anne ferguson-smith nominated by nicole soranzo
Anne saw her first chromosome when she was seven years old. Although she didn’t know it then, this experience would colour the rest of her life. “I can still remember that picture: a single human chromosome,” she says. “That was when I developed this love of chromosomes and wonder of inheritance and genetics.” Some time later, she read about recombinant DNA in Scientific American and applied to do Molecular Biology at Glasgow University. Since then her research has made key contributions towards understanding the molecular basis of the epigenetic control of genome function. Earlier this year, she became Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge, making her the first female Head of Department in the School of Biological Sciences. Nicole Soranzo, who’s passing on the heirloom, says, “Anne’s scientific integrity and enjoyment of science have been a constant source of inspiration for me, and she has been very generous with her time in supporting and mentoring me as well as many other younger scientists.” “I’m the first female Head of Department in
Restrictive Time Limits
the School of Biological Sciences at Cambridge
“They would like to go on and drive their own research programmes now that their children are in school, but they can’t because the time limit for applying for fellowships – eight to ten years post PhD – has passed. This was the time these women were having children.” Anne looks forward to seeing more creative programmes to help women get on the independent ladder, like The European Molecular Biology Organisation’s (EMBO) Young Investigator Awards. Young researchers can receive this award up to four years after starting their own group, but eligibility is extended for women who have children, so women scientists receive an extra year per child.
– that’s outrageous. The department has six female academic staff members out of 26. We are a small department and women are outnumbered,” says Anne. The main reason there are fewer senior women in science is because there’s a huge drop off between post-doctoral and permanent positions, which is associated with having children. Anne suggests two ways to overcome this problem. “Firstly, funders should do away with age restrictions for women when they apply for independent fellowships. This would allow them to forge independent careers later in life. In my department, I have extremely competent research scientists who’ve had a
The second change Anne highlights, noting that others may not share her opinion, is a
couple of kids and are now senior post-docs.”
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