Dr Nancy Lane
- Born
- Unknown
Typically, women have really struggled to establish themselves in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) careers. However, one woman has made it her mission to make sure that this changes. Dr Nancy Lane is the founder of the Women in Science and Engineering Initiative (WiSeTI) at the University of Cambridge. This initiative involves a steering committee of senior academics that are championing equal opportunities and encouraging women to flourish in science.
Originally from Canada, Dr Lane studied for her D.Phil after winning a scholarship to the University of Oxford, which she says “changed her life”. She then went to the USA to complete her post-doctoral research before returning to the UK to take up a position at the Zoology Department of the University of Cambridge. Her love for Europe as well as theatres and art galleries in London has meant that she has stayed here for happy 42 years.
As a cell biologist, Dr Lane has experienced first hand what it is like to face discrimination at work while also having to balance a family life. She thinks that spending time with her children at weekends rather than working put her at a disadvantage in relation to her colleagues, but she doesn’t regret it. She says she is fortunate to have been able to have both a fulfilling career and enjoy her family life.
And what a fulfilling career she’s had. Her work here in the UK has been extremely successful; she has been invited to talk at conferences all over the world, as well as asked to sit on panels for great organisations such as the British Science Association and the Wellcome Trust. On top of this, the WiSETI is still going strong and is as relevant as ever. Support for the project is at an all time high, with events occurring regularly and other similar projects popping up in universities everywhere, inspired by the work at WiSETI.
The impact that Dr Nancy Lane has had on science is an incredible one as she has faced adversity head on and encouraged people to talk about issues that might sometimes be uncomfortable. By developing and supporting projects such as the WiSETI she is allowing people to live up to their full potential, and maybe, through these actions she may have given the next Marie Curie the confidence to pursue her dreams.