The 11th February 2024 marked the 9th UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
A significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world. Even though women have made tremendous progress towards increasing their participation in higher education, they are still under-represented in these fields.
Here, we celebrate some of Moredun’s women in STEM!
Kim Thompson
Kim Thompson leads the Aquaculture Research Group at the Moredun Research Institute, where her primary focus is enhancing fish health by developing vaccines. Originally from Canada, Kim moved to Scotland at the age of seven and went to a small village school with only four pupils in her class. At West Calder High School her interest in science was sparked by her chemistry teacher, Dr Bayne, who inspired Kim to pursue a degree in Biochemistry at the University of Stirling, followed by an MSc in Human Immunology at Aberdeen University.
Seeking to gain practical experience, Kim worked as a Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer at Saint Mary’s Hospital in London, working under the renowned allergy expert Pamela Ewan. She later returned to Stirling, where her future husband was based, and began working for a diagnostics company. It was there that she became interested in fish immunology, creating ELISA kits for fish diseases.
Kim embarked on a PhD at the age of 29 on the impact of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the immune responses in Atlantic salmon at the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling. After her PhD, she continued her work in the Aquatic Vaccine Unit at the Institute, progressing from a Postdoctoral Scientist to Reader before leaving for Moredun.
Kim says:
“I’ve been fortunate to have a career that I feel so passionate about and have had unwavering support from my colleagues. The continual need to find grant funding and the endeavour to maintain a good work-life balance have been persistent challenges. Nonetheless, the competitive nature of science and the limited job stability have further highlighted the significance of the opportunities presented to me. Such experiences have enabled me to travel widely and allowed me to build enduring relationships and friendships worldwide.”
Her message to women scientists is:
“Take advantage of training opportunities, learn to manage your time efficiently, promote yourself, and build your network. Don’t procrastinate – things are much easier once you start them.”
Jo Moore
Jo Moore is a veterinary pathologist and provides expert advice on farm animal pathology to projects at Moredun and the Scottish Veterinary Services livestock disease surveillance programme. Jo is also head of our Disease Control Department and manages a team of around 30 researchers.
Jo’s day-to-day is extremely varied and includes microscopic examination of tissue sections to look for signs of disease, working in the post-mortem suite to collect tissue samples and working in the Histology lab to prepare the collected tissues. Jo works across most of the diseases studied by Moredun scientists and so plays a huge role in research across the Institute.
She says:
“I enjoy working with curious and enthusiastic scientists on novel research questions. Most of the time this pursuit of the unknown is invigorating although there are moments when it can be challenging!”
Jo didn’t plan to become a pathologist but has enjoyed the fact that it has enabled her to live and work in different countries: she did a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in Australia, moved to the UK to research prion diseases, back to Australia for a PhD on cattle respiratory disease and then to the USA for a postdoc on prion diseases! Moving to the USA enabled Jo to prepare for the American College of Veterinary Pathologists certifying examination, which is an internationally recognised standard for expertise in veterinary pathology. After her postdoc, Jo moved back to the UK and worked at the Animal and Plant Health Agency, but after 10 years studying prions needed a change and moved to Moredun.
Jo is a big believer in the importance of work-life balance and cautions scientists against working or thinking about science 24/7.
She says:
“To me this means making time to do non-work activities and being mentally present while I’m doing them. I’ve found that physical activity works best to distract my brain, like riding my bike, climbing, or digging up weeds at my allotment. I encourage all scientists to make a conscious decision to include some dedicated non-work time in their day.”
UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science: https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day