role models that inspired your career? A: I grew up in China, where my parents encouraged me to ask questions and explore the world around me. Early on, I was fascinated by how things worked, particularly in biology. I remember being a kindergartner and being fascinated with fruit flies under a microscope. Later, during my university years, I was inspired by the idea of visualizing proteins while they are being transported or performing functions in cells. I began to see biochemistry as a foundation for everything. Lin Tian, PhD Scientific Director, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Anna MacDonald Credit: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 25 Q: Your lab is working to develop tools to characterize neural signaling. Could you tell us more about this work? When and why did you decide to focus your research on this area? A: Our lab creates optical tools that allow us to observe and measure neural signaling in real time. This helps us understand how individual neurons and circuits process information, which is key to uncovering the mysteries of the brain. I decided to focus on this area during my postdoctoral studies when I realized that advances in imaging tools could open entirely new possibilities in neuroscience. The ability to visualize neural activity at the molecular level felt like a game-changer, and I wanted to contribute to this exciting frontier. Q: Your scientific contributions have led to you receiving multiple awards and honors throughout your career. What would you say are your proudest achievements? A: While I am incredibly honored by the recognition I’ve received, my proudest achievements come from the impact of our tools and discoveries. For example, the creation of genetically encoded calcium and neurotransmitter sensors has enabled researchers worldwide to ask and answer questions that were previously out of reach. Seeing our work contribute to breakthroughs in understanding conditions like mental health and Parkinson’s is deeply fulfilling. I’m also proud of mentoring the next generation of scientists and watching their careers flourish. Q: Have you faced any setbacks along your path to becoming scientific director of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience? How have the challenges changed as you have progressed along your career path? A: Setbacks are inevitable in science, and I’ve had my fair share—whether it was an experiment that didn’t work or a grant that wasn’t funded. Early in my career, I even questioned whether I belonged in science, but I overcame that doubt and pushed through the uncertainty. One of the hardest parts of moving into leadership has been balancing my research with supporting the work of others and the institute. These experiences have taught me resilience, the importance of collaboration, and the value of seeing the bigger picture. Q: How do you strike a good work-life balance? What more can be done to help women to begin and build a career in science? A: Work-life balance is a constant challenge, but I try to make time for my family, hobbies and moments of reflection. Support from colleagues and institutions has been vital—whether it’s flexible work arrangements or having mentors who understand the unique challenges faced by women in science. To help more women build successful careers, we need to create more supportive environments, provide mentorship opportunities and address systemic biases in hiring and promotion. Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a woman who is considering a career in science, what would you say? A: I would tell her not to give up and not be afraid of challenges. Having a positive attitude and a persistent spirit can make up for a lack of direct experience. Science is a journey of discovery, and setbacks are simply part of the process. Find mentors and colleagues who support and inspire you, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The field of science needs diverse voices to tackle its biggest questions, and your contributions matter. Stay determined, and don’t hesitate to ask for help along the way. • Dr. Lin Tian was speaking to Anna MacDonald, Senior Science Editor for Technology Networks. Representation matters and showing young women that they belong in science is incredibly powerful. 26 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Dr. Mélise Edwards is a neuroscientist who works as a postdoctoral researcher studying the evolution of cetacean brains. She received her bachelor’s degree in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology from Virginia Tech and Appalachian State University, and her PhD in Neuroscience and Behavior from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is an HHMI Gililam fellow, a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, SpauldingSmith UMass Fellow, and has received awards from the UMass Center for Research on Families and Graduate Women in STEM (GWIS). In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors with her dog, Rupi, learning how to surf, listening to music, writing and reading. Q: What motivated you to pursue a career in science, particularly neuroscience? A: My path to science can only be described as unorthodox–a series of unforeseen twists and turns. I didn’t always do well in school when I was younger. I often had test anxiety, struggled with memorization and faced discrimination from teachers and peers. However, in high school I took a biology course with a woman named Ms. Paulus, and she was a very sharp, intelligent, no-nonsense professor. She understood so many topics in biology at such a deep level, and I wondered how this knowledge informed her worldview and perspectives on life. She really inspired a respect and awe for science. Friends in college and my love for the outdoors would later inspire me to pursue evolutionary biology/ecology as an undergraduate student. Later still, a search for basic research experience just happened to land me a position working at a neuroscience center–learning about the field of neuroscience for the first time at the age of 25. Soon after, a friend and fellow Black woman in neuroscience was the first person to tell me “I think you should really consider a PhD”. No one had ever suggested this to me before, and I wasn’t even sure what a PhD was at the time. I think this goes to show that no one is an island, and so few of us are born knowing exactly what we want to do and how to get there. My journey was part luck, part hard work, and a lot of influence from the people in my local communities. Mélise Edwards, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Kate Harrison, PhD Credit: Mélise Edwards TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 27 Q: Your postdoctoral research focuses on the adaptations of cetaceans to extreme environments. Can you tell us more about this research, and what drew you to it? A: My postdoctoral work is exploring how cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) have evolved cellular and molecular mechanisms to tolerate extreme environments. To this end, we are undertaking many exciting approaches to study how these fascinating species’ brains avoid the types of diseases and injuries that human brains are very susceptible to. For example, sperm whales have the largest brains on earth and can live a very long time; they are deep divers who can dive up to 10,000 feet deep–a depth that forces their lungs to collapse under the immense pressure–and yet their brains and bodies are well adapted to stress that would be fatal for humans. We can study these potential mechanisms on a cellular level by taking small skin samples from stranded whales. Next, we grow these cells in a laboratory environment and can even reprogram the skin samples into brain cells in a dish! This allows us to noninvasively test how different types of whale cells respond to low oxygen, stress or any other conditions we are excited to test. We hope that our discoveries can be harnessed towards human health. I have always had a love of the ocean and animals. My passion for cetaceans grew even more after reading a book by Alexis Pauline Gumbs called “Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals” while I was doing my PhD. I relied heavily on books written by Black women for a sense of peace and affirmation while working in a homogeneous academic environment. Gumbs wrote beautifully about the complex, evolved mechanisms of marine mammals as well as the parallels between people of the African diaspora and whales– both of whom have been hunted, surveilled and trafficked under systems of domination and subjugation globally. This inspired a deep love and connection with these species that has only grown the more I learn about them. These are highly intelligent and social species with the longest lifespans and largest brains on earth. I think we can learn so much from them at the cellular and behavioral level. Q: You’re one of the founders of MUSE Mentorship, which supports scholars of underrepresented populations. Can you tell us more about MUSE, its goals, and what drove you to create a mentorship and support program? A: MUSE stands for Mentorship for Underrepresented STEM Enthusiasts. Sidney Woodruff and I created this organization in part due to our own stories and experiences being an “n of 1” in almost every program, department or classroom. We knew from personal experience that the ivory tower is structurally and interpersonally very violent towards Black and/or Indigenous people–particularly Black and/or Indigenous people who are also women, gender-expansive, trans, queer, poor and/or disabled. We recruited mentors who were also underrepresented in STEM fields and paired them with underrepresented mentees who were aspiring to higher education. We conducted interviews with scholars of color to try to increase visibility and representation in STEM. We also applied for nonprofit status and engaged in crowdfunding to raise money to support mentors, and to create scholarships for Black and Indigenous scholars. Doing all of this while being full time PhD students was extremely challenging, but it was incredible to be able to support students in a meaningful way and try something new. We believe this model of mentorship has the potential to be a valuable one–a model where mentors are rewarded for their service, where Black and Indigenous multiply marginalized people (who suffer the worst wealth and health disparities in the country and have for generations) are given scholarships to promote equity, and representative mentorship is offered to and from underrepresented people. We hope to inspire larger conversations about how the existing systems must change to make education more accessible for everyone as well as provide support for those on the margins of the margins. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 28 Q: What work do you think still needs to be done to support underrepresented populations – particularly women of underrepresented populations – in STEMM subjects? A: To paraphrase John Lewis, the work is one of many lifetimes. I think we need to move towards inclusion that is data-driven, intersectional and considers the material conditions that prevent people from having a seat at the table. We often fixate on language and belonging when we talk about inclusion, but we can simultaneously acknowledge the structures and systems that prevent true inclusion. For example, only 60 years ago it wasn’t even legal for Black students to exist in many schools, neighborhoods, businesses, etc. Entire families and communities were terrorized for generations under apartheid systems and redlined neighborhoods. These are histories that are actively denied and ignored, and the government has yet to pay any sort of reparations. We give trillions for unjust military operations each year, but always fail to have any funding for Black and/ or Indigenous reparations, universal healthcare and gender-affirming care, or free education for all. With a little research, we can see the long history of white supremacists working to deny universal healthcare and education because, even though it would help white people, it would also help Black people; in the mind of bigoted rulers, this is seen as an unacceptable outcome. Let’s be honest with our students about the frail nature of our country, our rulers and even our own egos as we work with them and each other; let’s be real with ourselves and each other about the frailty of our institutions, leaders, these made-up policies and systems, and about the horrifically inefficient environments we are forced to work in 40 hours each week until we can afford to retire or die. Let’s dare to dream of different educational systems and structures. We as educators and mentors can be real with ourselves and our students. We do not have all of the answers. We are all susceptible to misinformation, bias, generational prejudice (i.e., a “preference” for white-skinned people of all ethnicities), and perpetuating harm. I think acknowledging that is one important first step for people who want to try to work towards something better for everyone. I see a collective cry for people to consider tackling systems that disproportionately exclude/harm Black and Brown-bodied women and gender-expansive people, but hurt our entire communities too. The ivory tower as it stands is inherently violent for so many people– again, especially Black and/or Indigenous women and gender minorities who often exist as an “n of 1” in their departments or teams. It is not possible to have true inclusion or diversity when the ivory tower does not reflect the diversity of our country and world more broadly (i.e., Black people make up 15% of the country, yet less than 1% of postdocs and faculty at UCSF. This is a massive underrepresentation informed by centuries of exclusionary practices that barred Black individuals from higher education, most notably during apartheid in the USA from the 1800s to 1965. A racist and classist immigration system also systematically excludes Black African, Caribbean and/or Indigenous international scholars as well.) In addition to naming the material conditions that make education harder for some, we also have to tend to the arduous work of collective healing. There are so many ways in which carceral logic and white supremacy are embodied in every single one of us regardless of our one or many identities. The work starts with us and our relationships with those around us. My hope is that our healing would result in faculty and scholars creating methods of accountability that don’t rely on policing, punishment, demonization, shame, hierarchy or more I know I will not see the changes I’d like to see in my brief time on earth, but we still need to fight beautifully for the changes we want to see– especially those that center those most vulnerable. