4 minute read
Sarah Bohndiek
Sarah Bohndiek nominated by elizabeth murchison
Perhaps it was growing up in London’s Greenwich district, home of The Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum, that sparked Sarah’s interest in science. Astronomy and astrophysics in particular fascinated her from a very young age, inspiring her to study for an additional GCSE in Astronomy during her school lunchtimes. This passion for physics compelled her to do her PhD in Radiation Physics, but after three years studying X-ray scattering in breast cancer, she decided to extend her training in physics to biochemistry to understand more about cancer itself, working as a post-doc in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. “When I went round to look at post-doctoral labs, I was fortunate that Kevin Brindle at Cambridge was prepared to take someone on who’d never held a pipette and didn’t know anything about biology. In return, I hope that I fixed his imaging kit a few times,” she says. She went on to marry the two – physics and solving biological problems – and now leads a research team that is split between the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physics and the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. Her molecular imaging research focuses on how cancers utilise oxygen and cope with its absence. Recently her efforts have led to the development of a new instrument for high throughput spectroscopy, and the use of imaging techniques to measure changes in blood oxygenation within tumours as they respond to chemotherapy. “Sarah Bohndiek is inspirational not only because of her world-leading research, technical expertise and contagious enthusiasm about science, but also because of her generosity in supporting and mentoring younger scientists and students. I am certain that the recognition of this award will inspire others to follow her lead, and seek out and continue careers in science,” says Elizabeth Murchison, who’s passing on the heirloom.
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Sarah says that because she has never felt disadvantaged herself, she hasn’t been acutely sensitive to gender issues. “All my mentors have been male. I’ve never felt in a position where I’ve been disadvantaged or held back. Instead, I’ve felt incredibly fortunate to have had a number of inspirational scientists as my mentors who have supported and encouraged me throughout my career.” “The first time I ever noticed an issue of gender balance was when I moved into a biochemistry laboratory for my postdoctoral fellowship and I suddenly thought, “There’s a hell of a lot of women here.” It never really dawned on me that I was working in a male-dominated environment in physics, which sounds quite naïve. But I’ve never suffered from the lack of female role models.”
Sarah Bohndiek
Diversity is Vital
So does she think gender imbalance is a problem? “Diversity, not just in gender but also in educational background, nationality and many other facets, is crucial for successful science. It’s vital to bring a range of perspectives to bear on any scientific question. Although I didn’t personally get put off doing science because of gender imbalance, it’s clear that a lot of students do at various career stages. It’s important that we don’t deny students of any age or background the opportunity to engage in stimulating scientific subjects. I’ve enjoyed engaging in outreach activities over my career, going into schools to communicate the message that science is exciting in its own right, but that it can also be used as a stepping stone into other professions.” She thinks this concern about career paths in science might be more acute in girls. “Maybe girls think a long way ahead when making their choices, about what the rest of their life will be like as a scientist. It’s certainly a tough career path but it does bring many rewards.”
A Major Milestone
Perhaps this goes to explain why out of a total of around 55 members of academic research staff in Cambridge University’s Department of Physics, only five are women, which is ‘a major milestone.’ Two new women lecturers, including Sarah, joined this year; before there were only three. “We’re expanding in the right direction and in the coming years we’ll see a substantial shift in those figures. I’m privileged that I’m in the same department as Professors Athene Donald and Val Gibson – two beacons of female representation in physics.” Their department was the first physics department in the UK to get an Athena SWAN gold award in recognition of their efforts in improving equality and diversity training, introducing family-friendly policies for staff and implementing positive actions with students and post-doctoral researchers. The Department runs a very active outreach programme for visiting school students, ranging from the Physics at Work exhibition, which includes more than 2000 students per year, to the Senior Physics Challenge, through which they aim to engage high school students from a wide range of backgrounds in Physics.
“In the winter I snow board and in the summer I cycle. Both get me out of the lab and up mountains and breathing fresh air, which always helps to generate new ideas and clear the mind.”
