SoapboxScience

Dr Kate Hendry (KH) is Royal Society University Research Fellow and lecturer, in the School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol. She is interested in modern biogeochemical cycling and past ocean processes, with a particular focus on biogenic opal and silicon cycling in seawater. Here, she tells Soapbox Science(SS) about her career path. Kate will be speaking at our Soapbox Science Bristol event on 14th June, 2104. Her topic is: “Glassy creatures – a silicon life on the ocean waves!” Follow Kate on Twitter: @KRHendry

SS: Hi Kate. We are really excited about having you as one of our 2014 Soapbox Scientists. Can you start by telling us how you got to where you are today?

KH: Well, it’s a fairly long story!  My love of all things outdoors started at a very early age as I have a wonderful family who encouraged me to explore.  My mum, dad, and two big sisters would always be taking me to climb trees, or play in rock pools. I think I’ve wanted to study the earth – one way or another – since I was a teenager, if not before. I went through various ideas at school and even into university… did I want to be a volcanololgist, an earthquake scientist, an oceanographer or a palaeontologist? I decided, after some inspirational advice from geologist Professor James Jackson at an outreach event, to keep my education as broad as possible for as long as possible.  So, I decided to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge University. This degree meant that I could mix up a whole load of sciences, and get experience in a number of areas.  So, as well as studying geology, I studied a lot of biology, as well as some chemistry and maths. My final year project was with palaeontologist Dr Elizabeth Harper, who supported me fabulously and helped me get work experience both with the Natural History Museum and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). It was during a summer project with BAS that I fell for Antarctica and this cemented my thoughts that I wanted to carry on to do a PhD.

It was James Jackson again, as it happens, who sewed the seed of a thought in my mind that I should think about going to Oxford University for my postgraduate studies. I researched online, and found a fantastic project that involved fieldwork in Antarctica and just the sort of combination of earth sciences, biology and chemistry that I wanted: not surprisingly, this field is called biogeochemistry.  My supervisor was Professor Ros Rickaby, who has been an inspiration to me, especially now she’s a mum as well as a stellar scientist.

Near the end of my PhD, I went to an international conference in Shanghai, where I first met Dr Laura Robinson, who has since become advisor, colleague and friend. She invited me to take part in a research expedition, sailing from South America to the West Antarctic Peninsula in the following southern hemisphere winter. I jumped at this opportunity, and the research into glassy sponges that came from that cruise really shaped my future. After a few months as a postdoctoral researcher in Oxford, I applied for a postdoctoral scholarship to go and work with Laura at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the States (WHOI, which is lovingly pronounced “who-eee”). I was there for about two-and-a-half years, before returning to the UK.  During my last position, I applied for a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, which I got, and took to Bristol University, where I am currently.  And very happy!

SS: That is an impressive story. You’ve clearly had some great role models during your career.  Were these the people that inspired you to be where you are now?

KH: Yes, I’ve had some very strong academic role models – both men and women.  But, the real inspiration for me deciding to follow a career in science has been my two sisters, Helen and Ruth. When I was growing up, I watched both Ruth then Helen do astonishingly well at university, and then watched them both carrying on to do PhDs in science subjects. Being around highly successful women scientists was normal to me!

SS: Enough of the people in your science life: tell us what the most fascinating aspect of your research is?  What gets you out of bed in the mornings?

KH: Being a marine scientist, I get to go to sea every few years.  Being away on a research ship is a fascinating experience. Firstly, as well as exciting science, you get to see amazing places, and wildlife. I’ve been on research trips (misleadingly called “cruises”!) to the Southern Ocean, where I’ve seen icebergs and penguins, humpbacks and southern right whales.  I’ve also sailed across the tropical Atlantic, and seen flying fish.  Of course, being someone who studies glassy sponges, I’ve also seen some incredible – and often very weird – deep-sea creatures too. Secondly, you get to share a few weeks working with a really rather small set of people. It’s great to be able to work as a team and, although it can be difficult at times, you really do make some very strong friendships.

SS: And what attracted you to apply to be a Soapbox Scientist?

KH: I get very excited about my research, and wanted to find new ways of telling people why!  When I read more about Soapbox Science, I was really attracted by the idea that it was specifically aimed to enthuse girls and women about a career in science.