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 29 violence. I would love to see more faculty and scholars in therapy processing their aversion to conflict (which shows up in our discussions about harm, politics, etc.) I would love to see everyone’s boundaries around work honored in academia. I’d love to see a liveable wage for academics so that not only financially privileged people consider faculty jobs or grad school. I’d love to see faculty center student learning and engagement with science instead of power-tripping about comprehensive exams. As bell hooks said, “The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created. The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility.” This sentiment from hooks, and the knowledge that Black and Brown-bodied women and gender expansive people need more mentors who see immense value in their contributions and gifts, is why I stay here. Q: You’re also a keen athlete and have even been a sponsored rock climber. How do you/have you balanced your sport with your science? Have you found any areas where the two overlap? A: I think athletics of any sort and science are very complementary. Rock climbing is about 99% failure, especially if you are really pushing yourself to your physical limit. I once tried one rock-climb for over one year, driving 2 hours every weekend to try this one climb, and I never did it! That sort of persistence and dedication to the goal no matter the outcome is an incredible lesson that climbing gave me. I apply this to my science all the time–which is also ironically a lot of failure. Climbing and science make failure so common that I have no choice but to embrace it and learn from each attempt. It’s beautiful when you can get to a place where you no longer fear failure, and unfortunately, it comes from repeatedly and intentionally putting yourself in uncomfortable situations where growth and failure are inevitable. There were a lot of lessons that climbing and science have offered me and they absolutely inform one another. My dream is to launch a rock climbing program for Black and Brown kids that pairs an athletic hobby with art and education–a place where kids can thrive, fail beautifully, find success, struggle, learn, express themselves, and do so with a community of people who reflect, uplift, affirm and champion them. Q: What would you say your proudest achievement is to date? A: I’m honestly not sure! I’m proudest of my ability to think outside of the box, consider those on the margins of the margins, and of constantly trying to grow and learn. Q: What advice would you give to young women and girls contemplating a career in STEMM? A: Revisit these questions often: how do you heal, what do you need right now, what is your origin story and who/what do you do this for? Orient yourself back to yourself and your communities when in need. It’s okay to take breaks. It’s okay to fail and learn from failures or mistakes. It’s okay to delay that comprehensive exam. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Release the pressure and urgency of institutions that value labor and profit over everything. Take that break. You have strengths, perspectives and talents no other person in this world has. Remember them often, repeat them back to yourself, know you are having a human experience, and that you matter tremendously. Also, send those cold emails because everyone else is too! • Dr Edwards was speaking with Kate Harrison, Senior Science Writer for Technology Networks Credit: Mélise Edwards 30 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Dr. Nita Gandhi Forouhi is a professor of population health and nutrition at the University of Cambridge. As a physician scientist and academic specializing in the fields of nutrition and epidemiology, she leads the nutritional epidemiology program of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the Institute of Metabolic Science. She is also an NIHR senior investigator. Forouhi’s research explores the link between diet, nutrition and the risk of diabetes, obesity and related disorders. She trained in medicine at the University of Newcastle, also gaining a first class honors BMedSci in immunology. She trained in diabetes and endocrinology in Edinburgh, followed by specialist training in public health in London and Cambridge. She holds a masters degree and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In 2024, she was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Forouhi cares deeply about promoting a positive research culture, which she advances through her role as the Director of Organizational Affairs in the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, and as chair of the Clinical School’s EDI Governance Group. She is also a member of the University of Cambridge Race Equality Charter team and serves as the equality and diversity lead for the MRC Epidemiology Unit. Q: What motivated you to pursue a career in science? A: Throughout my childhood and later years, I have been fortunate to have had the advice, encouragement and support of some incredible teachers and scientists, and my family who have helped to shape my motivation to pursue a career in science. Self-motivation also played a part. At about the age of 11 years old, I declared to my parents that I wanted to be a medical doctor. This came as a surprise because no one in our family was a doctor, or in science. Fortunately, my parents neither encouraged nor discouraged me but said that I should do whatever I can excel at, be happy with and that can help me be of service to others. This meant the ball was firmly in my court and it increased my motivation to study medicine and science. Nita Forouhi, PhD Professor, Population Health and Nutrition, University of Cambridge Alex Beadle Credit: MRC Epidemiology Unit TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 31 The youngest of four