Daphne Jackson, nuclear physicist and campaigner

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‘Imagine a society that would allow Marie Curie to stack shelves in a supermarket simply because she took a career break for family reasons.’ These are the words of Daphne Jackson, the UK’s first female physics professor and a lifelong campaigner for women in science.

Abigail Allwood, geoscientist and NASA principal investigator

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Australian geoscientist Dr. Abigail Allwood has challenged what we know about the beginning of life of Earth, and is currently leading the way in the search for life on Mars.

Inge Lehmann, seismologist

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Meet Inge Lehmann, the woman who discovered the Earth’s inner core. 

Asima Chatterjee, chemist

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Organic chemist Dr. Asima Chatterjee was well known for her development of cancer medicine, anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. In 1944, she became the first woman to be named a Doctor of Science by an Indian university. 

Angela Gallop, forensic scientist

Never before has the UK criminal justice system relied so heavy on scientific testimony – with thanks in large part to Dr Angela Gallop, one of the UK’s most eminent forensic scientists. As Chief Executive and Forensic Science Director of Axiom International Ltd, she is making the UK’s expertise in the field available to law enforcement authorities all over the world, and is recognized for her longstanding career in injecting an evidence-based approach into complex criminal investigations. 

Happy birthday Rosalind Franklin, DNA pioneer

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When it comes to women in science, few names are as steeped in controversy as Rosalind Franklin – chemist, X-ray crystallographer, and DNA pioneer. 

Helen Czerski, physicist, oceanographer and science communicator

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Meet Helen Czerski, bubble physicist and BBC broadcaster. 

Chien-Shiung Wu, Queen of nuclear research

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Chien-Shiung Wu was an experimental physicist and the first Chinese-American citizen elected into the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She is celebrated for her significant contributions to radioactivity research, alongside her contradiction of a fundamental principle of physics with the famous ‘Wu Experiment’ – achievements that have earned her the popular titles ‘First Lady of Physics’, ‘the Chinese Madame Curie’, and ‘Queen of Nuclear Research’. 

Zita Martins, astrobiologist and Royal Society research fellow

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At the age of nine, she was faced with a difficult choice between the arts and the sciences – either join the national ballet school in her home country, or pursue an academic career. But Carl Sagan’s Cosmos swayed her decision, and now Zita Martins spends her days delving into one of the most fundamental questions in science – the origin of life. 

Hertha Marks Ayrton: mathematician, inventor, activist

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As all eyes turn towards the past today as we enter the centenary of the First World War, we celebrate one woman in particular who strove to propel change both on the front line and back home. Join us today as we celebrate Hertha Marks Ayrton, a lifelong inventor and advocate for women.