SoapboxScience

Catherine Atherton (@cat_atherton), Bangor University, is taking part in Soapbox Science Bristol on Saturday 15th July 2017 where she will be giving a talk called: “Storing images in the Brain: How we remember faces, objects and brands differently” 

SS: How did you get to your current position?

CA: I completed my Underdgraduate studies in Psychology with Neuropsychology with a first Class Honours. I then went on to finish my Masters in Psychological Research with a distinction before starting my PhD in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience at Bangor University.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

CA: I wanted to study more about the brain after being insprired by the work of Dr Oliver Sacks in the Nuerological field.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

CA: Using Electroencephalograph technology and recording brainwaves. It is fascinating being able to watch people’s brains respond in real time to the world around them.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

CA: It is becoming increasingly important for research to be communicated to the general public and I felt that Soapbox Science was a great opportunity to engage with the public and tell them about my research whilst simultaneously promoting women’s places in science.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day

CA: Engaging

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

CA: Publication Bias- Science should be about the open communication of knowledge and all results irrespective of whether the results are positive.

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in academia?

CA: Make the most of opportunities available to you, such as conferences, and other events such as Soapbox Science. This allows you to promote yourself and  your work but also promotes equality in science.

Dr Caroline Sullivan is a High Nature Value farmland researcher. She currently works as the Assistant Manager and Project Scientist on the Hen Harrier Project in Ireland. She enjoys communicating the importance of High Nature Value farmland and the need to support it to policy makers, local communities and anyone else with an interest. For fun she volunteers with the Galway Bat Group, monitoring bats and participating in bat walks for the local community, and identifies plants on Botanical Society for Britain and Ireland fieldtrips as well as holidaying in High Nature Value farmland areas in Ireland and across Europe. You can catch Caroline on her soapbox at the Glaway event on 15th July 2017 giving a talk called: “The Wild Atlantic Way; why it’s so beautiful and how farmers helped create it” 

by Caroline Sullivan

From plant ecology to the Wild Atlantic Way; an agroecologists journey

My career to date has seen many interesting and varied posts as I am always open to new opportunities. I always enjoyed biology and English in school but after careful consideration and consultation I chose to do a general science degree in NUI Galway. I’ve never liked the idea of being tied down to one thing (in any area of life) so the option of getting a feel for all the sciences really appealed to me. It was a field trip to the Burren at the very end of second year of my undergraduate course that really opened my eyes to botany (the study of plants). Latin names rolled off my tongue and the rainy conditions and long evenings with plant ID keys didn’t dampen my enthusiasm and by the end of my fourth year I had an honours degree in botany and a love of plant ecology (the effects of the environment on plants) in particular.
After my degree, I did a PhD on the Identification of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland in east Galway. This turned me into an enthusiastic agroecologist, thanks to the support of my supervisors Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, Mike Gormally and John Finn. High Nature Value (HNV) farmland is extensively managed farmland that has high biodiversity. This farmland is important for the conservation of semi-natural habitats and the plants and animals linked with them.

Clockwise from top left, some of the biodiversity supported by HNV farmland; The Kerry Slug feeding on moss, a bumblebee feeding on a Foxsglove, a hare feeding on some acid grassland and a fox hunting on HNV bogland.
Supporting this type of farmland will ensure high levels of farmland biodiversity, high water, air and soil quality, flood and climate change resilience and vibrant rural communities among other things. These farms occur most frequently in areas that are mountainous, or areas where natural constraints prevent intensification. There is lots more information on www.high-nature-value-farmland.ie.

