At the start of the summer, we asked women postdocs to tell us their stories of their scientific inspiration and what it means to them to be a woman in STEMM.
This was to follow on from Borysiewicz Fellow, Lorena Escudero Sánchez’s, project to encourage more young girls to study science. Participants submitted stories, aimed at girls aged 10-12 years old, about their own scientific superpowers.
Lorena then selected six winning entries, who have all nominated a school to receive three copies of her illustrated school diary “Heroines of Science”. One copy will be kept in the school library, and the schools will identify two girls to receive the others through a competition of their own. The books are on their way to China, Kent, Sri Lanka, Greenland, Ecuador and Pakistan.
Lorena said: "I want to personally thank and congratulate all the researchers who shared their stories with us. I've felt really lucky to read about their amazing work, and so inspired by their stories and their scientific superpowers! It has been really challenging to choose only six. My selection is trying to highlight the works that I've found most exciting, inspiring and well written, but also accessible to young girls and in line with the original project. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I did!"
The winners and their stories are:
Jing Han
Department of Computer Science and Technology
Nominated school: No. 42 Middle School, Heilongjiang Province, China
About Jing:
Jing Han is an Affiliated Lecturer and Senior Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge. She received her bachelor's degree in electronic and information engineering from Harbin Engineering University, China, her master's from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Augsburg, Germany. Her research interests are in affective computing and digital healthcare and wellbeing. She has co-authored over 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. She has served as a technical program committee member for conferences and events, and is a senior member of IEEE and associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing.
Her story:
Hi, girls! My name is Jing, and I am a Chinese female researcher working at the University of Cambridge, UK. My scientific superpower is designing smart methods and algorithms that can listen to body sounds and help doctors keep people healthy. Imagine being a detective who solves mysteries by analysing clues—except that instead of solving crimes, I help solve health problems.
I study sounds like heartbeats and breathing. For example, by analysing heart sounds collected from digital stethoscopes, my methods can help detect conditions like heart murmurs. I also study breathing sounds, which can be collected from smartphones next to your bed during sleep, to understand issues like snoring, which can affect sleep quality. But that's not all—I also analyse how people speak to understand their emotions and even detect signs of depression.
When I was young, I loved watching movies and TV shows where doctors used stethoscopes to listen to their patients and make quick, life-saving decisions. This inspired me to create technology that can do something similar. I develop algorithms that automatically analyse these body sounds, which can help doctors—especially those with less experience or hearing difficulties—make accurate diagnoses.
My ultimate goal is to make this technology available everywhere, especially in places where medical resources are limited. Imagine robots that can listen to your heart and breathing sounds, helping doctors monitor your health anytime, anywhere. This way, more people can get the help they need, even if they live far away from a hospital.
Being a woman in STEMM is exciting because I get to be a part of groundbreaking research that can change the world. I hope my work inspires you to follow your passions and use your unique superpowers to make a difference too!
Becky Heath
Department of Zoology / King’s College
Nominated school: Dartford Grammar School for Girls, Kent, UK
About Becky:
Early doors, (and in my telescope phase) I wanted to study “astrobiology” – that being the study of life on other planets. I chose my undergrad based on it being the only place I could find that would let me take modules in astronomy, cell biology, and evolution at the same time. But over my undergrad I accidentally fell in love with life on this planet instead! Following a love of the tropics and a want to submerge in a rainforest, I successfully applied for a PhD where I spent 4 years developing sensors to be used in wildlife monitoring in Malaysian Borneo. While out there, I learned an appreciation of the human aspect of ecology, and how complex and completely vital land management research is. Then inspired by a want to bring a more human perspective into my research, I took my current job which is in understanding how family farmers manage oil palm plantations in rural Indonesia. It’s all been a joy to be honest.
Her story:
I find myself hiking up the side of a valley in 30-degree heat through the Bornean Jungle, Parang [machete] in hand, waterproof trousers tucked into my socks to fend off leeches and watching shiny beads of sweat fall from my face to the muddy jungle floor. I’m excited to be taking some special new microphones to our study site to listen in on the sounds of the forest for the next few months.
These clever little recorders will record and store everything from the sounds of beetles’ wings buzzing as they flap, the grinding teeth of elephants as the chomp through nearby grasses, the dawn call of a whole orchestra of tropical birds, the building excitement of families of gibbons, and the thundering nightly clammer of almost daily lightning storms. A permanent record of this place at this time, that I can use to unpick patterns in what the animals here are doing so that we can better protect these important lands. In that sense, I suppose my superpower is being able to really hear the world around us and all the creatures in it.
