Introduction

More women are working in science than ever before. Yet they make up less than a tenth of UK professors in science, technology, engineering and maths. Nonetheless, a diversity of policies and initiatives dedicated to promoting women’s careers has set the wheels of change in motion. Inspired by the Suffragettes who campaigned for equal voting rights, here we are celebrating the achievements of women in science.

For the third time since its launch, Suffrage Science 2014 is honouring eleven leading women in the life sciences. These pioneering women will receive an heirloom brooch or pendant from the current heirloomholders, who received it in 2012. In 2016, the jewellery will be passed onto the next generation of outstanding women life scientists and communicators.

The handcrafted heirloom jewellery, designed by students at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London, mimic the specially commissioned jewellery worn by noted women of the Suffrage movement. In this booklet you can discover the protégés’ life stories and their thoughts on the issue of women’s rights in science. The eleven women celebrated this year are... University of Oxford

Shannon Au

Associate Professor of the School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Sarah Bohndiek

Group Leader at the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, and CRUK Cambridge Institute

Jane Endicott

Professor of Cancer Structural Biology, Newcastle University

Lynda Erskine

Psychology, Idaho State University

Chair in Development Neurobiology, University of Aberdeen

Anne Ferguson-Smith

Sangar Institute

Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and Professor of Genetics, University of Cambridge

Anja Groth

Associate Professor and Group Leader of

Jenny Rohn

Principal Research Associate in Clinical Physiology, University College London

Kate Storey

Chair of Neural Development and Head of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Dundee

Irene Tracey

Director of the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain,

Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu

Assistant Professor of Experimental

Ele Zeggini

Professor of Human Genetics, Wellcome Trust Molecular Biology, University of Copenhagen

Purple stands for the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette. White stands for purity in private and public life. Green is the colour of hope and the emblem of spring.

Suffragette Emmeline Pethick Lawrence, who selected the Suffrage colours in 1908

Design sketches of the heirloom pendant by Benita Gikaite

Design sketches of the heirloom brooch by Anya Malhotra