Clockwise from top left: Upland HNV farmland in the Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork, coastal HNV farmland in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, wet grassland mosaic HNV landscapes of Co. Leitrim and upland HNV farmland in the Inishowen Peninsula, Co, Donegal.
I have been very lucky to work on the same topic as my PhD since I completed it in 2010. I have worked with farmers, admiring their work ethic, the landscapes that they manage despite challenging conditions and enjoying the biodiversity that these landscapes can support. In fact, the landscapes in Ireland that I most enjoy being in are High Nature Value farmland landscapes. In Ireland, the Wild Atlantic Way is a very successful tourist route that runs from Donegal to Cork. It brings tourists through many beautiful High Nature Value farmland areas perhaps without realising the farmers contribution to this tourism marketing tour de force.
I’m looking forward to the Soapbox Science event for a couple of reasons, firstly, it is often assumed that High Nature Value farmland exists with no effort but that isn’t the case and I feel that that Soapbox Science platform and location is ideal for addressing that. Secondly, it is a wonderful opportunity to show young children out there that there is no set path in life. If you have an interest in science, it is a very fulfilling and worthy career option that can lead you on a fun, adventurous and rewarding journey. The people I have worked with and for in the last seven years have been hugely supportive and inspirational and I hope to one day have the opportunity to be that type of mentor for other future ecologists.

Dr Heather Lally is a lecturer in Freshwater Ecology and Biology at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Galway, Ireland. Heather’s areas of expertise are micro and macro freshwater algae, aquatic and riparian plants, and aquatic animals in particular macroinvertebrates which are baby insects living under rocks and in crevices in the water. Macroinvertebrates are an essential component of functioning river and lake ecosystems and are important bioindicators of water quality for these systems. Combining knowledge of water chemistry with the presence of certain macroinvertebrates provides a reliable method of determining water quality particularly during pollution events.  Understanding how these plants and animals response in Irish rivers and lakes to different land uses, pollution events and changing climatic patterns is central to her research investigations.

Currently, Heather’s research is investigating a new and emerging freshwater pollutant – Microplastics (small plastics particles). Understanding how these small plastics particles enter freshwater systems, determining where they go and what happens to them, and what impact they may have on the aquatic food web in particular top predators such as otter are key research questions to be addressed.

For her Soapbox Science talk this July in Galway she will be talking about “How do creepy crawlies adapt to living in a watery underworld”

SS: How did you get to your current position?

HL: I got to my current position via the typical science route; first completing a BSc in Environmental Science and following that pursuing a PhD in Environmental Science, both at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG). During my PhD, I found my passion for peatlands and their conservation.  However, on completing my PhD I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, so I took some time out to go travelling. On my return, I took up a postdoctoral position at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland on riverine riparian conservation and management. This allowed me to redirect away from peatlands to learn about rivers and their riparian zones in more detail. Having such a depth of knowledge and understanding in both wetland and river habitats allowed me to successfully take up my current position as lecturer in Freshwater Ecology and Biology at GMIT.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

HL: From a very early age, I knew I loved the outdoors and always wanted to be exploring it. When it came to going to secondary school, I had a natural ability for biology and chemistry but when we went on an ecology field trip in my final year at school I really found my calling. It was my first experience of recording vegetation and insects and I loved it.  From then, I knew that I wanted a career in ecology where I could have a job that involved working outdoors and learning more about plants, animals and the habitats they live in. Choosing a BSc in Environmental Science was the perfect match, a great blend of lectures, practicals and field trips. Getting the opportunity to experience the many sampling techniques, learning about the various plants and animals, and seeing them in their habitat inspired me even more to pursue a long term career in science.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

HL: The most fascinating aspect of my research is having the opportunity to continue delving into new and emerging freshwater pollution issues in Ireland, namely microplastics in freshwater systems. Developing novel and innovative sampling techniques and operating them in the field increases my capacity to think outside the box. There is anticipation of what the results might bring but also a great sense of pride that we are working on freshwater issues that matter to local communities and where the results will make a real policy change at both the national and European level. Adding our experiences from Ireland to that already collated from around the world allows collaboration and contribution to the greater scientific community.

The most fascinating aspect of my work is having the opportunity to now impart my excitement and knowledge of freshwater habitats onto the next generation of undergraduate scientists. I work on the BSc in Freshwater and Marine Biology at GMIT where undergraduates have many opportunities to experience freshwater and marine plants and animals in practicals and on field trips.  Working alongside students who are excited by these experiences, and encouraging and supporting them as they make the next steps towards postgraduate studies or getting professional jobs is very rewarding.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

HL: I was first attracted to Soapbox Science as firstly it is a great platform for Women in Science to promote their research and work and secondly I saw it as a great opportunity to showcase and share my research interests in freshwater science with the general public, in particular children, at a regional, national and international level. Been awarded the opportunity to participant in this all female, global, public science engagement event affords me the chance to increase my science communication experience and extend my message to a much larger audience.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the event?

