See it and be it — Irish women outstanding in the science field

Excelling and achieving greatness in their own right, Irish female scientists are also an inspiration to future generations

Some of Ireland's pioneering female scientists

From Bantry Bay botanist Ellen Hutchins to crystallographer Kathleen Lonsdale and famed microscopist Mary Ward, Irish women’s contributions to the story of science have been immense. 

These pioneers paved the way for the future and today there are more Irish women than ever working in the many fields of ever-changing science.

Teresa Lambe, Associate Professor at Jenner Institute, University of Oxford.

Teresa Lambe

Throughout her career, Kildare native Teresa Lambe has worked on vaccines for the likes of Ebola, Lassa fever and MERS.

But her name really hit the headlines in late 2020 when together with a team at the University of Oxford, she co-designed the Oxford AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine.

🌟Our very first portrait is of 👩‍🔬Prof Teresa Lambe OBE @jenneratingVacc leading vaccine development programmes at @UniofOxford 💉@OxfordVacGroup @britsocimm @Irishimmunology #WomenInScience #WomenInImmunology pic.twitter.com/3qLmrCqA2S

— yEFIS (@y_efis) February 11, 2024

The following year, she was awarded an OBE for her huge contribution and, in 2022, Ireland acknowledged her achievements with a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.

Having graduated from UCD in 2002, the scientist, known to her friends as Tess, is still only in her 40s so you’ll be sure to hear more from this scientific star.

President Michael D Higgins meeting Teresa Lambe, 2022 recipient of the Peace, Reconciliation & Development Award at Áras an Uachtaráin

Her advice to girls and women looking to work in STEM is simple.

“Not everything will work the first time and that’s OK,” she says. “It’s all part of the journey and you’ll get there. Just remember to be yourself and as someone wise once said: ‘Be Bold, Be Brilliant, and Be Kind, especially to yourself!’”

Eleanor Maguire, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Neuroscience Picture: University College London

Eleanor Maguire

Another woman who plies her trade in Britain, Eleanor Maguire is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging at University College London.

The Centre shot to fame for a series of studies conducted by Maguire and her team into changes in the hippocampal structure of licensed London taxi drivers associated with acquiring the so-called knowledge of London’s layout. The research showed that, those who took on the three to four-year task of learning every street, road and even curry house in London, and who qualified as Black Cab drivers, experienced increased grey matter volume in the posterior part of the hippocampus and also went through changes in their memory profile with evidence of both benefits and drawbacks.

As a result of her work, Maguire has won several prizes for outstanding contributions to science, including the satirical Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine which is for science “that first makes you laugh and then makes you think”. The judges praised Maguire and her team for “presenting evidence that the brains of London taxi drivers are more highly developed than those of their fellow citizens”.

“My advice for girls and women who are thinking about getting into STEM is just do it,” says Maguire. “There is no more exciting vocation than this. To be able to make predictions about the world and then test them, perhaps discovering something new about how the world works that no other human yet knows, is such a buzz. Don’t be daunted, dive in, there is a place for everyone somewhere within the STEM family.”

Emma Teeling, Associate Professor, School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin

Emma Teeling

If you have yet to see Emma Teeling’s TEDx talk on ‘The Secret of the Bat Genome’, then check it out. This wonderful presentation has been viewed almost 600,000 times and encapsulates her fascination with the much-misunderstood mammal. The zoologist is concerned with the unique biology of bats and how it can give us insights into our own genetic makeup, perhaps helping us with questions around aging, blindness, and deafness in humans.

She is the co-founder of the international Bat1K project to map the genomes of all species of bat. A report from this project, looking at the genomes of six bat species was featured on the front cover of the much respected Nature magazine in 2020.

“When you find the answer to a scientific question that has obsessed you, there is no better feeling in the world,” says the Dubliner. “The sheer thrill of discovery is what motivates scientists. This overcomes the long hours, the sacrifices, the challenges and makes you forget the difficulties of getting there.”

She advises girls and women who are looking to become scientists to ignore stereotypes and not to sell themselves short.