It’s a superpower we can all have if you just take the time to tune in and listen. Finally reaching the plot and sitting down to catch our breath, we watch colourful little crickets jump around startled by our presence. It reminds me of the days I’d spend in my garden on the outskirts of Southeast London as a kid catching bugs and being fascinated by the magic of these tiny intricate biological machines.
The diversity and presence of life is completely incredible to me, and I take a moment to be grateful to be here now, as I was then, sharing space and time with miraculously complex little critters completely oblivious to the wonder of it all.
Chapa Sirithunge
Department of Engineering
Nominated school: Sujatha Vidyalaya, Matara, Sri Lanka
About Chapa:
Dr Sirithunge received her bachelor’s and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. After her graduation in 2020, she worked as a lecturer at the University of Moratuwa and Sri Lanka Technological Campus. She joined the University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral research associate in 2022, where she now works as a Marie-Curie fellow. Her research interests are embodied social agents, bio-inspired robots, soft robots and human-robot interaction. Beyond her research, Dr Sirithunge is leading the Cambridge women-in-robotics network and actively involved in community outreach activities aimed at making robotics research more accessible to a broader audience.
Her story:
Imagine a world where robots are not just machines, but friendly helpers who can work with you every day. That's the kind of world I'm trying to create as a researcher in robotics. I make robots that have soft, flexible bodies, just like humans, so they can safely and comfortably interact with people like you. This is my superpower in the robotics world.
In my lab, I build robots with soft "skin" that can feel and react to touch. This means they can do delicate jobs like helping people recover from injuries or assisting older adults with their daily activities. One of our cool projects is making robotic suits that elderly people can wear. This suit helps them move around and stay active by gently supporting their bodies.
My favourite part of my research is making robots and studying how people react to them. We call them a “human study”. For example, robots help children with autism learn how to socialise and I observe how they play games, tell stories, and even give high-fives. By improving the way robots are designed, I hope to make a world where humans and robots can work together closely and happily. This could change the way we live, learn, and take care of each other.
I was born on a tiny island full of nature, Sri Lanka. Growing up, I observed materials, creations and movements around and kept wondering about them. When I wasn't satisfied with the games at school, I invented my own, continuously finding simple solutions to everyday challenges. Little did I know that I was already “engineering” solutions, a passion that later became my profession. In everything I do, I strive to connect three essential elements: people, their creations, and nature. Two things keep me going: simplicity and never stop exploring.
Mifuyu Akasaki
Department of Public Health and Primary Care
Nominated school: Unidad Educativa "San Francisco de Asís", Salcedo, Ecuador
About Mifuyu:
I worked for the third sector in Ecuador and Fiji on health and social inequalities, and with academics and government in Japan on healthy ageing, prior to pursuing a career as a researcher. After completing a PhD in Epidemiology and Social Science at University College London, I joined the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. I am currently involved in projects aimed at ensuring blood donors’ safety by designing clinical trials and developing a prediction model for vasovagal reactions among blood donors.
Her story:
My everyday life was busy with studying and playing until I was 11, when my father had a heart attack. I was very happy that he came home from the hospital, but he was so ill that he gave up many things he had enjoyed, like skiing, driving, and even going to work. He was not happy. With not much money in my family, I focused on studying because it excited me that the more I studied, the better grades I received, even though it was free to do. My teachers wanted to recommend me to a medical university, but my family didn’t have enough money to support me.
I became a nurse and looked after people with heart problems in hospitals. But I always wondered: “Is the treatment really helping or is it just causing more pain? Wouldn’t it better if illness doesn’t develop in the first place?” This question led me to work in an indigenous community in Ecuador to rethink how I could help with people’s health. After spending years in the community, I became certain about what I wanted my scientific superpower to be: to prevent illness and help everyone stay healthy. The next question is, “how?”
To find out how to stop illness from happening, I am looking at information from many people, using Statistics, a type of mathematics. The information can show us how common an illness is, why it happens, and how we can prevent it. This study is known as Epidemiology. Not all illnesses, but many can be prevented by, for example, eating healthy food, exercising, and getting good sleep. Everyone is different, so each person has their own way to stay healthy. With good health, we can enjoy life with our family and friends, and do the things we love. That’s what Epidemiology wants to help us achieve!
Carrie Soderman
Department of Earth Sciences
Nominated school: Nuuk Internationale Friskole, Nuuk, Greenland
About Carrie:
I studied Natural Sciences as an undergraduate in Cambridge and completed my PhD in Earth Sciences in 2022. I’m interested in igneous petrology, geochemistry and critical mineral resources - lots of things that relate to how our planet forms rocks from magma and how these processes give us minerals that are useful to society.