HL: Amazing

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

HL: Better work/life balance. The constant treadmill of lecturing, creating lecture notes, correcting continuous assessment, mentoring postgraduates, applying for grants plus other academic duties makes it difficult to fit in time for ourselves, family and friends particularly in the early years of an academic scientist.

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a women studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in science?

HL: Go for it. Life is too short not to be doing the research and work you enjoy most. Every career has trials and tribulations which must be overcome and a career in science is no different.  Always follow your gut, make the most of the experiences that come your way even when they seem like veering of the path and enjoy the ride.

Katie Togher is currently a fourth year PhD student at University College Cork working with the Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research (INFANT, www.infantcentre.ie/) and APC Microbiome Institute (APC, www.apc.ucc.ie). Her current research is investigating the mechanisms by which prenatal maternal stress may programme disease risk in affected children. In particular she is looking at how distress may impact the maternal, and subsequently, infant microbiome. Her research also focuses on how pregnancy stress may be impacting important genes involved in glucocorticoid signalling in the placenta.

Come and meet more amazing women scientists at Soapbox Science Galway on Saturday 15th July 2017.

SS: Katie, how did you get to your current position?

KT: I realised I wanted to work in the area of developmental biology during the final year of my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience. I had a great research experience working on my final year project and approached one of the lecturers to do a research masters. From this, I secured a position at the INFANT centre which opened a lot of doors for me. During this time I was informed about a really interesting collaborative project with the APC microbiome Institute combining perinatal mental health with the microbiome. I jumped on board and quickly transitioned into a PhD with the two SFI centres.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

KT: I have always been fascinated by the sciences and how things work. I studied biology, chemistry and physics for my leaving certificate and when I began my degree in biological and chemical sciences in University College Cork, I was sure I would go down the chemistry or physics route, but then fell in love with biology and research before specializing in Neuroscience. I am now lucky enough to work among some incredibly talented midwives, clinicians and scientists who keep me inspired every day.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

KT: As a clinical researcher, I have the opportunity to meet many beautiful and strong women at one of the most exciting times in their lives. Watching women progress throughout their pregnancy, from a point where their baby is no bigger than the size of a grape to getting to meet a tiny human after birth is definitely what fascinates me the most. The fact that the female body is capable of growing humans from the initial joining of two cells is a medical and scientific miracle (for me at least). The process of how this is happening is fascinating to me and keeps me constantly engaged.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

KT: I originally heard about soapbox science through the outreach programme at the INFANT centre and after reading more about the great work and commitment soapbox science has being providing to promote female scientists I thought, yes,  this is definitely something I want to get involved in.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the event.

KT: Powerful

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

KT: I think funding and job structure might be one of the biggest problems right now. Unfortunately there is very little job security for scientists which drives many people away from the career. It’s definitely a part of the vocation that needs to be improved..

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in science?

KT: I haven’t quiet finished my PhD yet, but if I were to give advice to someone trying to decide on if they should enter into a career in research or not, I would say go for it. Be confidant, aware of your own abilities and don’t underestimate yourself! Also (and very importantly) take your time to find a topic that interests and inspires you. Science is hard work, but if you’re doing something you truly enjoy and are passionate about it makes everything a bit easier.

Fiona Malone (@miona_falone) is a biomedical engineer studying for her PhD as part of the GMedTech research group at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Fiona’s research focuses on the behaviour of cardiac source blood clots and their role in the occurrence of acute ischaemic stroke. She has won several awards for her communication and presentation skills over the course of her postgraduate studies and can’t wait to be a part of Soapbox Science Galway in July. Here, she tells us about her postgraduate journey thus far and how she’s sees the end (finally 😉) in sight

You can catch Fiona at Soapbox Science Galway on July 15th 2017.  where she will be giving a talk called: “Biomedical Engineering: Build your own body parts.” 

by Fiona Malone

As I approach the final stages of my PhD in Biomedical Engineering, I reflect on the lessons that I have learned throughout this incredibly interesting and rather intense journey.

