Celebrating International Day of Women & Girls in Science

?Can You Tell Us a Little Bit About Yourself?

I was born in the UK, on the outskirts of London, and I lived there till I finished my master’s degree after which I moved to #Slovakia. I am mixed race. My mother is Slovak, and my father is Japanese. One day I would love to visit a northern destination in both winter and summer to experience both polar night and midnight sun. Most recently I have become interested in sustainable architecture, especially watching videos or documentaries on how houses can be designed and constructed with carefully selected materials to blend in with their natural environment and reduce their carbon footprint.

?Walk us Though Your Education Background?

?As far back as I can remember, I naturally gravitated towards #science at school. If you asked me at 10 years old, I would probably say that “I like that in science there are right and wrong answers”. I enjoyed the certainty one could find in science, leaning on the robust nature of its principles. This joy, this affinity, for wanting to know how things work carried me through primary and secondary education, and all the way up to deciding what direction to take in higher education. I chose the path of #Biochemistry for my bachelors at Royal Holloway, University of London and then #Biomedical #Engineering for my masters at the 英国萨里大学 . Deciding what to study at university was an easy choice at the time, as I took my parents advice to play to my strengths. #Biology and #chemistry were my strongest subjects, so Biochemistry seemed to be the right way forward. Now looking back, I wish I would have listened more to what I wanted to do, rather than just sticking to what I was good at. Nevertheless, I did my best to learn as much as I could, as I knew that I wanted to complete my higher education, knowing that I did everything in my power to gain as much from those precious years. Not everyone has access to higher #education, and it is this appreciation that kept me afloat even through tough moments when I wanted to give up.

Did You have Any Female Role Models in the Science Field While Growing Up?

I cannot recall learning about many women science even as a child. I remember learning about Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and the only female name that seemed to rise to the surface together with all these male scientists, was Marie Curie. There are so many women that contributed to some of human’s greatest scientific discoveries, yet we do not seem to know about them as much. I sometimes wonder why that is. I never really thought about women in science until I learned about Rosalind Franklin**(see footnote) in my first year at university. Ask anyone who discovered the double-helix structure of human #DNA, and most people will say the names “Watson and Crick”. Many people still to this day do not hold Rosalind Franklin in the same frame as Watson and Crick, or even know who she was. So, my female role models are scientists the likes of Rosalind Franklin, and so many others whose profound knowledge and perseverance allow women like me to not have to worry about not being seen, heard, and recognized for my work in my chosen field.

And What About Your First Steps Into the ‘Real World’, Beyond Academia?

My first steps into the “real world” after academia was a blessing in disguise. I say that now because I did not know or understand what career opportunities are possible in the field of clinical trials. My first job after graduation was in a global team for a large clinical research organization (#CRO) where I customized informed consent form documents for various countries to comply with national and regional requirements for studies in various therapeutic areas. I am very grateful that I started my career working with #patient-facing documents as after a few years of working through various roles, I can confidently say that I know my niche is in medical writing.

Although There Has Been a Lot of Improvement in Recent Years, the Science Field is Still Known to be a Male Dominant One. What is your Opinion on the Male to Female Ratio in Science?

Science is incredibly vast, and each discipline under this umbrella term requires different skills and abilities. For example, in highly egalitarian countries such as Norway or Sweden, with the greatest gender equality, there is still considerable variety in male to female ratio in disciplines such as nursing and engineering: with significantly more women in nursing, and the same for men in engineering. Many studies have been conducted and much data has been collected to understand these differences.

?I believe that all people, no matter their gender, race, or social status, should have the same opportunities to start and grow their careers. Except for a few specialized professions (e.g., where there are gender requirements for religious reasons) I strongly stand against gender as a considering factor for any position. Competence is the most important factor. With that said, even if we continue to see a larger male to female ratio in science, I see no issue as long as everyone is given the same opportunities regardless of gender, and that any gender minority in any field of science, is treated equally and supported just as much as the majority.

I am very proud to have recently joined SanaClis . SanaClis is a CRO that was co-founded in Slovakia by a woman: Dr. Natalia Fetkovska. Today, #SanaClis employs many highly qualified and experienced women in all its departments in various positions. Many of our department heads are women with extensive experience in the #clinical trial industry, some with even more than 20 years on the job. I am lucky to be building my #career in clinical trials at a time when there is a very strong female presence in the industry. I hope to contribute to this female stronghold in clinical trials and indirectly support and possibly even motivate other young women aspiring to enter this industry.

How Can We Best Encourage and Inspire the Next Generation to Consider STEM ?(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Subjects and Careers?

I hope to see greater connections built between education and employment. Young people often hesitate when deciding whether to consider higher education if they feel that even with a degree, many companies will still not employ them due to lack of experience. I believe that companies in the STEM fields could increase collaborations with universities through various efforts such as guest lectures, careers workshops and especially internships to introduce the next generation to what STEM companies do, and what a career in STEM can look like in practice.

How Do You See the Role of Women in Science in the Years Ahead?

I really hope to see more women in science being given the opportunity or creating their own ways of sharing their educational and career journeys with other young women through more mainstream social media platforms or podcasts to help and support other young women when deciding whether to pursue a degree or career in science. I think we do not have enough scientific female role models in today’s society.

What Advice Would you Give to Young Girls & Women Interested in Pursuing a Career in Science?

?I would tell any young girl or woman to be curious, to ask questions, and to reach out to anyone they know working in science to ask them about their experiences. I would also tell them not be dissuaded or discouraged by a large male to female ratio e.g., in a classroom or professional setting and to work to achieve their goals, no matter the obstacles they may face. I would also, and most importantly, tell any young person not to fear failure. Failure is the best teacher in life, and only through overcoming failures and challenges does a person truly grow and learn from their experiences.

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** Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist in the early to mid-20th century and was the person who took the famous X-ray crystallography picture of a DNA molecule that James Watson and Francis Crick used to confirm their model of a DNA molecule. The scientific community, and then by extension the rest of society assumed that Franklin’s work was only supportive and not competitive as it appeared several pages behind Watson and Cricks research paper in the same journal. It is unfortunate that Franklin’s critical contribution was only acknowledged after her tragic death from ovarian cancer at the young age of 37.