Measure, Make & Mend

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Julia Higgins and Athene Donald examine changing perceptions of women in science

Thirty young teenagers are noisily exploring the mechanics of levers while Julia Higgins, their teacher, cogitates on a possible escape to pursue KHU RZQ VFLHQWL¿F UHVHDUFK ³6FKRRO WHDFKLQJ just wasn’t for me,” she admits frankly. To the newly wed in the mid 1960s, teaching seemed a logical progression from her PhD. Two years later, however, she found the way out. A letter she’d sent to a friend of her father-in-law fortuitously ended up in the hands of a chemist at Manchester University. Sir Geoffrey Allen made no bones about recruiting her to do a postdoc in his lab. ³7DONDERXWVKHHUOXFN´VD\V-XOLD

She proved an asset to Allen’s research group thanks to a technique learnt during her PhD: neutron scattering – a way to probe the structure of polymers. Over the next four decades her career in science would take her to the top of KHU SURIHVVLRQ ZLWK KLJK SUR¿OH DSSRLQWPHQWV including Foreign Secretary for the Royal Society and Chair to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. In 2001 she was made Dame IRUKHUFRQWULEXWLRQVWRVFLHQFHWDNLQJXSWKH¿UVW chair of the Athena Project, aimed at improving the career prospects for women in science and engineering. Julia knows Dame Athene Donald well. Both are physicists with a common grounding in polymer studies. Athene started out doing electron microscopy of metals but her research interests now lie in soft matter physics. Although she has taken on so many leadership roles that Julia Higgins

time for science is proving scarce. Demands on her time include serving on a number of Councils including that of the University of Cambridge where she currently works, the Royal Society and the European Research Council, as well as chairing the Royal Society’s Education Committee and the Athena Forum (born of the Athena Project). With several years to go before she reaches retirement age, she has surprised herself by taking on so much, but feels a moral duty to support younger researchers and free up their time for research.

Campaigning Careers

Through her campaigning work for women in science, Athene says she is following in Julia’s IRRWVWHSV ³$WKHQH RQFH WROG PH , ZDV KHU UROH model and I’ve never forgiven her,” quips Julia. To ZKLFK$WKHQHHQTXLUHVZLWKDVHULRXVDLU³%XWZKR

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³0\6RPHUYLOOH&ROOHJHVFDUIVLWVLQ my drawer as a reminder of the extraordinary change in life going up to Oxford was for me.”

Julia Higgins

else did I have?” acknowledging that being looked WRDVDUROHPRGHOFDQ³IHHOOLNHTXLWHDEXUGHQ sometimes, so I apologise.” Julia reassures her. ³1R QR \RX GLGQ¶W GHPDQG PXFK IURP PH ,W just made me feel elderly!”

Both scientists want more women to reach WKH WRS RI WKHLU SURIHVVLRQ ³7R KDYH YLVLEOH ZRPHQ LV VR LPSRUWDQW´ VD\V $WKHQH ³,W¶V the existence proof, the idea that it’s possible: young women don’t get lectured to by a woman in physics very often.” Trailblazing has been a lonely journey for Athene: she hasn’t had as many female supporters around her as Julia, EXWQRQHWKHOHVVPDGHVWULGHVEHFRPLQJWKH¿UVW female physics lecturer at Cambridge, and the ¿UVW IHPDOH SURIHVVRU LQ WKH SK\VLFDO VFLHQFHV Julia remembers the big party that Athene threw to celebrate: at the time there were only twelve professors promoted across the whole University of Cambridge each year, so it was an enormous achievement at the age of just 44. When Julia got her professorship eight years earlier, she was one of just a few women at Imperial College London. Now there are upwards of 50.

Working at the interface with biology has brought Athene together with more women scientists. And Julia reveals a disproportionately high number of women seek a PhD studentship in her lab because Athene Donald

WKHJURXSERDVWVRWKHUZRPHQVFLHQWLVWV³,W¶VQRW something that is articulated, it’s subconscious and is about feeling more comfortable,” she says. Her friends in engineering have found the same: women attract more women to a research group, and the difference it makes is social. She recounts the revelation of meeting other women her age at conferences and discovering the joy of sitting GRZQ WR DQ RFFDVLRQDO JRVVLS ³<RX FDQ IXQFWLRQ without it, but it’s just such a pleasure.”

Standing Out

Both women note a ‘frightening amount of testosterone’ at some physics conferences – particularly the ones that attract bright, young VFLHQWLVWV ³,W¶VQRW WRGRZLWK WKH VFLHQFHLW¶V WR do with the bragging rights,” explains Athene. An off-putting prospect for some postgraduates, SDUWLFXODUO\DZRPDQLQWKHPLQRULW\6KHDGGV³, think it’s useful to be able to discuss it, and instead

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There is a frightening amount of testosterone at some physics conferences

of quitting, to realise you’re not alone and that \RX¶YHMXVWJRWWR¿QGFRSLQJVWUDWHJLHV´

Speaking from bitter experience, Athene shares D FRQ¿GHQFH NQRFN HDUO\ RQ LQ KHU FDUHHU $ SRVWGRFWRUDO SRVLWLRQ DW &RUQHOO 8QLYHUVLW\ ¿WWHG in with her husband’s PhD in mathematics, but SURYHG FDWDVWURSKLF ³, KDG WZR KRUULEOH \HDUV not getting on with my professor. I didn’t enjoy the project,” she says. Studying grain boundaries LQPHWDOV VKH IRXQGLWGLI¿FXOW WR YLVXDOLVHZKDW was happening in three dimensions. The Dames laugh about conforming to a stereotypically IHPDOHVKRUWFRPLQJ³,KDGDGLVDVWURXVPRPHQW when I thought I’d shown something, but got my geometry wrong and had to withdraw a paper from DFRQIHUHQFH´FODUL¿HV$WKHQH³0\SURIHVVRUZDV not pleased”.