 
Patience and Perseverance
I suppose it goes without saying that a PhD candidate should be of a patient nature when agreeing to climb this academic Everest. I knew this all too well, yet nothing could have prepared me for this expedition. You must be prepared for hours and hours of thinking, working, experimenting, writing, editing and rewriting again. You will be faced with many circumstances which will drain your time, energy and good self, but you must always try to persevere. You can be the most organised person in the room but nobody can predict when essential lab apparatus will go missing, or when a USB device will decide to pick that exact moment to fail on you. I know it can be easier said than done (especially if you are trying to make deadlines and project goals) but try not to sweat the small stuff – it will only discourage you.
On that note, you must also be prepared to fail. My first attempt at publishing a paper got annihilated by an editor, but I learned from it and persevered to improve my written communication skills which I have subsequently used in my thesis and other applications and publications. Always turn a failure into an opportunity to learn and never give up.

 
Communication
Always make time for opportunities to communicate your work, be it to colleagues, supervisors, potential bosses or even just your friends. One of my favourite quotes by Einstein is “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”, and this is especially true to scientific communication. The better you become at communicating your research to your audience, be it an editor of a journal, an interview board or even a group of kids, the more focused your research will become.
Please don’t be afraid to ask for help either. I was at a conference a few years ago and was explaining the difficulty I was having in carrying out a particular experiment. At my talk, I highlighted the discrepancies in the results due to this experimental method, which led me to some interesting collaborations with engineers and scientists who were in attendance at the conference. If I had not communicated effectively, I would never have made those connections and I would never have gained that scientific knowledge to improve my research.

 
Independence, Initiative and Innovation
You must remember that at PhD level you are creating new knowledge. You can be guided and supervised to an extent but it must be your own initiative and innovation that independently answers your research questions. Be confident in your abilities – you have acquired the knowledge and applied it thus far.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Part of my research involved investigating the mechanical properties of blood clots and how they perform under different loading conditions. The literature available for such research methodology is quite limited, so I spent my days reading about plastics, rubbers and adhesives to gain insight into how they were tested.
Always try to work smarter rather than harder. You may need to refocus your research questions numerous times throughout the duration of your PhD as you discover new things and learn new concepts. That’s the beauty of the process! Ideas breed ideas and soon you will be able to collect them all to tell a story about your work that makes logical sense from beginning to end. So try not to waste your time on tasks that will not give you favourable results. Stay focused and work smartly towards your goals. It is also extremely advisable to know when to call it a day too!
I am really thrilled to be finishing my PhD. It has been a mammoth task, with ups, downs, and lots in between. It might not have always been fun but it has definitely been fulfilling and I’ve learned an awful lot. I am grateful for the opportunities it has continuously brought me to learn, create and innovate. PhDs are not meant to be easy, if they were, everyone would do one!

Natasha Zielazinski (right), a Composer, has been working with Dr Helen Barron (left)(@HelenCBarron), University of Oxford, towards Soapbox Art & Science Oxford 2017. Their topic is:  “Your story: how does your brain remember?”  You can catch them on Saturday 1st July alongside other artists and scientists at Magdalen college School, Oxford.

SS: How did you get to your current positions?

HB: I am a Junior Research Fellow in neuroscience at Merton College, University of Oxford. I got my current position in Oxford after doing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at University College London (UCL).

NZ: I am a cellist and composer and work with contemporary repertoire, improvisation, field recording and folk music. I teach at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and co-lead the Barbican Creative Learning ensemble Future Band, alongside work as a performer, composer and project leader with artists, orchestras and institutions in the UK and internationally. www.natashazielazinski.com

SS: What, or who, inspired your career choice?

NZ: Sound makes me feel free, whether I’m listening to sound or making it myself. I love the feeling of disappearing from normal time and finding another world, something I sometimes find in reading or cycling too. I also love the physical, visceral power of sound to call attention and bring people together. My own music comes from my connection with the cello and it’s resonance. Through my instrument I’ve found ways of exploring my own thoughts and feelings and expressing myself in the world. At other times it’s a vehicle that can take me into the head of another composer, whether it’s a friend or someone worlds away. And making music with others is incredible – it’s finding a way to be free with others, exploring, unearthing, and trying to communicate. I really believe that we are all artists – musicians, writers, painters, sculptors, composers, poets. It’s the most human thing in the world to feel something and want to express it. That I’ve ended up with a career as an artist is a wonderful thing. Nothing makes me happier than listening to music, learning a tune, composing sound or finding ways to share it with others.