children, I grew up in India. My schooling at the City Montessori School followed by St. Agnes’ High School in Lucknow set a strong foundation for learning. I moved to England aged 14, without my parents but with my siblings, and from age 16, I studied on the weekdays and worked paid jobs at weekends and on the holidays. I chose the right subjects to be eligible to apply to study medicine at university. However, I was told not to bother by an eminent doctor giving a talk to students interested in studying medicine. This advice was repeated by career advisors at career fairs. “You simply won’t get in.” “The competition is fierce and you are a girl educated in India so you don’t have the right foundations.” “Be realistic; apply for courses within your reach.” My enthusiasm to pursue my interest was strengthened, not weakened as I resolved to give it my best. Full credit goes to my headteacher and teachers at South Hampstead High School for believing in me and for supporting me in my ambition. I applied, I got in, I worked hard, I excelled and had a superb time at medical school at Newcastle University. Then came the desire to be a medical scientist. A few things stand out that paved the way. During my medical degree, I got the opportunity to take one year out to do an intercalated degree, called a BMedSci. Only four students from my year group of 153 students took this on. I chose immunology and got to spend time in a research laboratory working on understanding the immune processes leading to thyroid disease. I loved the experience, wrote a thesis, sat some exams and was delighted to pass with a first class honors degree. This experience made me realize my emerging passion for research. But I needed to finish my medical training and get clinical experience first, which I did, working as a hospital doctor in Newcastle and Edinburgh. My underlying interest in scientific research never faded. While working as a medical registrar in Edinburgh, I saw an advert for a Wellcome Trust Training Fellowship in London, focused on exploring ethnic differences in the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. I felt I had to explore this, and my senior colleagues supported my interest. The rest is history, as they say. I got a masters degree in epidemiology and a PhD in population health science. Then I trained in public health medicine in London and Cambridge. This combination of training equipped me to embark on the next chapter of my professional journey into a scientific career. In Cambridge, I got the opportunity to work at the MRC Epidemiology Unit where the unit director got me interested in nutritional epidemiology, for which there was a compelling case for better research to look for insights into the prevention of chronic diseases. I embraced this opportunity and worked my way up the professional ladder. Q: Could you tell us more about your current research focus and aspirations for the future? A: I am the head of the nutritional epidemiology program and professor of population health and nutrition at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge. My research is focused on understanding the links between diet, nutrition and the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and related conditions and informing strategies for their prevention. In particular, I am interested in identifying factors that can mitigate or elevate the risk of health problems. Good science in the field of nutrition research can be drowned out by noise and confusion as there is intense media and public interest in nutrition, coupled with vested interests from players including the food industry, bloggers, influencers and celebrities. My ambition is to produce rigorous research with replication of findings in different settings. Since measuring people’s dietary intakes typically relies on subjective reporting through questionnaires, this makes it prone to measurement error and reporting biases. Therefore, my research has been targeted at developing and using improved methods to assess diet, including the use of blood-based nutritional biomarkers to identify physiological responses to dietary factors to understand the pathways between consuming food and the development of disease. This opens up the TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 32 possibility to also use genetic epidemiology approaches to investigate if the observed links between dietary factors and disease risk are likely to be causal in nature. Another strand of my research is to understand between-population differences in cardio-metabolic health, including variation by ethnicity and geography. To do this, I collaborate extensively with researchers in different locations globally. This is very important to me, as much of past research has been based on Europeanorigin populations in Europe and North America, which is important in itself, but some of the findings may not be directly translatable to other populations. There is much to learn from understanding similarities and differences so that appropriate strategies for action can be implemented. I have been studying the health impacts of foods derived from animal or plant-based sources and there is increasing evidence that foods that are suboptimal for health are largely also the ones that exert a greater impact on the environment and add to the burden of climate change. This is an example where most of the research is still based in the Global North and my aspiration is that we will generate evidence from other world regions so that appropriate dietary guidelines and climate mitigation strategies can be formulated. Another aspiration I have is to envisage a time where instead of asking people what they eat, we can use a panel of biomarkers that is more accurate and minimizes biases and error. This would help people to see evidence of what they ate, instead of the usual misremembering or misreporting and would open up the possibility for personalized nutrition. A related aspiration is to be able to measure these biomarkers of diet using near-person tests with painfree and non-invasive methods and with no requirement for large biobanks that need to store volumes of sample aliquots. Q: What do you enjoy most about your work? What would you say are your proudest achievements? A: I enjoy that the portfolio of my work is very varied – from hour to hour I can be doing different things. For instance, I manage research projects and research collaborations that involve scientists from different institutions and countries globally, write scientific papers, raise funds for research, supervise PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, teach postgraduate students and supervise public health trainees, give talks at conferences, do media interviews, review scientific papers and think of new research ideas and write references for promotions or jobs or sit on interview panels. When not doing that, I also serve