My name is Olivia Rossanese and I am the Head of Biology at the Cancer Therapeutics Unit
at the ICR, and also a team leader in Molecular Therapeutics.
I think we've made a lot of strides in getting young women into science. We know that girls
are interested in science, we know that girls perform well in science, we know that we're
equal to men at the high school and university level. So I would say for young girls who
are interested in science, forget about the science part, you know you're already good.
Focus on what else it takes to be successful in science. Some of the most successful organisations
have diversity. And what you get out of diversity is different ways of thinking, different viewpoints.
So obviously, we need men and women because they think differently.
I think lots of women face lots of different challenges working in science. I personally
have two kids. They were both born when I was in graduate school. So I have sort of
all these hilarious stories of trying to juggle everything all at once. It worked out really
well for me, but I think we need to be better at having kind of institutional policies that
support women, as opposed to we'll just kind of work it out as we go along.
As a woman in science and as a woman in a leadership position, I think I have the chance
to make a difference with the next generation of scientists, postdoc students that we train,
and also to inspire other women and everyone else to join and have a career in science.