International Women's Day 2019
Happy International Women's Day! On 8th March each year, International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women and calls for action to accelerate gender equality.
So today we're celebrating and showcasing some of the amazing scientists around the world who are part of VALIDATE... and who happen to be female.
Dr Siobhán McClean
University College Dublin, Ireland
Tell us about your research
I study infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria and ways to prevent infection. I started off studying bacteria that cause lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Because these are so highly anti-microbially resistant, I developed a platform technology to identify proteins that bacteria use to attach to human cells. These proteins have proved to be excellent vaccine candidates. We have since found that these antigens are also protective against B. pseudomallei, which causes a potentially fatal tropical disease, melioidosis. We also have a particular interest in understanding how bacteria adapt to the host environment enabling chronic infections. We are currently examining the switch that controls the transition from acute to chronic infection.
Who inspires you?
Various scientists that I have had the opportunity to work with, collaborate with and learn from have inspired me.
What advice would you give to girls wanting to aim for a career in science research?
Science is a great career. Every day is different. I have the privilege of working with really interesting, enthusiastic people including PhD students, early stage researchers and collaborators. I love applying my knowledge and experience to solving problems, from small technical problems or large scale problems like improving the health and wellbeing of people with life-altering infections. My advice to my younger self would be to believe in myself.
Prof Rhea Coler
IDRI/University of Washington, USA
Tell us about your research
I am the Senior Vice President of Preclinical and Translational Research at IDRI, and an Affiliate Professor in the Dept of Global Health at the University of Washington and VP of R&D at Pai Life Sciences Inc. My research focuses on developing vaccines or immunotherapy for tuberculosis (TB, leishmaniasis, flaviviruses and schistosomiasis, and elucidating the mechanistic basis of protection against these diseases. An important study was published last fall in the NEJM, showing that an adjuvanted protein subunit vaccine that I co-invented, can reduce disease due to TB by more than 50%! TB now ranks as the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, surpassing HIV/Aids and malaria for the 4th year in a row. The results published offer renewed hope that we will discover potential immune correlates of vaccine-mediated protection against TB and marks a milestone in the fight against TB. I am excited to be working on the next generation TB vaccine ("ID93 + GLA-SE"), which has completed four phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. We have come to a critical point in the fight against TB, and are uniquely positioned to control this disease.
Who are your role models?
I have been really lucky in having several fabulous role models and mentors in high school and graduate school who took a genuine interest in my growth and development. This made all the difference in the world. Now I strive to be a good mentor for others. I grew up on the island of Trinidad at a time when boys were encouraged to pursue science and girls were politely pushed in other directions. My earliest mentor, a high school chemistry teacher, recognized my potential and encouraged me to pursue a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degree in college. After college, I landed a research position with the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre, where I worked closely with other scientists to test resistance to insecticides. I was also part of a surveillance team that was critical for monitoring the incidence of disease and allowing the prediction and early detection of outbreaks and the monitoring of control measures. This work fuelled my interest in global health. The process of discovery was very exciting. I was hooked.
What advice would you give to girls wanting to aim for a career in science research?
One of the biggest challenges women face is self-doubt. Be brave. When people don't believe in you or when you don't believe in you - because it happens a lot - just be brave and bold and go for it! We surprise ourselves when we realize our potential and see what can be accomplished when we put our fears aside. We have to learn how to compartmentalize as best as possible, focus on the job at hand and get it done. And do this while supporting each other! Another big challenge faced by female students in science is that there aren't many women in positions of authority. If you look at the gender ratios at undergrad school, grad school, and then on to the faculty/Principal Investigator/leadership levels, they shift very dramatically. We have to empower each other - the women coworkers around us - it is up to us to be there for each other.
Dr Panjaporn Chaichana
MORU, Thailand
Tell us about your research
My research interest is understanding protective antibody responses to Burkholderia pseudomallei infection for vaccine development. My current project is to establish functional antibody assays for measuring correlates of protection against death in melioidosis patients. This project also help identify functional antibody profiles that associate with protection against melioidosis in order for antibody-based vaccine design and development.
Who are your role models?