in advisory roles with different national or international committees or have editorial or advisory inputs into medical journals. There is never a dull moment! I find my work exciting because I learn new things all the time – the more research you do, the more you realize how much we still do not know and can still do. It is very satisfying that the medical research I do allows me to work towards the prevention of serious medical conditions like type 2 diabetes. One of my proudest achievements is that the research I have led has been cited in public health guidance and policy reports, becoming part of the wider narrative that has led to changes in national or international policy on health. For example, our research on the link between sugar-sweetened beverages and type 2 diabetes contributed to the evidence base to inform the dietary guidelines from the World Health Organization and the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to minimize their consumption. In the UK, the evidence we generated was considered by the House of Commons Health Committee and contributed to the fiscal action taken by the UK Government on introducing a softdrinks industry levy, commonly referred to as the “sugar tax”. As a stand-alone policy, this will not solve the challenges of obesity and type 2 diabetes, but it is a compelling part of the collective actions that will help to tackle those challenges. Another thing that makes me very proud is when the students and junior- or middle-grade researchers that I have helped train excel and do well in their careers. I cherish that I have the privilege to help shape people’s professional journeys, be it by being successful in TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 33 publishing scientific papers, securing grant applications, getting a promotion or when they in turn go on to train others. One other thing that makes me proud: after serving voluntarily as an “equality champion” for eight years, I was appointed as the director of organizational affairs at my clinical school, where I champion a positive research culture and promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace for approximately 3000 staff and 2000 students on campus. It is a big responsibility and despite the enormity of the task, it gives me pleasure to influence positive change. Q: In your opinion, what more can be done to support women who are beginning/building their careers in science? A: A lot more can and should be done to attract, recruit and retain women in science. We need to make scientific careers more attractive, and that should start during school years because by university level, the subject choices are already made. Outreach initiatives from universities into schools, as well as widening participation schemes are important ways in which to broaden the diversity and inclusivity in creating ambition to study STEMM subjects at university, which we know currently is generally lower in girls than in boys. And when girls show an interest, this needs to be encouraged and nurtured. My science career may have never started had I given in to the naysayers of my time or if my headteacher had not guided me. Most of us are familiar with the so-called “leaky pipeline” for women in scientific careers. It is real and we see it in both academic university settings and in industry, with there being substantially fewer senior female academics than male counterparts. There are many reasons for this, including women’s responsibilities beyond the workplace, which traditionally include a greater share of domestic duties and those of childbearing, raising a family and caring duties. I had to navigate this challenge, and if not for the support of my husband I would not have managed to return to work after my PhD, due to having two small children to look after at that stage. Fortunately, there are now institutional initiatives that can help, such as the Returning Carers Scheme, MyFamilyCare and flexible working. But there is still a long way to go. Childcare facilities are often way below need and childcare costs are high. Institutions need to pay more attention to this need. Short, fixed-term employment contracts lead to precarity in scientific careers, fueled by time-limited funding grants. Strategies are needed to create opportunities and support for career development, including skills development, CV strengthening, apprenticeships, academic placements and redeployment and other creative ways to enhance experience and progression potential. For women who embark on “middle-grade” or higher ranks in academia, there is the hurdle of senior promotions. In many universities or other settings, there is a problem of women not applying, or not applying at the same rate as men, and it is well recognized that many women need extra encouragement or support to apply. It is helpful if heads of departments or line managers could draw up lists of all eligible staff – men and women – who are ready for academic promotion and offer advice and support to them. Clear guidance on eligibility to apply and the criteria for success should be provided, together with information sessions open to all so that maximum equity can be promoted. Most of all, we need to acknowledge that there is an ongoing gender-based inequity in institutions, use data as relevant to examine this critically and agree to do something about it, rather than brushing it under the carpet and hoping that things will improve somehow by themselves. They won’t. Positive action is needed – both improved organizational structures and processes, and individual engagement and leadership. Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a young woman at the start of their journey in STEMM, what would that be? A: My experience has taught me that if you don’t try things, you may never know if they are right for you. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 34 Most of all, don’t be pushed off-course because of what others say or do. Speak up when you need help but always be polite and kind. Don’t be afraid to tailor-make a career. Careers in science don’t always work in a linear fashion and you have to embrace the ups and downs. Take the opportunities that may come your way and create the opportunities when you need to. Find yourself good mentors, both from among senior colleagues and particularly from among your peer group, as they can provide a useful support system and a good sounding board. • Prof. Nita Forouhi was speaking to Alex Beadle, Science Writer for Technology Networks. If you have even a small interest in any of the science subjects, hold on to it and nurture it. Don’t shy away from asking questions and do experiment with different options and pathways. 