We are back with our 'spotlight on' interview series, shedding light on inspiring women working in the field of neuroscience and reflecting on their distinct backgrounds and career journeys. The questions posed to these individuals explore the themes of job perks and challenges, developing new skills, inspirations in the neuroscience field, and goals for the future. Stay tuned to see new interviews every few weeks from women in a range of neuroscience-related professions!
We interviewed Laura Elin Pigott, a Lecturer and Researcher at London South Bank University. Laura also has other research affiliations, including with Queen Square Institute of Neurology and University College London (UCL). Laura previously completed a MSc Clinical Neurosciences degree, and we will be exploring her subsequent career path in this interview, as well as her experiences and useful insights as a woman in neuroscience.
Can you tell us about your background in science/neuroscience?
I started off interested in the human body and how we can help rehabilitate people; even as a child I read books on anatomy and the workings of the human body and brain. I think this curiosity, coupled with my personal experiences of hospitals and rehabilitation, was why I pursued a BSc in Physiotherapy. I cannot remember a time when I wanted to be anything else.
Then, during my first degree, I got the incredible opportunity to conduct some research, which I later presented at a conference. I remember thinking that translating research into real change could help, not just the hundreds of patients a clinician sees, but the thousands or millions of patients to come. So, I decided very quickly that I wanted to pursue neuroscience and research. Then, during my MSC in Clinical Neurosciences, I was encouraged to push myself and think outside the box, and so I did – what better way to learn?
I think it is because of this curiosity that I have found myself in a few different areas of sub-specialisms, but they all have one thing in common, the incredible capacity of our brain.
Can you tell us about your current role/area of study, and what interested you about neuroscience initially?
I am very lucky to work in a field that I am passionate about and to have the opportunity to join research, such as the study I am a part of at the Neurophysiology unit at UCL on epilepsy. I was drawn to this because of my interest in neural networks: how we can monitor them and how they differ in disease.
My main research, over the past few years, has been on the surveillance of high-grade gliomas at the Queen Square Institute of Neurology. I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made. Cancer will touch all of us, in one way or another, at some point in our lives and the possibilities for new cancer treatments provide us all with hope.
Most recently, I have started a study at LSBU, looking at the impact of social media on brain development. Due to my interest in neural networks, I’m fascinated by how these connections develop and what can influence them. I’m also excited about this new project as I have also had the opportunity to get students involved through research placements.
What are the most enjoyable aspects of your current job?
I honestly believe this is the best job in the world - the endless learning and imagination that comes with academia and research, the excitement of students eager to learn, and that proud feeling you get when someone does well in an exam or project.
That “Aha, I get it” feeling when I am researching something or when a student has an “aha” moment when they are learning something.
What are some of the challenging aspects of your current job?
Time and money, as with any job. As academics we are constantly juggling our time, and as researchers we are constantly needing funding.
What are you currently trying to get better at in your neuroscience role?
I would like to develop more research projects for students to take an active role in. I had the opportunity to participate in research as a student and I would love to feed that back. I want to show students that research can be exciting, creative, and inspiring.
I also want to learn more about the money distribution within research and how we can optimise this.
Which women in your life inspire you, in neuroscience and beyond?
There are so many women who have inspired me and helped me get to where I am today. There have been some truly amazing women in neuroscience and science over the course of history; some received the recognition they deserved, and others silently paved the way for women like us. Anita Harding, Elizabeth Roboz Einstein, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and Cécile Charrier are a few that, despite the challenges they faced, pushed back against the stereotypes.
More recently, scientists like May Britt-Moser, Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Wendy Suzuki, who push the boundaries of research and academia with their ambition and imagination, inspire me.
Beyond science, or perhaps before I had my love for science, my mum inspired me; she always encouraged me and she embodies the phrase “a woman can do anything a man can, just in heels too!”. My sister, who possesses a kindness with no room for outside malice, also inspires me. The women who, through work or friendship, accept me and challenge me to be a better neuroscientist and a better person; one cannot exist without the other. And also the men in my life, like my dad, who support me and have given me the resilience I needed to succeed.
One woman in particular stands out, Tirion Havard, my academic mentor, who called me out when I wasn’t “standing on the right side of feminism”. We had just met in a research meeting and were chatting after it had finished. At the time, I was a lot more timid and still finding my footing in the research and academic world. She asked me what kind of woman I wanted to be – did I want to be small and get “trodden on”, or did I want to be heard. She told me I needed to put on my “big girl pants and get my elbows out”, because I was coming through. And it’s a memory I look back on fondly; it was one of those mind-blowing moments, where you think to yourself: I can do this and I will do this.
