Well as today marks Women in Science day, we wanted to celebrate those who are making a difference in their fields, and who are also breaking the gender stigmatisms of the past.

Set up by the United National back in 2015, February 11 marks the day in which we recognise the critical role women and girls play in science and technology.

Here, we profile just some of those making a difference here in Southampton, and ask what motives them to do what they do:

• Dr Diana Garay Baquero - Researcher in the academic unit of Clinical and Experimental Sciences at the University of Southampton.

Dr Diana Garay Baquero

What is your role?

I am a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Southampton.

During my studies in Colombia, I became fascinated with the diversity of mechanisms proteins use to mediate all sorts of biological functions and decided to do an MSc in biochemistry.

My project involved the analysis of proteins express on cell membranes associated with invasive cervical cancer.

This project allowed me to visit Brazil to train in mass spectrometric techniques and got me interested in pursuing a PhD.

I did my PhD in biomedical science at the University of Southampton where I focused on finding new protein biomarkers to improve diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher investigating unconventional T cell responses in human tuberculosis. Additionally, I have established a collaboration with Colombian researchers to apply three-dimensional cell culture models to explore the immune response to Leishmania infection.

What do you love most about the work you do?

I have two big passions: education as a way to promote social development and translation of biomedical research to improve life quality.

I really enjoy learning about how our body respond to infection diseases and how this knowledge can be used to improve prevention, treatment and diagnostics.

I really love working in multidisciplinary groups, since I strongly believe that collaboration across disciplines and research groups is key to keep advancing knowledge and innovative solutions to face global healthcare challenges.

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

Being a scientist is a central part of my identity that lies beyond my gender or nationality.

Before I moved to Southampton for my PhD, I experienced how challenging is to do exciting science in a country with limited resources, but I had the support of many female supervisors and colleagues that inspired me to pursue a career in academy.

Although, I have been very fortunate to be part of extraordinarily supporting teams during my PhD and current post, I know this is not the case for everyone.

We still need to keep actively working to ensure equal opportunities for all to access and progress in STEM careers.

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

I will just say that if you feel passionate about science be prepared to believe in yourself, in the work you do and in your own strengths.

Do not feel afraid of trying new things, learning from scratch, exploring new avenues and reach out to others.

Be brave and believe in your passion. 

• Professor Athina Vlachantoni - Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy at the University of Southampton

Professor Athina Vlachantoni

What is your role?

I am Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy at the University of Southampton.

Gerontology is the study of ageing over the lifecourse, and social policy is about individuals’ and families’ needs in society and how the welfare state can address them.

My day-to-day work is a combination of teaching, research and administration. I teach postgraduate students and supervise PhD students.

I work alone and with colleagues to examine key research questions in several areas related to areas like informal care provision, health inequalities, pension protection among minority ethnic groups, intergenerational support and social care.

And I have a number of senior administrative roles, for example I am Director of Programmes for the Department of Gerontology, and also Director of a partnership between Southampton, Brighton and Portsmouth Universities, which awards MSc and PhD scholarships every year.

What do you love most about the work you do?

There are two bits of my work that I really like, and both of them have to do with working with other people.

I love working with colleagues, for example in research.

Being part of a research team means that the team collectively draws on different people’s strengths, and that’s really rewarding when we are successful. For example, one of the teams I work with was recently awarded a national prize by the Economic and Social Research Council, who fund much of our research, for the impact of our research work on society.

This was one of the top-3 highlights of my career so far. Belonging to a team also helps when we are not successful, because we can reflect on what we can improve together, and come back stronger, whether it is an article or grant rejection.

And I love working with students – literally every single time I teach, I am learning something new.

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

I am a woman in social science, which I think is quite different from being a woman in the natural sciences.

I have been part of all-women teams, and part of teams where I was the only woman. I genuinely think that individuals’ personalities and ways of working are more important than their gender.

I think probably the only difference, and it’s a big one, is that I have seen more women openly juggling their work with caring responsibilities, and being more vocal about their rights and challenges.

Men do a lot of caring too, but they are less vocal about it, and I think that’s something that has been changing since I started.

I also think that social sciences are far less hierarchical than when I started, there is more space for established views to be challenged, and that’s a good thing.

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

My key piece of advice would be to speak to people who are one step ahead in their career (as opposed to a decade ahead), in order to get different views about what is needed for that next step.