35 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Robyn Araiza is a dynamic lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), where her passion for education and community building shines. A proud double alumna, she earned her bachelor of science and master of science in chemistry from CSUSM in 2007 and 2020, respectively. Currently, Robyn is advancing her expertise by pursuing a PhD in analytical chemistry under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin Schug at the University of Texas at Arlington, conducting research in the lab of Dr. Jackie Trischman at CSUSM, in collaboration with Dr. Ben Naman at the San Diego Botanic Gardens. Robyn’s research focuses on plant metabolomics, and she is particularly fascinated with instrumentation. Beyond her academic pursuits, Robyn plays a vital role in STEM diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) as the coordinator for Super STEM Saturday, an engaging event that attracts over 14,000 attendees to campus each spring as part of the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering. She also leads the STEM Professional Mentoring Program, which connects STEM students with industry professionals, fostering valuable mentorship opportunities. As a passionate advocate for equity in STEM, Robyn is committed to diversifying instructional strategies both inside and outside the classroom. She consistently seeks innovative ways to inspire students and share her enthusiasm for the sciences, emphasizing that the wonders of science are all around us and empowering the next generation of scientists. Q: Where did your desire to pursue a career in STEM originate from? A: As a young girl, I always loved math and science, but by the end of high school, I didn’t believe a career in STEM was a realistic option for me. When I started college, I planned to pursue a degree in literature or sociology, though I did eventually keep a minor in women’s studies. However, during a general education science class, my professor noticed that I wasn’t reaching my full potential Robyn Araiza Lecturer, California State University San Marcos, CSTEM Professional Mentoring Program Faculty Director and Super STEM Saturday Coordinator Molly Coddington Credit: Laurie Schmelzer Robyn Araiza in the Ethnobotany Garden at CSUSM TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 36 and encouraged me to take his general chemistry course the following semester. That’s when I met Dr. Jackie Trischman, my lab instructor, who not only reignited my passion for chemistry but also introduced me to STEM outreach. Over time, I became most passionate about research that could have a practical impact, particularly in the area of medicinal plants. This work led me to projects related to wildlife conservation – something I never imagined would be part of a chemistry career. Over the last two decades, I’ve also dedicated much of my energy to building outreach and mentoring programs, helping others to find their paths in STEM. Q: Can you tell us more about some of the outreach programs you are involved with that champion inclusivity and diversity in STEM? A: My work championing inclusivity and diversity in STEM is tied to several key projects and initiatives. I am a coordinator and volunteer organizer for the Super STEM Saturday festival at CSUSM. This event aims to inspire K-12 students from diverse backgrounds to find a love for exploration and eventually pursue STEM careers. My role involves coordinating hands-on activities and organizing hundreds of volunteers. We actively seek out students and community members from diverse backgrounds to participate in the event as representation is vital, especially for the younger participants. As a committee member, I also contribute to the strategic planning and growth of the festival. A central goal of the committee is to keep the event free, significantly increasing participation from underrepresented communities. As the event gets larger there is a greater focus on accessibility for differently abled students to be able to participate in the exploration. I was part of the task force that developed the Professional Mentoring Program, aimed at providing mentorship to underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Our campus is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institute, as over 50% of our population identifies as Latinx. Over half are also first-generation college students, with a campus focus on social mobility based on career advancement. I have been the Faculty Director of the program since 2022, ensuring it meets its goals of supporting diversity and inclusion. Our key achievements include matching over 200 mentees with mentors and organizing numerous professional development workshops. I am also a course instructor for chemistry/STEM in the Community, a unique service-learning course that started within the chemistry department but now involves students from all STEM disciplines. Students learn to develop outreach activities and manage outreach in varying environments. These events can be in smaller groups such as afterschool programs like BASE and YMCA, or larger elementary school assemblies. Our large community festivals reach thousands of K-12 kids from all backgrounds. Beyond these examples, I have also been actively involved in engaging Girl Scouts in chemistry through hands-on activities that foster an early interest in STEM, in addition to helping identify and recruit program participants to #BeThatGirl by SDG&E, an initiative that aims to empower young girls to pursue STEMM careers. These projects and initiatives reflect my commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment in STEM, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to succeed and contribute to these fields. Q: In your opinion, why is it important that we consciously work to make inclusivity and diversity a priority in STEM? A: In 2023 only ~27% of the population were white men above the poverty level in the US. This means that nearly three-quarters of the population, including many brilliant thinkers, are systemically excluded from STEM fields. This exclusion not only slows the progress of our industry but also hinders advancements that could improve the quality of life for everyone. On an individual level, access to meaningful and higher-paying careers can significantly enhance quality of life, with benefits that extend across generations. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 37 Q: What do you see as barriers to an inclusive and diverse environment in STEM? A: One of the most significant barriers to an inclusive and diverse environment in STEM is the lack of visibility and representation at leadership levels. This can perpetuate a cycle where diverse voices and perspectives are not adequately heard or valued. Additionally, there are still challenges related to unconscious biases and a lack of awareness or understanding about the importance of diversity and inclusion. Q: What do you hope the future of STEM looks like? A: My biggest hope is that the future of STEM evaluates people's contributions based on their merits, without demographic qualifiers. Achieving this will require restructuring leadership to ensure that the most capable individuals can attain influential positions. These leaders should be recognized for their abilities, not seen as exceptions or “diversity, equality and inclusion” hires, but as capable leaders without needing additional justification. • Robyn Araiza was speaking to Molly Coddington, Senior Science Writer and Newsroom Team Lead at Technology Networks. 