'HVSLWHWKHGHQWWRKHUFRQ¿GHQFHDW&RUQHOOVKH sought another post to keep her Visa going while her husband completed his studies. Switching ¿HOGV WR VWXG\ SODVWLFV ZLWK Edward Kramer proved fruitful, and within six weeks they were ZULWLQJWKHLU¿UVWSDSHU³,WZDVMXVWIDQWDVWLF´VKH UHPHPEHUV³1RWKDYLQJWRGRDOOWKLVFRPSOLFDWHG VSDWLDOVWXIIDQGEHLQJLQD\RXQJ¿HOGZDVYHU\ good.” Julia harks back to a similar experience, ³MRLQLQJDQHZ¿HOGLVJRRGLI\RX¶UHVOLJKWO\QRQ establishment, which being a woman, you are.” 7KHUHDUHQR¿[HGUXOHVRUSUHMXGLFHVDERXWKRZWR go about the research.

During her second postdoc, encouraged by Kramer, Athene began to consider a career in academia. ³, MXVW VRUW RI VWXPEOHG DORQJ IURP RQH PRPHQW to the next,” she says. Falling in love with her UHVHDUFK RQ SODVWLFVPDGH KHU D ZRUNDKROLF ³QRW good for my personal life, but great for the science.” Kramer took her under his wing at conferences and introduced her to all his contacts, though she has some reservations about how, as a young woman by his side, she may have been perceived.

Family Ties

Returning to the UK on a Fellowship grant at Cambridge, Athene was again moving in support of her husband’s career. Mentorship from polymer physicist Sir Sam Edwards was a boon. She remembers a conversation with him when she announced she wanted to start a family, to which he asserted, ‘intelligent women should have IDPLOLHV¶ ³,W ZDV VR HQFRXUDJLQJ +H FRXOG HDVLO\ have said, ‘if you’re going to get pregnant I don’t want to know you’, a common attitude at the time.”

Having two children, Athene manages to juggle work and family responsibilities with her husband, whose fellowship grant ran out when the children

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Intelligent women should have families

were aged two and four. Failing to secure a subsequent fellowship, he decided to become the SULPDU\ FDUHU ³+H WKRXJKW KH¶G JHW EDFN LQWR LW but he never did, so my success has come at his expense,” she says. It makes her feel like a bad role model because not many people’s partners ZRXOGZDQWWRVDFUL¿FHWKHLURZQFDUHHU

Julia has no children, but argues it creates a different set of issues. She hasn’t worked outside the UK save two early postdocs because her roots ± IDPLO\ DQG IULHQGV ± DUH QRW PRYHDEOH ³,¶YH seen what happens when you work overseas,” she VD\V³$WOHDVWLI\RX¶UHPDUULHGZLWKFKLOGUHQ\RX can bring some of the pieces with you.”

Changes Afoot

Edwards was an important mentor for Julia too. Her research group was doing experiments that bolstered his theory, and he supported her career progression. When she asked him to referee her professorship application, Edwards asked whether anyone had proposed her membership of the Royal Society yet. He then took the trouble WR ZULWH D SURSRVDO ³,I KH KDGQ¶W GRQH WKDW eventually someone would have, but it could have been years,” Julia points out.

%HFRPLQJ D IHOORZ ERRVWHG KHU FRQ¿GHQFH DQG ODXQFKHGKHUFDPSDLJQZRUN³,WZDVOLEHUDWLQJ´ VKH UHPHPEHUV ³, IHOW , FRXOG WDNH RQ WKLQJV´ Two years later she set up a campaign to advance women’s careers at Imperial College, and was also involved in the Athena Project from the outset. Julia notes that female professors were just over ¿YHSHUFHQWRIWKHWRWDODW,PSHULDO&ROOHJHZKHQ she and colleagues began their support activities for women academics, but now they make up almost 15 percent.

Looking at progress on gender equality, the two scientists are encouraged to see signs of change. Athene, as Gender and Equality champion for WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI &DPEULGJH ¿QGV SHRSOH DUH becoming more conscious of supporting a healthy work-life balance in their departments through, for instance, scheduling seminars in core hours RQO\ ³(DFK FKDQJH LV VPDOO EXW FROOHFWLYHO\ WKH atmosphere evolves,” she says. What’s important LVUDLVLQJDZDUHQHVV³VFLHQWLVWVZDQWHYLGHQFHWR believe they are wrapped up in stereotypes. It is making a difference.”

³, KDYH VSHQW D ORW RI my research working on starch which has brought me closer to biology.”

Athene Donald