Her story:
Did you know that minerals inside rocks are like time capsules? They record stories telling us what was happening on Earth millions of years ago. My scientific superpower is that I can read these hidden stories. I use them to understand how very special types of rocks form on Earth, which contain lots of valuable ‘rare-earth elements’. We need these elements to build wind turbines and electric cars. These technologies are really important for society because they reduce how much we burn fossil fuels, which pollute Earth’s atmosphere and cause climate change.
To tell a rock’s story, my research begins by collecting samples. Right now I’m in Greenland doing exactly that! The rocks here are amazingly old (1200 million years!) and formed by magma cooling kilometres underground. Giant glaciers have since cut into the landscape to reveal them. Once I’ve hammered off a rock sample, I take it back to my laboratory in Cambridge. There, I decode its story by looking at its tiny minerals with a microscope. I then use computers to model how the rock formed. The stories tell me why rare-earth element-rich rocks form in some places but not others, and help me predict new places to find them, helping us fight climate change.
The hidden stories within rocks are why I wanted to become an Earth Scientist as a child. I discovered that rocks I saw on holiday in north England were formed by 450 million-year-old volcanoes. It seemed incredible that scientists knew this when no volcanoes are there anymore! Now I’m excited that I am one of those scientists, and can use my science superpower to help protect our planet. Next time you see a rock, imagine the hidden stories it contains!
Komal Yasmin
Department of Epigenetics, Babraham Institute
Nominated school: Village Har-do-Sodhi(bala) Girls’ Primary School, Punjab, Pakistan
About Komal:
My fascination for epigenetics stems from studying early mammalian development where a single cell gives rise to many specialised cell lineages, all of which inherit a complete genetic information but express only a subset of genes at any given time. My enthusiasm for understanding this process helped me secure the competitive Wellcome trust studentship at Oxford University (awarded to five students). I then conducted my DPhil research in the lab of Professor Neil Brockdorff and secured a postdoctoral researcher position in the Rugg-Gunn lab. My current work merges advanced wet lab (CRISPR screens) with single-cell multiomics analysis and machine learning, to understand epigenetic gene regulation in early human development.
Given my humble roots in a remote rural area of Pakistan, I have been a witness to the life changing power of education which made my journey to Oxford University possible. Teaching/mentoring is therefore a cause I feel deeply for. I enjoyed serving as a tutor at Oxford and participating in several science outreach programs (‘SOS children village’, ‘Teach for Pakistan’, UNIQ and the Nuffield foundation). I believe a significant part of scientific research is its effective communication. My role as an editor-in-chief of Phenotype Oxford, a medical science journal run by early-career scientists and students, is another passion project. I am excited to see what my new project at Cambridge unveils, and very much look forward to starting as an affiliate fellow at Newnham College in October which to me (given Rosalind Franklin’s affiliation) represents a community of iconic, rebellious, change makers, and most importantly, strong women in STEM.
Her story:
I grew up listening to stories of Marie Curie. Although I did not end up being a physicist, I did pickup her love for science. I have a vivid memory of the day I first isolated DNA from human blood. A thread floating in the middle of a tube, holding the entire fate of a man! Simple, sophisticated, elegant. How does this simple molecule make up a full human? That was the first time I got excited about cell fate determination and there was no looking back.
We start our lives as a single cell, which contains all the information to make different types of cells that make up the body. As the development proceeds embryonic cell divides and starts making cells which perform specialized functions such carrying oxygen to the body or digesting food. As the cells specialize, they “read” only the parts of the DNA (or genes) that are relevant to their function. This selective reading of the DNA is control by packaging state of the DNA inside the cells. DNA is wound around proteins called histones, and when packaged tightly, DNA becomes inaccessible to cell’s “DNA reading machinery” (akin to glueing the pages of a book together). Cells also have a way to keeping the genes they want to read in an “open” conformation (like bookmarking).
Both of these processes are regulated by chemical modifications of histone proteins. Interestingly cells maintain a “memory” of what to genes to read, and as they divide, transfer this information to their daughter cells. My scientific superpower is to understand the functions of histone modifications and cellular machinery involved in establishing them. This is called epigenetics. By studying these histone modifications, we can understand how development proceeds. A reversal of this memory occurs in cancers, where specialized/differentiated cells lose their epigenetic bookmarks and eventually acquire features of embryonic cells. Thus, this knowledge is important to understand and eventually cure developmental disorders as well as cancers.
Just like Curie, my journey was not straightforward. I had to convince many people and lobby for their support at every career stage. But enthusiasm did pay off and I made the journey from a small mountain-top village of Pakistan to the best laboratories in the world. I hope through teaching and outreach, I can kindle such passion in others and contribute to make the journey of future women in STEM, easier.