My role models are Dr. Prida Malasit and Dr. Sansanee Noisakran who were my advisors when I was studying my Masters degree at Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. They work so hard to understand protective immune responses against dengue virus infection in order to develop vaccine development. They are not only great scientists, but also very good teachers. Without their invaluable helps and advices, I would definitely not have finished my Masters degree and I would not have continued to my Ph.D. in science.
What advice would you give to girls wanting to aim for a career in science research?
This is my all-time advice to everyone who want to be a scientist – “science research is complicated and requires hard-work, so you need to find which research aspect fascinates you the most”. Do not worry that your career will not advance because you are female. If your work is impactful, everyone will respect you. I have seen many female scientists who are great leaders of successful teams. Nowadays, networking and public engagement are critical skills for science research. We cannot conduct our research alone, so we need effective collaborations to accelerate the progress of our projects. We need to know how to approach our potential collaborators. Also, our works are less meaningful if people do not understand what we are doing. We need to explain our work to lay person with simple language. Therefore, mastery in both skills is advantageous. Last but not least, please remind yourself that if your career is successful, you can help improve human life!
Dr Rachel Tanner
University of Oxford, UK
Tell us about your research
My research is mainly looking at whether new vaccines for tuberculosis (TB), bovine TB and leprosy can be improved by inducing a humoral immune response in addition to a cellular response. This involves firstly identifying proteins that are recognised by antibodies that might be associated with protection.
Who are your role models?
I’ve been fortunate to have had two incredibly supportive supervisors through my PhD and Postdoc; Professors Helen McShane and Helen Fletcher are inspirational role models for so many reasons, not least succeeding in reaching the top in a male-dominated profession and balancing that with busy family lives. I also have some male colleagues who are great allies – men acknowledging their privilege and the issues facing women and acting on that (for example by calling out other men) can be a great force for change.
One of my historical scientific heroes is Florence Sabin. She was probably the first woman to build a career as a clinical researcher, and the first woman elected to membership of the National Academy of Sciences. Her work on the interaction between TB and the immune system was seminal in the field, and she also advocated for other female physicians and scientists. In an award acceptance speech she said “I hope my studies may be an encouragement to other women, especially to young women, to devote their lives to the larger interests of the mind”.
What tips would you give to girls wanting to aim for a career in science research?
I guess the biggest one would be ‘believe in yourself’ (and I could still do with taking that advice now!). Women and girls are more likely to suffer with self-doubt or lack of confidence which can be self-perpetuating, so encouragement is key. I also think it’s important to dispel stereotypes that put girls off from pursuing science; for example there is no evidence to support ‘innate’ differences making girls less suited to STEM subjects, and scientists aren’t the ‘nerdy geeks’ that the media often portrays. Women have largely been written out of scientific history, so we need to highlight successful female scientists past and present for girls to be able to picture themselves in that role.
Dr Amanda Gibson
Royal Veterinary College, UK
Tell us about your research
I currently work on understanding the genetic mechanisms behind the survival of mycobacteria within the host, particularly the role macrophages play in modifying the pathogen and how this instructs virulence and persistence. I use global molecular tools to create extensive mutant libraries in mycobacteria to decipher some of the essential genetic components required for the very early stages of establishing infection.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired every day by my younger sister, who continues to encourage me and who gives me an inner strength, which is so important for a career in science. I feel I owe my start in science to Mr McQuistan, my Physics teacher – he introduced me to experiments and encouraged me to consider studying at university. When I eventually made it to my first Physics lab in the Kelvin Building (Glasgow) at undergrad, as a first-gen, I knew I would stay in science. My research spark came later, down to a single lecture by Professor Paul Garside. I was completely blown away by his descriptions of germinal centre formation in lymph nodes and T cell migration to interact with B cells.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
If I had any advice to my younger self it would be – don’t be scared to ask questions! I wish I had spoken to more PhD students, postdocs and research staff when I was an undergrad, asked them about their path into research, what they did outside of the lab. I would encourage aspiring female students to find any science-based work experience – mine was assisting on a bacterial Gram stain in the microbiology lab at the local processing Dairy. At the time I didn’t even know what or who Gram was! But I vividly remember what I saw down the microscope that day, completely amazed at the beautiful purple staining.
Published: 8 March 2019