What are the costs and what are the benefits? This is especially important at key points of the lifecourse when one’s career has to be juggled alongside other things, like investing in a relationship, trying for a family or caring for different people in one’s family.

• Iris Kramer - PhD researcher at University of Southampton

Iris Kramer

What is your role?

I’m employed by the university on a Royal Academy of Engineering enterprise fellowship. This allows me to commercialise the research that I have created during my PhD in Machine Learning.

I created an approach to automatically detect archaeological sites from earth observation data. I was the first PhD student to use deep learning for this task and it was really successful with more than 100 newly detected archaeological sites on the Isle of Arran in Scotland.

I was really excited by the idea of commercialising this research because of the potential to scale the approach across the world and detect new sites everywhere.

Knowing where sites are located is key to the protection of our heritage so being able to contribute to that I feel is really important.

What do you love most about the work you do?

I’m constantly learning new skills, meeting interesting people and working on exciting tech.

I also get to discover new archaeological sites and being the first person to see the site is really exciting and makes me wonder about the artefacts that may be underground. 

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

I’m still early in my career and I’ve had only positive experiences. I don’t think being a women has hindered me at all.

The people around me have been very encouraging, potentially more so because in the past it was more difficult for women in science.

I hope that my experience is a sign that the computer science community is great for women to be part of.

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

If technology excites you than explore a career into it! Find out what you like and what you’re good at and you’ll have a great career.

A bonus is definitely that most technology jobs also pay well and you all deserve a great salary and that will help us close the gender pay gap.

• Dr Catherine Rychert - Associate Professor in Geophysics within Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton

Dr Catherine Rychert

What is your role?

I am an observational seismologist, which means I study earthquakes and the waves that they generate. I use the seismic waves to image and understand the inner workings of the Earth, from the surface to the core. 

For example, the earth is moving under our feet due to plate tectonics, but there are still some big mysteries about how and why the tectonic plates are moving, how they form, age and are destroyed. Seismic waves allow us to look at the structure of the earth, which we can use to test hypotheses about what drives the plates. 

My research on plate tectonics is important for our understanding of how plate tectonics works, which is necessary for a better understanding of the evolution of the planet and planetary habitability, the reason why earthquakes occur and where and why volcanos erupt.

There are also large implications for our understanding of climate change.

What do you love most about the work you do?

Science is an adventure, and I learn something new every day. I am thrilled every time I see/learn something new, it makes me feel like an explorer!

Also, in order to study the world, you have to travel to lots of different parts of it.

In the course of my research I’ve been to parts of the world that very few people have seen, and I also get to experience it in different ways than I would as a tourist.

I’ve seen remote parts of Central America, the East African Rift, Easter Island and the East Pacific Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge-if you consider shipboard sonar imaging as “seeing” for the last two.

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

I’m always inspired by the stories of people like Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie and Marie Tharpe, and I think that things are definitely better for women in science now than it was for them.

However, I still think that we have a way to go to get to a level playing field.

The classic problem is that women feel they need to work harder to get to the same level – they do.

However, one step would be for women (and men) to realize this, and make more effort to make time for women to think and be a person (not just work).

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

I have three daughters. I would say: Stick with your dreams, don’t give up!

It is not always easy. You might face negativity. Keep going. Find mentors if you can and make use of them. Mentor colleagues yourself. Work smarter not harder if you can find a way.

Science is an amazing journey, embrace it.

• Sean Lim - Cancer Research UK Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Haematological Oncology

Sean Lim

What is your role?

I am a consultant haematologist in University Hospital Southampton and a cancer researcher with the University of Southampton.

My position is generously funded for by Cancer Research UK.

The strategic placement of my lab in the Centre for Cancer Immunology, next to Southampton General Hospital means that I am able to see and treat patients with lymphoma and easily undertake research simultaneously.  

The aim of my research is to find new and effective cancer therapies by manipulating the body's immune system, or cancer immunotherapy.

The immune system is highly capable of destroying cancer cells, but when it fails, cancer ensues. 

We now recognise that we can re-awaken and engage the immune system to destroy cancer cells through the use of antibodies.

What do you love most about the work you do?

I love the diversity of my work. 

I enjoy seeing and speaking to patients and their loved ones, but I also have the unique ability to unpick clinical problems in my laboratory. 

Every research project I undertake has been chosen by me, and so it is always fascinating for me, and there's never a dull day's work.

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

The numbers of women in science are increasing but there is still far less women than men at the top.