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

KH: The postdoctoral system, by which I mean the period usually lasing two to five years or so during an academic career post PhD and before a permanent job, is often challenging for women. These short term contracts not only offer little security and (sometimes) little flexibility, but also it is expected that a scientist should move institution for a wider experience. This, clearly, doesn’t fit very well with starting a family and “settling down”. There are schemes out there to help early career scientists who need a career break – for whatever reason – such as the Royal Society Dorothy-Hodgkins Fellowship, and funding councils are becoming more flexible.  However, there should be a louder conversation about whether this system could be improved further.  I would like to say that when I was a postdoc in the States, I fortunately had a very supportive boyfriend – now husband of three years – whose understanding and patience made the trans-Atlantic relationship seem much easier than it was.

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

KH: Look to female role models in whom you believe.

SS: Your students and colleagues have a great role model in you. Thanks so much for talking to Soapbox Science today. We are really looking forward to your Soapbox debut on June 14^th! Can you tell us in one word your expectations for the day?

KH: Enthusiasm!

Dr Laura Evenstar (LE) is a Research Associate in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol where she studies landscape evolution of the Andean mountain chain. Today Laura talks to Soapbox Science (SS) about her work and how she got into her current position. You can come to here Laura speak about “The Atacama Desert – the oldest, direst desert in the world” on the 14^th of June.

SS: Hi Laura, we are very excited to have you joining us at Soapbox Science Bristol this year, can you start by telling us a little bit about how you got where you are today?

LE: A mixture of many different things. I’ve tried to always go for every good opportunity that comes along, even if this has meant having time out from my career to run hostels in remote areas of Scotland or work in Ethiopia, but this has always made me passionate and happy about what I’m doing. There has also been a huge element of luck involved! My current job was perfect for me, based in Bristol and working in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. However, I wasn’t looking for a new job at the time it was advertised and only saw it two weeks after the closing deadline. I couldn’t pass up such a good opportunity so wrote a begging letter to the project leader asking for a chance! The interviews were 3 days later so I spent a frantic weekend jugging a 40hr shift at work, looking after my year old daughter and writing my presentation, all while my husband was away on a fieldtrip. Luckily everything went well.

SS: Gosh, that sounds like that must have been a stressful time but great that you are now in a position you enjoy and are passionate about. Was there anything or anyone who really inspired you to pursue a career in science?

LE: A combination of really enjoying science at school and loving going travelling. I wanted to travel to remote areas and see places few other people had been to but also do something useful while I was there. By building a career in geology, particularly in fieldwork based geology projects, it allowed to combine both of these things into a great job! I also had an amazing lecturer at Leeds University, Joe Cann, who really inspired me to want to teach in a fun way by throwing 5p pieces at people who got the questions right!

SS: So what is it about you current research that you find so fascinating?

LE: The variety. On month I’m camping under a boulder in a desert, the next I’ll be crushing rocks in a lab, the month after I’ll be in a conference in America presenting data. It’s great!

SS: Variety truly is the spice of life! However, If there was anything that you could change about the scientific culture right now what would it be?

LE: I feel what the scientific community could really benefit from is people having a more rounded approach to their subject.  Scientists are quickly selected based on their specialised area and slightly obsessive behaviour around their subject. There are so many connections between biology, geography, geology and chemistry that I think we sometimes miss because we are so focused on our one area. I think science would make huge advances if it encouraged people with wider scientific knowledge and more life experience to participate.

SS: Do you have any advice for current female PhD students considering pursuing a career in academia?

Academia is a marathon, don’t be afraid to take time out of academia to try other things or have a family. It’ll still be there when you come back and you’ll enjoy it more.

SS: What was it that encouraged you to apply to be a Soapbox Scientist?

I really enjoy doing silly science experiments to explain my work and talking to audience so this seemed like a great opportunity to do both!

SS: And finally, can you sum up in one word about how you are felling about the day?

Fearcitment…..

Jenna Todd Jones is based at the School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol. Her research is attempting to uncover how the brain interprets the meaning of words in real time, as we read or hear them. Here, Jenna (JTJ) talks to Soapbox Science (SS) about her interests in the arts and sciences, the fun of participating in outreach activities, and the wonder of bilingualism.

SS: Hi Jenna! Very nice to have you as a Soapbox Science speaker this year. To start with, maybe you could tell us how you got to your current position?

JTJ: I first studied for an undergraduate degree in psychology at Bangor University after taking psychology at A-Level, although the rest of my A-Levels were very artsy like literature and theatre! Following that I studied for a masters degree in clinical neuropsychology after developing a keen interest in the brain. Due to encouragement from my professors at Bangor I decided to apply to study a PhD and have had an amazing four years here at Bristol since.