38 WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES Dr. Sheena Cruickshank is a leading immunologist and professor in the division of immunology, immunity to infection and respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester. Her academic journey started at Strathclyde University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Immunology, followed by a PhD in Immunology from the University of Leeds in 1998. Cruickshank’s research looks at the intricate mechanisms of the immune system, focusing on how immune responses are initiated and how they differentiate between beneficial elements – like the microbiome – and threats – such as infections or injuries. Her work has illuminated the early events in immune responses that determine whether inflammation resolves or becomes chronic, with implications for understanding conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and delayed wound healing. Outside the lab, Cruickshank is a vocal advocate for public science communication, a passion she brings to her role as academic lead for public engagement at the University of Manchester. She has designed outreach programs, including the Worm Wagon and Wiggling Rangoli, to educate diverse audiences about parasitic infections. She also co-created the citizen science app Britain Breathing, which explores the links between air pollution and allergies. Cruickshank’s impactful work across research and public engagement has earned her numerous awards, including the Royal Society of Biology Communicator of the Year Award in 2013 and recognition as a 2017–18 AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute Public Engagement Fellow. She continues to inspire individuals both within and beyond the scientific community, appearing on platforms such as BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific and delivering talks at events such as TEDx Manchester. Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in science? A: I grew up in the North of Scotland by the seaside. My brother was passionate about biology, and from a young age he would take me rock pooling – he would spend Sheena Cruickshank, PhD Professor, Division of Immunology, Immunity to Infection and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester. Rhianna-lily Smith Credit: Sheena Cruickshank TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 39 hours patiently talking to me and explaining all about the sea-life. He'd tell me about the creatures that were living there, how they lived, how beautiful they were – everything about them. We even had a tank set up at home, which enabled us to take some of these animals home to study them even more and my bother would explain even more about their lifestyles. It hooked me into science. We had blennies, guppies, velvet crabs and sea anemones. My favorite creatures were the hermit crabs. One day, we came down to look at the tank and there was only one hermit crab and an empty shell. My brother explained that the hermit crab must have outgrown its shell and had gone to look for another one. Now, in a rock pool there would be lots and lots of shells around so it could have easily found one. But of course, in our tank there were no shells and there were hungry fish – so the hermit crab became fish food. I was so upset – I didn’t want this to happen to our other hermit crab and neither did my brother. We had to do a hermit crab rescue mission really rapidly. We went back to the beach to find some shells that we thought might be just suitable for our hermit crab to move into. We set up a second tank and we popped the hermit crab in it with our array of shells and some tasty, tempting morsels of chopped up earthworm (they liked those). After a while something came out of the shell, and it was so weird looking. It made its way to investigate the shells until it found the shell that it wanted. It popped it on, and it disappeared. We had saved the hermit crab, and my love of biology was sealed. I was going to become a biologist just like my brother, but then he got very sick when I was at secondary school and my interest pivoted from biology into trying to understand how we fight infections or diseases – immunology. I studied immunology at university and haven’t looked back since. Q: Could you tell us about your current research interests and area of expertise? A: We are exposed to a plethora of infectious and damaging agents such as pollutants, as well as being colonized by a vast microbial population. The combination of events that impact us are termed the exposome and this will affect how, for example, we respond to infections. My lab focuses on the sites that are particularly shaped by the exposome – our barrier sites such as the gut, skin and lungs. I work with brilliant researchers from a variety of disciplines including microbiologists, bioinformaticians, clinicians and environmental researchers to probe fundamental questions about the impact of the exposome on immune function. For example, we are looking at how particulate matter from fires or cars affects immune function and the development of asthma. Our other research is investigating how we better heal wounds on our skin and the contribution of the microbiome in healing. Our research is heavily informed by patient and public involvement and we strive to translate our research for public benefit. Q: Beyond your scientific achievements, you are a strong advocate for public engagement in science. Why do you believe public understanding of immunology is so important, and how has this shaped your career? A: Growing up, I was heavily influenced by my brother and his passion for science. No question had ever been too stupid. I also enjoyed playing musical instruments and more arts-based subjects and didn’t ever feel that these hobbies could be categorized as fitting within the sciences or the arts. When I was at university many of my flat mates were doing arts-based degrees. I was fascinated by what they were studying, but I couldn’t work out why they didn’t love hearing about science. They said science is too hard – it’s not for them. It’s just for “geeks”’. I didn’t feel that was right – science is everywhere, it’s all around us and part of us. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 40 I realized that not everyone had grown up with a passionate advocate for science in their lives. I think that was the point that I knew I would be really keen to do science communication as well as my research. Public involvement with my research is part of the way I work – it influences the research direction I take and it’s incredibly rewarding – I never stop learning. It also lets you see your research making a difference (even if that difference is small) in people’s lives. I think science information should be accessible for all. During the peak of the pandemic, for example, I felt I could contribute positively by helping debunk myths and share the emerging research in more accessible ways. Q: As a woman in STEMM, what are some of the most significant challenges you have faced, and how did you overcome them to achieve your current success? A: There are a few challenges for sure – there is still pervasive sexism in workplaces (not just science) and that can be challenging. Women only make up around a third of the workforce in the STEMM field. Biology is much better represented by women than other STEMM fields but, still, in senior positions, men dominate. Don’t get me wrong, I work with some amazing male colleagues and it’s not everyone by any means. It was also challenging juggling childcare and work when my kids were young. I have the most incredibly supportive partner but there were always times when a kid was sick (inevitably messily in the middle of the night). This would always trigger the middle of the night negotiation –who had the biggest day the next day, who could cancel things and take care of said vomiting child? That was never easy. I had amazing colleagues though, and we were regularly helping each other in the lab so that we could make childcare pickups or deal with those child emergencies. Having a great support network of friends and family makes a huge difference. Q: What is your proudest achievement? A: I am incredibly proud of my children and family, but I am assuming you are looking for a more workfocused answer. I will say two things. One is my incredible PhD students – past and present. I love watching them develop into independent researchers – it’s incredible and such a privilege to be part of that supervisory journey. Another example is the work I have been doing in a part of Manchester known as Ardwick. Ardwick is a vibrant multi-cultural community that is surrounded by busy roads. Residents there have been worried about the impact of pollution on their children’s health. I have been collaborating with residents and policy makers to explore these concerns and promote awareness of the risks of pollution to health. My partnership with residents highlighted issues of dangerous roads with fast -moving traffic, few crossings and high levels of pollution making it very hard to get around safely. We co-created a green route within Ardwick that had been planted by an incredible group of residents called Ardwick Climate Action (ACA). We commissioned an artist to create wayfinders to map the route out and give information about the project and the planting ACA were doing (via QR codes and website hosted by ACA). The wayfinders are stunning – each one features an image of a plant(s) that grows there. The route was launched in 2024. l am so excited and proud of this green route and really hope it makes a difference to residents for their health and wellbeing, as they can avoid some of the traffic and pollution and enjoy the incredible biodiversity created by the planting done by ACA. However, I still have had those meetings where I am the only woman and will be talked over or asked who I work for. That doesn’t exactly help my imposter syndrome which is all too pervasive. TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 41 Q: What advice would you give to young women aspiring to pursue a career in STEMM? A: Never stop being curious and embrace the opportunities you will have. We need a diverse workforce to be able to do the best and most meaningful science we can and there are so many roles you can do that will make a difference. Find your allies and build your network – it can take time but it’s worth it. I have some incredible colleagues and friends at work, and I would be lost without them. Most importantly, enjoy yourself and treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself. • Prof. Sheena Cruickshank was speaking to Rhianna-Lily Smith, Editorial Assistant for Technology Networks. WOMEN IN LIFE SCIENCES: PIONEERS OF PROGRESS AND INNOVATION 42 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM CONTRIBUTORS Alex Beadle Alexander is a science writer and editor for Technology Networks. He writes news and features for the Applied Sciences section, leading the site's coverage of topics relating to materials science and engineering. He holds a master’s degree in Materials Chemistry from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Anna MacDonald Anna is a senior science editor at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia. Before joining Technology Networks she helped organize scientific conferences. Isabel Ely, PhD Isabel joined Technology Networks in June 2024 as a science writer and editor after completing her PhD in human physiology from the University of Nottingham. Her research focused on the importance of dietary protein and exercise in maximizing muscle health in advancing age. She also holds a BSc in exercise and sport sciences from the University of Exeter and an MRes in medicine and health from the University of Nottingham. Karen Steward, PhD Karen Steward holds a PhD in molecular microbiology and evolutionary genetics from the University of Cambridge. She moved into science writing in 2017 after over a decade as a research scientist. Kate Harrison, PhD Kate Harrison is a senior science writer and is responsible for the creation of custom-written projects. She holds a PhD in virology from the University of Edinburgh. Before working at Technology Networks, she was involved in developing vaccines for neglected tropical diseases, and held a lectureship position teaching immunology. Kate Robinson Kate Robinson is a science editor for Technology Networks. She joined the team in 2021 after obtaining a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences. Mariana Gil, PhD Mariana Gil is a custom content manager for Technology Networks. She holds a PhD in biological sciences from the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She moved into science communication in 2021 after almost two decades in academia. Molly Coddington Molly Coddington is a senior writer and newsroom team lead for Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in neuroscience. In 2021 Molly was shortlisted for the Women in Journalism Georgina Henry Award. Rhianna-Lily Smith Rhianna-lily is an editorial assistant at Technology Networks. She holds an honors degree in biomedicine from the University of East Anglia and a masters degree in microbiology. Before joining Technology Networks she researched maternal health and the microbiome.