HB: I was inspired to pursue a career in science by a number of different people. I think the earliest inspiration came from my dad who, as an acoustician, encouraged me to ask questions and seek to understand how the world works. Upon leaving school I knew that I wanted to pursue a science degree at university but at the time I enjoyed biology, chemistry and physics, and couldn’t decide which subject to focus on. To delay the decision I chose to pursue a broad Natural Sciences degree which allowed me to continue with a range of different science subjects. In my final year I finally settled on neuroscience, a relatively young subject which makes for an exciting research environment. I am grateful to my neuroscience supervisor, Dr Amy Milton, who introduced me to many of the fundamentals of neuroscience and provided a fantastic female academic role model for an undergraduate. Since this introduction to the subject I was fortunate to do my PhD in one of the UK’s most exciting and dynamic neuroscience labs, led by Professor Tim Behrens, which provided valuable training and opportunities in neuroscience research.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

HB: I am intrigued by some of the most basic neuroscience questions for which we still don’t have answers. For example, I am interested in understanding how we form new representations of the external world, and how our brains can store and recall hundreds of different memories. While I spend the best part of my week thinking about how to investigate these fundamental neuroscience questions, it is always fun to remind myself that my own brain is performing the very processes that I am investigating!

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Art & Science in the first place?

HB: As I progress up the academic hierarchy the gender gap becomes increasingly apparent. The gender ratio in neuroscience, as estimated by the fantastic website biaswatchneuro.com, is around 1F:2M. While this may seem disappointingly low, it is even more disappointing to realise that visibility of women within the field is often even lower. Consequently, there are too few role-models for the younger generation and systemic gender discrimination persists. Soapbox Science appears to be one means by which women in science can be given a voice to encourage other women to have confidence in pursuing a scientific career. In addition, by collaborating with musician Natasha Zielazinski, Soapbox Art and Science has provided an opportunity to think about new ways in which we can communicate science to the public and provide inspiration for the next generation.

SS: What ideas are you working on together?

HB: Natasha and I are exploring ways in which we can explain neuroscience to the public through music and audience participation. While it is challenging to both understand and investigate the brain, we believe that some of the most fundamental principles of neuroscience can be communicated to the public through creative means. We have focused on exploring how audience members can act as neurons in the brain, and how “audience neurons” can then use music and song to illustrate how memories are stored.

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in academia?

HB: Beyond seeking great labs to work in, my top recommendation to women studying for PhDs in STEM research is to not only be aware of gender bias, but to actively seek a female mentor who can help guide your career.

SS: What would be your recommendation for working with people from other subjects and disciplines?

NZ: Be curious, ask questions, find people you are interested in working with/learning from and be ready to test, experiment and get things wrong!

Soapbox Art & Science Oxford is kindly supported by the STFC, P2i and Oxford Festival of the Arts

Kate Davis (left), an Art student at Oxford Brookes University & Dr Ayoe Buus Hansen (right), who is based at the MetOffice, conducting research into improving the use of dispersion models, have been working together towards their presentation at Soapbox Art & Science Oxford on Saturday 1st July.  Their topic is: “Dispersing knowledge – how I model atmospheric dispersion”

SS: How did you get to your current position?

KD: I achieved 11 GCSE’s, being awarded an A* in both Fine Art and Art and Design. This then led me on to do a BTEC in Art and Design at Birmingham Metropolitan College, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. After finishing college I began to study art at Oxford Brookes University, and have just finished my second year and will be entering my final year in September.

ABH: How I got to my current position is a bit of a long story by now, but I have a PhD in air pollution modelling from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and have travelled to several countries (including USA and NZ) to gain experience as a scientist before moving to the UK and starting my job at the Met Office

SS: What or who inspired you to pursue a career/ study in the area you are?

