On International Women’s Day, CEPI’s women scientists share their quick-fire tips for overcoming barriers to being a successful woman in science…

Last month we launched our #AskWomenInScience campaign on International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We invited aspiring girl and women scientists to pose their questions about what it is like being a woman in science. As part of a three-part series to mark International Women’s Day 2023, the world-leading women scientists at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) have shared their response to your questions.

In Part One, they explored the career experiences of CEPI’s women scientists, from the best and worst career advice to their most influential role models. In this second installment, they share below some of the greatest challenges and barriers they have faced in their scientific careers—and their top tips for overcoming them.

Questions and responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

What are the greatest challenges and barriers you have faced in your career in science?

Amy Shurtleff (Head of Animal Models): Probably lack of mentorship and women leadership available to me at a younger age. It was hard to find strong women role models in my early years of figuring out what I wanted to do, in graduate school and even during my postdoc.

Arminder Deol (Head of Data Science and Advanced Analysis): Competition was my greatest barrier and challenge, and my primary and secondary schools weren’t the best, but I wanted to go to the best university in my subject area to have the greatest impact in my career. I aimed high and I got accepted. But seeing how many students were in the course, and that we’d all be competing for the same few roles after we graduate, I realised I needed a competitive advantage. So, during university, I started applying for summer jobs; I wrote to hundreds of professors telling them what I wanted to do and asking if they had any opportunities for me. And of those hundreds I wrote to, lots of rejections came my way. Lots. But I did get one or two positive responses per year. This opened up a lot of opportunities, some where I travelled overseas, and this actually gave me a competitive advantage when I finished university.

Melanie Saville (Executive Director of Vaccine R&D): I think the main challenge in terms of advancing in science is people telling you what you shouldn’t be doing and telling you that something is not possible. I think you have to be careful to not just take that at face value.

Valentina Bernasconi (Head of Laboratory Science): Working in a laboratory is challenging. But, in the country I come from, the biggest challenge is the lack of funds for research, that then turns into short terms contracts that do not give you a stable lifestyle.

What are your best tips for overcoming these challenges and barriers?

Amy Shurtleff: Not having a role model with strong leadership skills is hard to overcome, but I had great friends and peers at each stage, so I relied on them for input with problems and challenges.

Arminder Deol: My best tip is never to give up. And I always told myself only those who persist are the ones that succeed.

Melanie Saville: I think my best tip is not all advice is good advice. And rather than take advice at face value, ask the question why people think you can’t do something because you’ll learn something about yourself, and you’ll learn something about the perceptions of others. And then you’ll probably have the opportunity to prove them wrong.

Valentina Bernasconi: It’s a good idea to apply for funding. And look for opportunities outside your comfort zone: move abroad, take on a different role, and challenge yourself.

In the third and final part of this series, see what opportunities CEPI’s women scientists would like to see for the next generation of women scientists (Part Three).

And if you missed Part One, click here to learn about the career experiences of CEPI’s women scientists, from the best and worst career advice to their most influential role models.