What goals do you have for your career, and where do you see yourself in the next few years professionally?
I’d like to complete my PhD and I’d also like to become a Professor of Neuroscience.
I recently delivered a Seed Talk, which educates the public on various topics; my talk was on “The Science of Neuroplasticity”. I would love to grow more into public speaking, as I think we should all have the knowledge and the tools we need to be informed about the workings of our own body.
On this note, over the coming months, I’m hoping to work on a ‘public engagement and highlighting need’ project about stroke recovery with Start Something: Women in immersive tech, Different strokes and Local strokes in the southwest with Anna Ridley.
I’d also like to see myself mentoring other young professionals; I think that academia and research can be lonely sometimes and having a go-to person makes life easier. I want to be the reason young women stay and succeed, not the reason we continue to have high attrition rates.
What advice would you give to females at the early stages of their neuroscience careers?
Keep going. You can do it!
We are programmed from such a young age to be amenable and to not take up space, but as I learnt, sometimes we have to put our big girl pants on and get our elbows out. So be vocal and voice your ideas and DON’T be afraid to put your name to it.
Create a network. This is something I struggled with, but now having so many supportive colleagues around me, means that the bad days don’t seem all that bad after all.
Don’t take the notes. I mean you can if you want to, but do you? Really? And why doesn’t Tim do it? It’s okay to say, “I think someone else should, so we have some variety within the team!” or “I actually have a few points I’d like to discuss today so perhaps someone else could pitch in”.
Have pre-prepped “stock answers” for when you feel something inequitable is happening. This helps me feel more prepared.
Think like a man. I think sometimes we are our worst enemy. My male alter ego is Laurence and when I catch myself doing, or about to do something, that may be an unwanted/unnecessary ‘pink task’, I say to myself, “Would Laurence do/take this?” and if the answer is no, then my answer should be no too.
Make male allies. My supervisor, Sotirios Bisdas, challenged me and never treated me any different. Most of my male colleagues listen and look to me for my speciality, just as I look to them for theirs. This should be the norm, and I am confident that one day soon it will be. Science will be so much more productive if we all work harmoniously.
What aspects of the science/academic industry do you think need improving/addressing, particularly in terms of issues minority groups may face?
Today, the challenge we face is more covert than it once was; they are sexist notions that trickle in from our societal standards of what a woman should be, look like, and do… This covert hostility, or persistent quiet sexism, brews and seems harmless to some, but the statistics would indicate that this is in fact endangering the future of equality. So, challenging these notions is important, especially if we want to recruit more girls into STEM.
Without gender equality in science, scientific progress will fulfil just half of its potential.
Overall, the percentage of female graduates with core STEM degrees is steadily growing, however, the split is still just 26%. This figure is also translated into the female STEM workforce, with women making up 24%. This shows that there is still work to be done to encourage women to study these subjects, transition into the workforce and, importantly, remain in these fields.
Once women are in the workforce, we receive less research funding and fewer prizes for scientific contributions, with women receiving, on average, 60 cents to every dollar a male researcher receives. This means that gender inequality will directly impact scientific discoveries, as well as equality in the workforce (as promotion applications have sections dedicated to funding and prizes). How can we expect to increase the percentage of women in STEM, sitting at a mere 24%, when the money is unequally distributed?
This brings me to my next issue that I would like the industry to tackle; attrition of women in STEM.
The competitive nature of academia is unlikely to change, both because of the low number of faculty positions available, and because of the driven nature of those in the field. However, talented women are currently discouraged from academia, or left behind, for example due to the added pressure of parenting responsibilities, to which the academic environment is hostile.
Even with policies in place, a broad cultural change will be necessary to precipitate true equality. Only a quarter of fathers take paternity leave, with this number dropping over the past few years – this is troublesome for the future of gender equality and also indicates a significant ingrained bias.
If we are stopping women from succeeding in their careers, what example are we setting for our future generations?
Finally, scientifically, we need to look at the research we are outputting; is this representative of our populations? Historically, we have seen the horrendous consequences of not conducting research on people of the reflected population of use. We must learn from this. As research advances, and we see awesome new methods and technologies, guidelines and policies will be useful in ensuring we are equitable and progressive in our approach to research and development.
This article was written by Lauren Wallis and edited by Rebecca Pope. Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch!
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