4 minute read
Jenny Rohn
Jenny Rohn nominated by georgina ferry
“Jenny Rohn is possibly the most socially engaged scientist I know. She runs a cell biology research lab at University College London, working on the understanding and treatment of urinary tract infections, which affect half of all women in their lifetimes. Important as it is, though, it was not Jenny’s science that made her the obvious choice for my Suffrage Science heirloom brooch. I received it for my work as an author from Brenda Maddox, who is herself an author. So I thought I should keep the communication theme going for this particular brooch, moving on from women who write books to a woman who explores science through the world of social media. Jenny does both. She has published two novels set in scientific contexts. She curates the website LabLit.com, which highlights examples of science in fiction. She blogs perceptively and humorously about her own scientific life at OccamsTypewriter.com, and for the Guardian. If that were not enough, she is the chair of the grassroots campaign Science is Vital, lobbying for support for the science base in the UK, and has made frequent appearances on radio and TV. And she is the mum of a child just approaching his first birthday.” says Georgina Ferry, who’s passing on the heirloom.
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“I have a very strong memory from when I was about ten years old, when a careers advisor came to school,” says Jenny. “I said that I was interested in science, and I was advised to become a nurse. I wish I could say to that person now, “You had no right to tell me that. Look what happened to me. I’m a successful scientist. Healthcare isn’t the only outlet for a woman who’s interested in science.” I always kicked off against anyone who told me I couldn’t be a scientist. But I can imagine another girl saying, “OK, I’d better become a nurse.””
A Barefaced Fact
In Jenny’s field of cell biology, at least half of all undergraduates, PhD students and post-docs are women. Then numbers start to plummet. I ask why she thinks that is. ‘Family matters must make a difference. It’s very difficult to compete with someone who has taken no time out. The way we are assessed in academic science involves how many papers we’ve published – that’s the number one metric. If you take time out to raise a family, rather than working late in the lab, you’re not going to be as productive as a colleague who has no family. It’s a barefaced fact.’
And career breaks aren’t always taken into account when scientists are assessed, she says. “I’ve applied for jobs and found out that the reason I didn’t get shortlisted was simply because the number of papers I had didn’t stack up due to my career break.”
Jenny Rohn
Imposter Syndrome
She also mentions imposter syndrome, a psychological state when people feel they do not deserve what they have achieved, from which she suffers terribly. “It’s just a feeling that I’m not as good as my male colleagues. If I run into a guy who’s as old or experienced as I am, I think, “Wow! He’s a really important scientist.” But when I look at his record later I sometimes think, “I’m actually better than he is.” This is really common.”
Has she been a victim of overt discrimination in her career? “I was once told early on in my career: “You’re a woman, I don’t think you’ll be as good a scientist as a male colleague.” But things have definitely got better during my lifetime. Initiatives like Athena SWAN have made a huge difference. Basically they have incentivised equality by prompting universities to up their game and treat women fairly.”
A Ruthless Career
But Jenny is wary about suggesting a scientific career to anyone. “Academia at the moment is an absolutely ruthless, terrible profession. It’s completely dysfunctional. I’m always honest and say it’s a great career, but it’s really hard and only four per cent will make it statistically. I sometimes wonder if women might be just a bit too sensible and think, “You know what, I don’t have to do this. I can do something else.””
A Holistic Approach
One reason she believes it’s important to have more women in science is because they often take a more holistic approach to training than men, an approach she admires and tries to emulate herself. “I think having more women in power would make it a more human profession. Perhaps that would change some of the problems in the profession itself. Maybe if you diluted the macho culture by encouraging more family-friendly practices and, above all, transforming the career structure so that academic researchers of both genders can feel nurtured and secure, you might get some policy changes that would make the career structure better for everybody.”
“When I was 12 years old I was voted most likely to become a scientist and the student body gave me this ridiculous medal, which was made out of fakebronze plastic. And with it in my hand, I thought for the first time that my dream of being a scientist might actually be achievable.”