“Become the scientist you were born to be,” she says. “Don’t question your ability because you don’t fit the expectations of what a scientist should look like or act like. Change those expectations and change the world with your amazing discoveries.”

Dr Niamh Shaw, writer, award-winning science communicator and educator. Pic: Marc O'Sullivan

Niamh Shaw

Niamh Shaw’s career spans several areas that include not just science and engineering but writing and acting. Though she has two degrees in engineering and a PhD in science, Shaw’s greatest skill is undoubtedly her ability to communicate.

Her positivity and anything-is-possible outlook saw her made an Honorary Ambassador for the Irish Girl Guides in 2019 and it was no surprise that the title of her first book was, Dream Big: An Irish Woman’s Space Odyssey. 

Dr Niamh Shaw speaking at Griffith College. Pic: Darragh Kane

She has created theatre shows, multimedia installations and has completed hours of spacewalks as an analogue astronaut at simulated Mars missions with a view to achieving her ambition of getting to space as an artist and citizen.

You will see and hear her pop up regularly on TV and radio where her affable manner and talent for explaining complex ideas in a simple way makes her a bit of a draw.

“Children are innately curious and usually figure out pretty quickly what their life’s passions are,” says Niamh.

MY JOURNAL: 1/2 My @scienceirel funded pilot study ‘Town Scientist’ is in full flow now, working w @LouthLibraries & @BirrCastle. Today I was back in Birr w my older learners @LOETBenterprise who are all passionate about history. They are also interested in science & we visited… pic.twitter.com/iTZnTn50tS

— Dr. Niamh Shaw 🪐🌎☘️ (@Dr_Niamh_Shaw) March 21, 2024

“If you are interested in how the world works, more than likely you are going to be drawn to a career in a STEM-related field. How you identify in terms of gender and your life’s passion are not connected, no matter what society tries to impose.

“Everyone has an equal chance to master a skill, including a career in STEM. This mastery has nothing to do with gender, less to do with natural ability and more to do with passion, perseverance and tenacity.

“Embrace your passion, dream HUGE, go live the very best version of your life and don’t wait for permission. You’ve got this!”

Lydia Lynch, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Lydia Lynch

Lydia Lynch’s mantelpiece is surely running out of space for awards at this stage. An associate professor at Trinity College Dublin, she has received huge recognition for her work, including the Newman Scholar fellowship and the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Women in Science fellowship.

An immunologist, Lydia studies the effects of obesity and diet on immune cell functions.

In 2014, she established the Lynch Laboratory at Harvard University in the US which investigates the interdependence of the immune and metabolic systems, especially in the setting of obesity and cancer.

Much of the laboratory’s research focuses on the effects of altered metabolism, such as in obesity, metabolic disease, and the tumour microenvironment on immune cell function.

Her team at the lab come from a mix of backgrounds. Something she believes is essential in her field.

“STEM works best if it is diverse,” she says. “There is nothing about STEM that makes it more suitable for men or for women.

Women and girls bring different questions to ask in science, and different approaches to study them — and this is essential, so the whole world is not solving the same questions.

“I have found that STEM academia is a great fit for me as a woman and mother as it allows me to be flexible, to plan experiments and work around my life without needing to work a strict 9 to 5. I am a very curious person, and STEM satisfies this craving.”

In 2022, Lynch was honoured with the John R Kettman Award for Excellence in Cytokine and Interferon Research.

In their recognition of her work, The International Cytokine and Interferon Society said that “Lynch’s research has the potential to provide insight into the impact of obesity and diet on cancer immunotherapy, as well as the mechanisms underlying the increased risk of immune-related disorders associated with obesity.”

At the beginning of 2024 Lynch’s career took another step forward when she was made Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University.

So delighted to join Princeton University and the Ludwig Princeton Branch as Professor. Really excited about the research we will do in collaboration with new fantastic colleagues @Ludwig_Cancer & @PrincetonMolBio and about the culture & values of @Princeton. A dream come true! pic.twitter.com/XEpU8yhkNO

— Lydia Lynch (@lynchielydia) January 29, 2024