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

JTJ: Truthfully I began life as an Arts student, I was a musician and enjoyed acting and literature; however, my father (a school teacher) had always been quite interested in child psychology and he would sometimes bring home academic journals related to psychology. I remember first picking up and reading one cover to cover (The Human Givens Journal, ETSI) and then waiting impatiently for the next quarterly publication. Parallel to this I had begun studying psychology at A-level – I was hooked, and applied to study it at university. My masters degree in particular guided me towards a scientific career, working with brain trauma patients and stroke victims helped me to see how worthwhile scientific research can be.

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

JTJ: For me the most interesting part is being able to use some of the most advanced tools in the world to study the brain. Using technologies like electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) my research is attempting to uncover how the brain interprets the meaning of words in real time as we read or hear them. My latest experiments have begun to show some evidence that bilingual people actually interpret words they read in both their learned languages simultaneously, before going on to choose the correct meaning. For example, when reading the word “chat” a French-English bilingual might consider the meaning in both languages, i.e a conversation and a cat, before choosing which is correct, perhaps due to the context of a sentence (e.g. “Let’s have a chat”).

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

JTJ:  It is the responsibility of scientists who are funded by the public to communicate their research back to the public. The reporting of scientific research should be transparent and, as much as possible, interesting and fun. I have been participating in outreach work for almost four years now and I have loved every minute of it. From the first utterly nerve-wrecking talk on the brain in front of a classroom of Bristolian 8 year olds, to a live open debate on neuroscience at the Barbican Centre in London. Soapbox Science seems to me a unique platform (ha, get it?) for scientists to discuss interesting scientific research directly to the public, and I very much look forward to sharing some of the most fascinating quirks of the brain.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? fear? thrill? anticipation?

JTJ: Pins-and-needles (is that cheating?!)

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

JTJ: I’m a big believer in increasing support for young people in low socioeconomic status areas so that they might be encouraged to consider science as a career. I grew up in a very poor area in the Valleys of South Wales and I had little understanding of what a scientist was as a child, much less had ever met one! I hope that in the future the system can change so that young school students are consistently inspired, encouraged, and incentivised by real-life scientists.

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

JTJ: There is currently a lively debate about how and why women do not necessarily continue into an academic career following a PhD (a debate that becomes increasingly relevant to me as I approach the end of my PhD). Perhaps women undersell themselves, perhaps they are shut out, or perhaps they have other paths in mind. From my position on the ladder I have one piece of advice: ignore the chatter, if you really want the life of an academic, go and get it!

Dr Helen Sheridan is based at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin . She undertakes original research in traditional medicine and development of new medicines using plants and cell cultures (plant, fungal and animal). Here, Helen (HS) talks to Soapbox Science (SS) about inspirational teachers, how to bring science to the kids, and the fun of cross-cultural, collaborative work.

SS: Hi Helen! Thank you so much for joining us at Soapbox Science Ireland tomorrow. Tell us a bit about you: how did you get to your current position?

HS: I was born a scientist and was carrying out experiments with caterpillars when I was four. I collected them and grouped them in old fish bowls by colour and numbers of spots! I am now an Associate Professor in Natural Product Chemistry at the School of Pharmacy in Trinity College Dublin. I attended St. Paul’s Girls School in Greenhills in Dublin 12, where I studied science for the first time. I completed my BSc in Chemistry in 1980 in UCD. I still remember the thrill of what seemed like limitless books on science and doing experiments. I loved every minute of it, and was fortunate to be awarded The Hugh Ryan memorial medal.  I also completed my PhD in UCD in 1983 and was awarded a ‘Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851’ Overseas Fellowship for Postdoctoral research which was carried out at the Dyson Perrin’s laboratories at Oxford University under the direction of Professor Sir Jack Baldwin. Further research periods at University College Dublin and the CNRS at Gif-Sur-Yvette, in Paris followed. I was appointed as a lecturer in Natural Products Chemistry to the Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy TCD in 1985, I was 26 and I was thrilled to have my own laboratory!

