Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025

“Dorothy Hodgkin’s 1964 Nobel Prize-winning work in X-ray crystallography, which uncovered the structures of vital biomolecules like penicillin and insulin, deeply inspired me. Her groundbreaking discoveries revolutionised medicine and biochemistry, proving the impact of women in science. Her dedication and brilliance encouraged my passion and journey in STEM, showing that perseverance leads to world-changing advancements. In 2009, winning ‘the Royal Society’s Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship’ straight after my PhD was a proud, full circle moment, connecting my path to hers and reinforcing my commitment to scientific inventions, becoming an academic, translational, entrepreneurial strategic leader that I am today, leading the innovative business, Microplate Dx, tackling the global challenge of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) and nurturing next generation business leaders.”

“My inspirational woman for IWD2025 is the playwright, Caryl Churchill. Born in 1938, Churchill has been writing plays since the 1960s. I was first introduced to her work when, as a young Theatre Studies student in the late 1980s, I read Top Girls (1982). It blew me away. A deeply feminist play, with an a-female cast who represent both women in the present and trailblazing women from the historical past, it was, and remains, bold, political, inventive, exhilarating and urgent. It showed me what theatre could and should be and do. Churchill continues to light the way.”

“Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This character, and my own well-documented enthusiasm for the series, stems from the way the genre of horror and violence against women is turned on its head by Buffy and her unprepossessing, geeky friends. She turns the tables, jujitsu style, on those attacking innocent people, and demonstrates a different feminist power which is soft and fierce, shares and delegates, though at great personal cost. Whilst the show is fantasy, the message is moral. In the end, she even upends the strap line for the show – ‘She alone can stand against the forces of darkness’, by sharing her extensive power and experience widely with others to build a network for good, against the violence that assails. These values are ones I cherish and seek to enact, and I love the wit and vivacity of the lines she speaks, to which I have regular recourse.

If the Apocalypse comes, beep me.”

“Rosa Parks is my inspiration because every human being has the right to fight a discriminatory system regardless of their background.”

“Dr Caroline Maguire is an Irish botanist and forensic scientist.  She has been one of the Republic of Ireland’s foremost, and for many years, only female, fire investigators and a formidable expert witness.  She has always been a pioneer in her work as one of Ireland’s leading specialists in the flora of County Kerry and in uncovering the origin and cause of a fire.  Always diligent and detail focused, always truth seeking and always excellent in communicating her findings to a wider audience. She is also my mother, teaching me a love of science and that science can be real, impacting real people in the real world.”

“Three amazing people who continue to inspire me:

Prof Alison Phipps
Alison is not only a powerhouse, she inspires me in many ways. From her academic work within arts, culture and migration to her kindness and creativity; Alison is just wonderful.

Prof Maria Fletcher
Throughout my PhD studies, Maria guided me with possibilities and opportunities in understanding immigration law and networking. Maria inspires me to use and understand the law in search of justice and change.

Suzanne Dance
Suzanne is my friend, my guardian angel, and colleague. We have created, performed, and facilitated in theatre plays with Active Inquiry for over 12 years. Suzanne brings joy and peace in my life with her knowledge and spirit for change.”