ABH: Nature

KD: Well, the person who initially inspired me would be my mother, she is a talented artist and has always pushed me and encouraged me to follow my passion. Then during secondary school I discovered the 80’s album cover designer Roger Dean, his mystical Sci-Fi worlds inspiring me to draw what I love and to just go wackier and wackier with each painting. I am interested in fantasy worlds and dream-like creatures which have always appeared in my imagination since being a little girl.

SS: What is the most interesting aspect of your work?

ABH:  How applicable it is to the real world – our atmospheric dispersion model is being used on a daily basis for emergency response at the Met Office and across the globe. Also, my current research looks at the impact of biomass burning in Asia and I get super exited when satellite images confirm what I see in my model results.

KD: The worlds and the creatures I make are all things I imagined from being a child dealing with Semantic Pragmatic Disorder, which is a Communication disorder I struggled with as a child but has improved with age. My work is about being lost in your own dream word, but also reaching out and looking at what could be out there in our unknown universe.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Art & Science? 

KD: The chance to collaborate with a female scientist and learn more about what they specialize in and how to engage with an audience.

ABH: I presented my research at Soapbox Science Exeter last year because I think that public outreach is essential in the time of “alternative facts”. This year’s Soapbox Art and Science attracted me because of the challenge in having to explain my science to the artist and then working together on combining our art and science to something that makes sense outside our heads while still being scientifically sound.

SS: Have you got any insights from working with people from other disciplines that you would like to share?

KD: It helps to be open minded and listen to each other’s ideas. After all this is a fun experience so just enjoy listening to each other and learning something new, you may find something in the exchange that inspires you.

SS: What ideas are you working on together?

ABH: We are combining some of my props from last year – soap bubbles – with a new prop combining food dye, Lego, and straws, to keep the presentation as interactive as possible.

SS: Ayoe, what would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in academia?

ABH: Just go for it! Doing a PhD is hard work, so you have to decide that this is what you want to do and get on with it.

Soapbox Art & Science Oxford is kindly supported by the STFC, P2i and Oxford Festival of the Arts

Rebecca Short (@BeccaEShort) is a Marine Biologist researching mosquito net fishing. She is taking part in Soapbox Art & Science Oxford on Saturday 1st July 2017 alongside Suzanne Vanezis, an artist from Oxford. Their project is called:  “Got bigger fish to fry?: why should we care about fish even in the fight against malaria?”

by Rebecca Short

Finding my place

The World of science is a funny place. Whilst there’s room for all shapes and sizes; from lab monkeys to fieldwork junkies, it can still be a daunting place to anyone not quite sure where they fit in. I’ve certainly felt this at times in my career. I graduated with a BSc in Marine Biology having spent three years poking at limpets in Plymouth; happy with my degree but not really sure limpets were generating quite the passion in me that would carry me through a lifetime of work. I wanted to do something applied, something that made a difference, so I bumped around some marine conservation internships for a few years. I loved the work, hated the politics. I thrived on the challenges of working with local people and communicating the science we did, but was disenchanted with the ‘industry’ of exploitative volunteer organisations. Despite all this I started to feel more at home. I was energised by conservation and the memory of chasing limpets around a plastic tray towards some goal I just didn’t click with started to fade. Now I just needed to find my niche.

So after a while I took the plunge and decided to do a master’s degree. It was the best thing I ever did. I studied Conservation Science at Imperial College London. All of a sudden I was immersed in a new way of looking at science and its application. I was surrounded by course mates from all over the world, all interested in different aspects of the natural world and all with a different perspective on the routes toward the same goal – biodiversity conservation. I was introduced to the world of interdisciplinary science, which at the time largely manifested as bellowing disagreement at a fellow student during a discussion, then minutes later earnestly asking for their input on an idea. For my thesis I trotted off to Madagascar as a marine biologist to measure sharks in local fisheries, but came back a burgeoning social scientist having had my epiphany moment; fisheries are mostly about people.

Rather fittingly, I am now studying for my PhD with the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science at Oxford University, supported by the Zoological Society of London and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial. A true mix of influences! I’m still a marine biologist and I still measure fish, but I also measure impacts on people by looking at fisheries as a whole socio-ecological system. I’m specifically looking at the use of mosquito nets as fishing gear in Sub-Saharan Africa – an intensely complicated issue of sustainability, livelihoods, health and cultural aspects. It is incredibly challenging but so incredibly rewarding. So I’ll be chatting to people about how interdisciplinary science is challenging how we manage fisheries, particularly in the developing world.

