• Question: Who's your inspiration

    Asked by anon-328813 on 7 Jun 2022.
    • Photo: Ryan Devlin

      Ryan Devlin answered on 7 Jun 2022:

      I have a lot of inspirations for different things, but my biggest inspiration from my family has to be my grandpa. He has inspired my involvement in music, writing and science.

    • Photo: Karin Purshouse

      Karin Purshouse answered on 7 Jun 2022:

      I have a few role models – most of them are people who have qualities that I value and would hope to embody myself, in addition to them being professionally successful! For example, one of my inspirations behind an oncology (cancer doctor) career was a lecturer from my science degree – she was so engaging and passionate about cancer biology. Later, when I was a junior doctor, we ended up working in the same department, although by that point she was a senior doctor leading a research team! Despite being busy and having lots of demands on her time, she made time to meet with me and give me advice, and encouraged me to continue in academic oncology. People like that inspire me that to be a good scientist, being kind, supportive and motivating to others should be at the core of everything you do.

    • Photo: Jocelyn Bisson

      Jocelyn Bisson answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      Hi Amy,

      Over the years I’ve had several mentors in different jobs and I’ve been able to learn a lot of different things from each one. I find career motivated, ambitious women particularly inspiring as they’re who I relate to most. It can sometimes be hard to find women represented high up in academia. This is improving now though and there are lots of amazing people progressing up the ladder. I also get inspired by famous people – like Lizzo! I love how unapologetic she is in living her life her own way!

    • Photo: Erminia Romano

      Erminia Romano answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      My inspiration for science was my Biology Teacher from the high school. She was a tough one, but she had a contagious passion. She was the only one, among all teachers, that believed I could have had a career in science. This is because I was attending a languages school and everyone was expecting me to continue with languages at the university. Instead…here I am. She was right 🙂

    • Photo: Sophie Richardson

      Sophie Richardson answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      That’s a difficult one. I don’t think I could name one person, but definitely having teachers at school, sixth form and university that were passionate about what they did helped me to also get excited about science.

    • Photo: Chelsea Gerada

      Chelsea Gerada answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      I have alot of people who have inspired me, my mum for the way she treats people and tries to see the best in everyone. My PhD supervisors for being successful women in science who have balanced family life with work life.

    • Photo: Maria Peiris Pages

      Maria Peiris Pages answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      Amy, I wish I had had more female references and models while studying. There are not many and most of the times when women were involved in big discoveries they are not remembered as much as their male counterparts… A great examples is the Nobel price they give for the DNA structure discovery. Everyone remembers Watson and Crick, but who is Rosalind Franklin? To be honest I am very proud to have worked in female-led laboratories most of my career, though. I think it is important that girls have more female models in STEM as this might inspire them to pursue scientific careers, as they realise more and more that they could be the next Rosalind Franklin! Why not?

    • Photo: Ben Futcher

      Ben Futcher answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      I have had many tutors, mentors and supporters over my life. I am very thankful for all of their advice and input into my life and achievements, but I think only my dad I could put down as an inspiration. He is a bit older, so left school at a time where they could be very unfair and harsh, meaning he never learnt to read and write to the level that you and I do. This never stopped him succeeding though and he became one of the most competent individuals in his field, setting up and managing a number of small businesses despite the education system letting him down.

      He really demonstrated to me how even if things don’t always go your way, you can always adapt and overcome obstacles, whether that is in your work and career or in your personal life.

    • Photo: Rachel Harris

      Rachel Harris answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      I can’t say there’s one particular person that inspired me to pursue science. My teachers in secondary school were very good at engaging me in the subject of biology and certainly, I wouldn’t be a scientist without them. My parents and my family were also pretty important in helping me get to where I am now.

    • Photo: Jonathan Tugwood

      Jonathan Tugwood answered on 8 Jun 2022:

      There are many inspiring doctors and scientists in the field of cancer research. I was lucky enough a while ago to sit in with a doctor at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, when he was meeting with a newly diagnosed lung cancer patient. The sensitive way he handled the conversation was truly inspiring, and if I was in the patient’s position I would hope to experience the same.

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