I'm often sat in a meeting where I'm either the only woman, or one of a few. 

Science is a tough career for all. Behind the few successes are a multitude of failures.  Being a woman is science poses further challenges because the timing for a PhD and starting a family often coincides. 

I also think we all want to care for our family first, be it children or elderly relatives, which means we have less time for work. But I think these traits also give us the ability to balance multiple responsibilities more effectively. 

There are more initiatives to address the relative paucity of women in science now than there was over a decade ago when I started, such as mentorship schemes and flexible working. However, it is clear that we are still not quite there yet.

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

To anyone interested in science, I would say it isn't for the faint-hearted but it is extremely rewarding when we succeed in solving that bit of a puzzle. 

To the girls and women - don't be put off by the relative lack of women. 

Don't let your careers be defined by your gender.

• Professor Angela Hatton - Director of Science and Technology at the National Oceanography Centre

Professor Angela Hatton

What is your role?

I am the Director of Science and Technology at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton.

This means I oversee all of NOC’s oceanography research, from measuring how the oceans influence climate and the UK’s weather, to identifying new marine species and understanding the mystery of deep sea.

I get to work with the most amazing and innovative people, who transform the way we see the oceans, and my job is to have a strategic view of what is needed and to enable the researchers to achieve it.

What do you love most about the work you do?

I started as a sea-going oceanographer and am truly passionate about the oceans.

What I love most is working with like-minded people who share my love of the oceans and knowing that what we do can make a real difference.

Whether it’s addressing direct issues like coastal flooding, how we manage marine protected areas or creating new understanding about how the oceans work, I love that I get to do something that matters.

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

It’s been brilliant and challenging.

When I started there were times that I was the only woman on board a ship and like many women, I felt I had to work harder than everyone else to prove myself.

Fortunately, a lot has changed.

There are now often times when 50% of the scientists on research expeditions are female and there are a lot of examples of successful women in science nowadays.

In fact, nearly 30% of our researchers at NOC are now women and almost 45% of our technical experts and specialists are female – numbers I hope we can continue growing.

Mostly I realised a lot about myself. I didn’t need to be something I wasn’t to succeed, I just needed to do my best, figure out my own strengths and weaknesses and realise that it didn’t matter how other people saw me.

That way I not only did my job well, but I got to enjoy doing it too.

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

Don’t be afraid to go out there and do something you care about, the biggest limitation can come from our own doubts and lack of confidence.

I didn’t worry about where I would get to in my career, I just did my best, took opportunities when they came and tried to enjoy it.

Remember our working life is quite a long time (40+ years) and so be open to opportunities, don’t be afraid of failure – it’s actually one of the best ways to learn and it’s good to be adaptable.

I have loved being a researcher, I love being a Director in a position to enable others and I loved being a mum. I think you can have it all, you just can’t have it all at the same time; but that’s ok as there is plenty of time with a career ahead of you. 

Dr Dimitra Georgiadou - Theme Lead - Flexible and Organic Nanoelectronics in the Centre for Electronics Frontiers in the University of Southampton’s Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics

Dr Dimitra Georgiadou

What is your role?

I am performing research in the field of organic and flexible electronics. These are ultralow-cost, lightweight and flexible electronic devices, like displays, photovoltaics, photodetectors and memories, which are made with materials based on carbon rather than silicon and can be manufactured on thin, flexible, stretchable substrates.

Organic electronic devices are more energy-efficient and eco-friendly than conventional silicon electronics and are fabricated using methods that are resource-efficient, leading to an overall more sustainable electronics world.

I recently demonstrated light-sensors and radiofrequency devices have a direct impact on future wireless communications and the Internet of Things.

What do you love most about the work you do?

The priceless -but rare- “Eureka” moments, when I realise I have discovered something than no one else has observed before.

Then the fact that science breaks almost all barriers, from age and nationality to gender and race. I realise it every time I travel to a scientific conference and, for example, I find myself conversing with Nobel laureates and postgraduate students with the same enthusiasm.

What is it like being a woman in science – and what has changed since you started?

I never considered being discriminated as a researcher because I was a woman. However, there are still some stereotypes, especially when women decide to start a family.

I believe the mentality of men has nowadays changed a lot to gradually accept the multiple roles that women play both in the family and their professional life and become more supportive to this.

What advice would you give to any young girl or woman looking to get into the field?

Being a woman should not affect at all your decision to become a researcher. Passion for science is genderless!