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

HS: While attending St. Paul’s I studied science under two inspirational and dedicated teachers, Sister Elisabeth Walsh who taught me Biology and Mr. Edward McDonald, who taught me Chemistry. I completed my BSc in Chemistry in 1980 in UCD and in my penultimate year I was awarded an NBST Scholarship and worked with a truly inspirational Physical Chemist Dr. Hector Rubelcava. I have to say I remember most of my chemistry lecturers in UCD with great warmth and looking back realise it is because they were so passionate about their areas of science – Professor Sean Corsish, Dr. Sato Ushioda, Professor Howard Sidebottom and Professor Jack Manning, come to mind to name just a few.  I completed my PhD in UCD with another remarkable and true role model Professor Dervilla M. X. Donnelly, who to this day still inspires me. During my stay at the CNRS at Gif-Sur-Yvette I worked with another inspirational scientist Madam Judith Polonsky, she introduced me to another world of science (I learned about Quassinoids)   and she introduced me to Paris (and brought me to La Coupole where I was enthralled by stories of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus).  In Oxford I studied under Professor Sir Jack Baldwin who is an amazing scientist, as were many of my peers in the research group.

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

HS: EVERYTHING! Every day is a new experience. I suppose the most successful is the fact that an idea I had has turned into a reality and now a drug that came from my laboratory is in Phase 1 Clinical trials. Looking down a microscope is thrilling. Receiving a herbal medicine from Pakistan in a collaborative study and seeing that it has profound pharmacological effects and could be a new medicine for cancer is amazing. Working with international researchers on traditional Chinese medicine is exciting and stimulating. Having an idea and testing it out and seeing the potential for mew discovery is fascinating. Really though all science is just fascinating!

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

HS: I have been involved in out-reach and youth science throughout my career. I want to bring the wonder and excitement of science to as many people as I can!

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? fear? thrill? anticipation?  

HS: Fun (and excitement and fulfillment!)

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

HS: I would not teach science formally in primary school.  However, I would celebrate and integrate it, less formally, in a very exciting way. My experience has been that science if taught badly can really put people, especially children, off. I would have more exciting science ‘visiting’ schools. Science weeks are great. I would also have more scientific events in libraries and communities. I would encourage science fairs, where children and adolescents can enter small local competitions, where a nature table would be as important as the bigger projects and inventions.

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

HS: It is very difficult to balance everything. I am also a mother of three. I have reared my children and cared for my mum in her last years, while trying to be a successful academic. It can be very difficult. However, there is a time for everything and you can still be a good academic and be a good mum. There is more support now than there used to be. Also, don’t be afraid to collaborate. Collaborators also make good friends and they can support you and vice versa.

Prof Yvonne Buckley is based at the School of Natural Sciences and Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin. She is an ecologist, who seeks to understand the fundamental drivers of animal and plant population processes in a rapidly changing world. Here, Yvonne (YB) talks to Soapbox Science (SS) about her enthusiasm for science communication, the importance of role models, and why we need to mainstream the consideration of diversity and gender within our own research, teaching and networking.

SS: Hi Yvonne! We are very glad to have you as a speaker this year. Maybe, to start with, you can tell us about how you did get to your current position

YB: Hard work, adventures and some luck! I’ve come full circle in my career, I left Ireland as to study at Oxford and then spent the next 20 years studying and working in the UK and Australia with additional field trips to Turkey, Vietnam, Mexico and New Zealand. I was encouraged to apply for my current position, as Professor of Zoology at Trinity College, University of Dublin, through a chance meeting with a colleague at a conference.

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

YB: As far back as I can remember thinking about careers I knew I wanted to do research, I wanted to find out about how the world works.  Growing up in rural Ireland I was immersed in the natural world, I had a privileged childhood with so much freedom to explore and as children we were given responsibilities to look after the many animals that came our way. The importance of hard work, independence, and a love of adventure were with me early, and have stayed with me.

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

YB: Finding out things that no one else has thought to look for, or which only become apparent if you think about them a certain way. Plants and animals constantly surprise me in the range of strategies they use to live their lives. I’ll never forget the first time I saw insects down a microscope as an undergraduate it was like a whole new world was exposed – what were all these fascinating little creatures doing in the world?

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

YB: I thought Soapbox Science sounded like a great way to connect people to science.  One of the great problems of our time is that as science becomes more and more essential to our everyday lives the public are getting increasingly remote from science. We have a responsibility to connect with the public, after all they fund our work, influence our governments to consider our findings and ultimate should benefit from our discoveries. I also like that Soapbox Science challenges the public’s perceptions of who scientists are. When I was going through my early career it was really important for me to see women with families and “normal lives” succeeding in scientific careers. Without those role models I might have thought it wasn’t the world for me.

SS: Soapbox Science Ireland is this Saturday! Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? fear? thrill? anticipation?