This type of science is a rapidly gaining traction. As such it’s pretty choc-a-bloc with forward thinkers. So, as far as being a woman in science goes I feel pretty lucky; we’re not only well represented in this field, but also hugely encouraged. Perhaps the encouragement to challenge scientific norms has helped me to challenge those of equality also – I’m certainly much more vocal these days! But of course few people are yet immune, and I feel very passionately about equality in science – I would like for everyone to feel as accepted in their academic environment as I do. I would also hope that my stumbles along the road to finding my place in science could inspire others. You certainly don’t have to fit any kind of mould, least of all dependent on your gender! And I really hope for the limpets’ sake that there’s someone more committed to that type of research than I was! Soapbox Science has been an inspiration to me for years and as an interdisciplinary researcher I was naturally drawn to the chance to work with someone from the art community. I can’t wait to see how people react on the day and I’m really looking forward to the learning experience!

Soapbox Art & Science Oxford is kindly supported by the STFC, P2i and Oxford Festival of the Arts

Professor Gillian Greenway is Professor of Analytical Science and Chemistry Head of Subject Group at the University of Hull. Her research career has focused on developing simple methods to measure very low levels of different chemicals in complex mixtures with the final aspiration to make the measurements out in the world, whether that is in the environment or a doctor’s surgery. For her Soapbox Science talk on Saturday 1st July in Hull, she will be talking about “How to measure chemicals.”

SS: Gillian, how did you get to your current position?

GG: Perhaps the greatest challenge in my career has been the fact that I had undiagnosed dyspraxia, which is a coordination-specific learning problem, in fact, I have just obtained a diagnosis!  Earlier in my career when I had to do a lot of practical work I was often a disaster in the lab and the fact that I became a chemist must show my determination.  I needed lots of practise at practical skills, but fortunately, I chose a degree with industrial placements and the day to day experience in the laboratory gave me the confidence I needed, after that, the number of breakages, spills and floods decreased.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

GG: My inspiration to be a scientist came from my family, my father and uncles were engineers, and my aunt was a pharmacist. I lived near the sea and when we went to the beach to play my uncle, who was a civil engineer had us using scientific principles to design dams. My mother and aunt had me naming and classifying plants, trees and birds.

At school, I was inspired by my chemistry teacher. He was very enthusiastic, and we used to have a chemistry club. My project was to analyse metals in the docks in Sunderland, which meant that most of the time was spent boiling down vast amounts of water to try to concentrate the metal ions to analyse them. For some reason, I didn’t get put off by that!

Later on my PhD supervisor Gordon Kirkbright greatly influenced me, he set up the department where I studied for my PhD in Manchester, the Department of Instrumentation and Analytical Science. It was a new idea, sponsored by the EPSRC, to put different scientific disciplines together since then I have always been involved in multidisciplinary work with engineers and other scientists.

To make this type of collaboration work you really need to be able to communicate with people from the other disciplines, which can be surprisingly difficult. It takes patience, as each discipline seems to have their own language, often with the same word having different meanings.

I was very lucky early in my career to have an excellent boss, Professor Alan Townshend.  In a time when there were very few women working in the area, and there could be a lot of prejudice, he was only ever interested in my potential as a scientist.  I would also very strongly recommend getting involved with professional bodies, the Royal Society of Chemistry provided me with excellent networking opportunities.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

GG: Although there has been lots of work in this area, there are still very few instruments that are working out in the field in a reliable way – trying to convert the lab based systems into something that really works is challenging. The sort of concepts that I’m working on are trying to make the systems robust, immobilising reagents, including redundancy and using engineering approaches to fault testing, and using feedback to find when it’s not working and determine how to overcome any problems. It is also important to do the chemistry in a different way – not just repeating the way it is carried out in the laboratory.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

GG: The opportunity to show that there are lots women scientists who love their work.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

GG: Fear and anticipation

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

GG: I would want to encourage collaboration.

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

GG: Build up your resilience, publications will get turned down, research applications will be rejected, but listen to advice and keep trying.