YB: Buzz

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

YB: Enough evidence has built up now for us to know that we (scientists who are men and women) have difficulty assessing other scientists in a gender blind way. The most important change that needs to happen is within our own heads – we need to mainstream the consideration of diversity and gender within our own research, teaching and networking. We should continue to study the social and cultural processes of these biases and embed the findings into our publishing, funding and networking cultures.

Some areas of science are becoming more team based and networking and collaboration skills are increasing in importance. We need to recognise the diversity of skills we now need to produce important outputs and reward teams as often as we reward individual brilliance.

I think that having lists of women working in particular fields can be helpful if we are seeking to augment our commonly male-biased shortlists with suitable candidates who are women. Women only prizes and honours are also helpful in that they raise the profiles of excellent women scientists and may make them more likely to be considered for mainstream prizes and honours.

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

YB: Work with a supervisor who actively seeks to mentor, promote and reward his or her post-docs and students. Do your homework on your supervisor. I think that as a profession we don’t provide potential students or post-docs with enough information about our ability to supervise and mentor them. I would like to see supervisors have to put together a one-page report on their supervisory experience and the outcomes for their past students and post-docs. You can tell a lot about the culture of a lab from the characteristics and destinations of their people. It would also enable us to think explicitly about the mentoring experience we provide and the relative opportunities given to our male and female staff and students.

Dr Natasha Stephen is a Post-doctoral Research Associate at the Natural History Museum & Imperial College London. She is a geologist, who has specialized in the study of extra-terrestrial rocks. Here, Natasha (NS) talks to Soapbox Science (SS) about her enthusiasm for geology, the importance of transparency in science, and why science communication should be part of all scientists’ job description.

SS: Natasha, tell us how you got to your current position?

NS: I stayed in education! I went straight from a-levels into university and straight from there into a PhD place. Since finishing that I have been really fortunate to stay in an academic environment where I have been able to thrive and direct my own research interests. I work closely with a huge group of people around the world and we all get excited about the same things; it makes it a lot easier to achieve “science” when everyone is as passionate about it as you!

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

NS: I think I have always wanted to be a scientist. I certainly grew up playing with rocks and fossils, trawling across beaches or around museums; I guess I just never grew out of it so it was perhaps inevitable that I would end up being a geologist! I had really great teachers at school too. They were always so encouraging and we got to attend lots of extra events and lectures as part of national initiatives (Science Year etc.), so I guess that helped. I’ve been really fortunate with the opportunities available to me over the years, so I am very grateful now to be in a position to help return the favour and hope that I can contribute in the same way!

SS: Tell us about your research, what makes it interesting to you?

NS: I think the most fascinating thing about my research is that my samples come from another world, literally! There are thousands of rocks for geologists to look at all over the Earth but to have specimens that have come from another planet entirely? It’s incredible! I still have moments of awe when I think about where these things have actually come from; my rocks, that I play with almost daily, were formed on a planet millions of miles away; Mars!

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

NS: I think all scientists should share in the responsibility that is making sure that science, in general, is both accessible and interesting to the general public. If it isn’t the responsibility of the scientists to make sure that our research is well-received and clearly understood, then we can hardly complain that the media is doing it wrong, can we? Soapbox Science is such a novel idea and one that I think can help get one step closer to achieving that. If just one person goes home on the day thinking “wow, I never knew we could do that to learn about other planets without having to spend billions getting there”, I will be happy.

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

NS: Enthusiasm!

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

NS: Free public access to peer-reviewed publications; the current system is a barrier to sound scientific journalism and often fuels suspicion of the scientific community by the general public unnecessarily! Events like Soapbox Science are helping us break down these barriers but until there is true transparency in science, it is always going to be limited.

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

NS: Go for it! I’d give the same advice to anyone embarking on an academic career; it isn’t easy but then the most rewarding things in life rarely are. Realistically it is going to be hard work; there will be long hours, the occasional lack of a weekend and often holidays become extended work trips instead of a separate entity, but if you enjoy your science, it won’t feel like work at all. If you are passionate about something, you should make the most of that; academia is a challenge and it won’t be for everyone, but for those that can thrive in a self-motivated and fast-paced environment, remaining enthusiastic at the same time, you will love it.

Dr Isabel Pires is a lecturer in Biomedical Science and Group Leader at the University of Hull. Isabel’s research is all about understanding how cancer modifies the biology of normal cells, and how such modifications might be used to spot aggressive cancers early. In this first Speakers’ Q&A of the 2014 season, Isabel (IP) talks to Soapbox Science (SS) about her career path, and her enthusiasm for science, her work and science communication.

SS: Isabel, thank you very much for agreeing to do this Q&A with us! It’s a pleasure to have you as a speaker for our London event this year. To start with, maybe tell us how you ended up in your current position?

IP: I am originally from Portugal, and I moved to the UK about 13 and half years ago. I now have had dual citizenship (Portuguese/British), which my friends say mean that I now can like tea (and marmite, and baked beans, and queues, but I draw the line on rhubarb!). I originally came to the University of Manchester to do my undergraduate project as part my Portuguese degree in Biology. After this, I stayed there and changes labs to do my PhD in cancer research and pharnacology. I then moved to Oxford for a postdoctoral research position for five years where my interest in low oxygen in tumours started. In 2011 I started applying for more permanent positions as a lecturer.

My current job is as a Lecturer and Group Leader at the University of Hull, which is an exciting place to establish my career as an academic. We have brand new research facilities, an expanding friendly group of cancer researchers and an established reputation in good quality teaching and learning. Since I’ve started I managed to recruit two PhD students, secure funding for our work and still keep having fun with science as well as being a lecturer. I now find myself at the other side of the lectern and I love it, especially when students show the same enthusiasm for science as I did when I was in their place. It is a great feeling!

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

IP: If I had to pick a key fact behind my choice to become a scientist and an academic is that, since I was very young, I have always been incredibly curious and wanted to know more about everything. I knew then my place was at a University. I loved school, loved books (thanks Mom and Dad!) and always tried to expand my learning beyond the topics at class, especially anything related to biology.

I first started to get more seriously into science around the time Jurassic Park came along – as many scientists my age, dinosaurs were my first passion! They got me into Geology (my mineral collection is quite substantial) and then Biology. Also, attending philosophy classes during high school also helped me to understand the scientific method.  Added to that I had a high school teacher who taught us how to plan experiments and write scientific reports. I loved those classes and did as many “experiments” as I could.

However, the first taste of a true career in science was through my undergraduate project at Dr. David Hughes lab in Manchester. It was a fantastic year, an amazing opportunity and really crystalized my desire to become a full time scientist. Rather than just another undergraduate with a project, he treated me as a fellow scientist and let me drive my own project and be creative about it. I can’t thank him enough for that.

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

IP: If you can disconnect the biology of cancer from cancer the disease and its impact of our lives, it is an absolutely fascinating field to work in. The really interesting fact about cancer biology in general (and low oxygen in tumours in particular) is that it clearly exemplifies the extremes to which normal cell biology can be stretched. We would not intuitively think any cells could survive in low oxygen but cancer cells can and do – they adapt rapidly to these new circumstances. By doing this they become different from the normal cells surrounding them. Low oxygen drives cancer cells to adapt and evolve to a more plastic and motile (and ultimately, more aggressive) entity. The ultimate aim in my lab is to exploit these differences to spot aggressive cancers early on (ideally before they spread) and to treat them without affecting the normal cells around it.

SS: Tell us what attracted you to Soapbox Science

IP: I think science communication is a key aspect of being a scientist. There is far too many badly written “science stories” in the press. By communicating our science clearly we can empower the public to think critically. I think Soapbox Science is a great platform for this. It also helps to bring the scientists out of the lab and make the general public aware that we are not all old men with frizzy hair that wear thick rimmed glasses and lab coats.

SS: If you had to sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? fear? thrill? anticipation?

IP: Excitement!

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

IP: It might not be very radical but I think a change of mentality towards work-life balance within academia is necessary. As any scientist, I love my job, I work hard and I am a geek to the core. However the perceived expectation is that scientists should work all hours. And even though we do think about our work all the time (I dare anyone to just stop thinking about their research when they leave the lab or office!), maintaining a clear work/life balance is very important, especially during the establishing stages of a scientific career. It is at this stage, when one is young and appears to have endless resources of energy, that the budding young scientist is more likely to just burn out. Working hard but smart is more important that working long hours. Same principle applies for those later on in their careers, both men and women, who decide to have families, take career breaks, etc. We only have one life, and it is brief and precious, so we should make the most of all aspects of it.

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

IP: Chat to those already in the type of positions you think you might yourself in a few years time and pinpoint what were the key achievements that landed them that position. Plan ahead and start to work towards those goals early on in your PhD. Keep your CV up to date even if you are not looking for a job. But keep it flexible – don’t set things in stone or you’ll risk disappointment or miss our on other opportunities.