09/02/2024
In 2016 the United Nations declared February 11th as the International Day of Women & Girls in Science. This day was created to promote and encourage more women and girls to participate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The day serves as a platform to raise awareness about the challenges women and girls face in pursuing careers in STEM and to advocate for their inclusion and success.
In a world where innovation is the driving force behind progress, the role of women in science cannot be overstated. As we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science we hope to inspire the next generation of female scientists as we speak to a number of Reddie & Grose attorneys to learn more about their experiences and roles in the field of science.
Gillian Taylor, Partner in the Engineering, Materials and Consumer Products Group
I am a patent attorney at Reddie & Grose, working in the chemical and mechanical fields. I joined R&G after university and became a partner in 2011. I have a Masters degree in Natural Sciences, specialising in Chemistry.
1. Were there any role models or mentors who influenced your decision to pursue a scientific field?
I think science is probably in my blood! My mum was the first in her family to go to university, where she studied biochemistry. She also went on to get a PhD and was the first ever female postgraduate student at her college in Cambridge. My older sister also has two degrees in science.
2. Can you share a specific moment or event that inspired you to choose STEM-based studies/career?
There was never a real lightbulb moment, it just felt like a very natural path to choose. Science and maths were my always my favourite subjects at school and being in an all-girls school with mainly female teachers, I never felt aware of any barriers to a STEM career. During sixth form, when I was studying for my A-levels, I was lucky enough to be selected to attend a two day science ‘masterclass’ at Cambridge University, which involved lots of exciting talks and experiments. This really helped to confirm my instinct that science was the right direction for me to take.
3. Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as a female studying science? How did you overcome them?
It has been challenging (but rewarding!) to juggle a career with raising three children, but I am very lucky that R&G has been extremely supportive and I have been given enough flexibility to be able to balance my work and family. I have been working part time since having my first child and I am proud that this has not prevented me from progressing in my career. I’ve learnt that it’s important to be realistic about how much you can take on and not put unreasonable expectations on yourself.
4. What advice would you give to other females considering a career in science?
It’s so important to find a career that interests you and keeps you motivated. Only you can decide what is the right path for you – don’t be influenced by stereotypes (gender or otherwise) or perceived barriers. If you enjoy science, then go for it! Studying a STEM subject at university gives you a valuable skill set and opens up a diverse choice of career options.
Sophie Peng, Trainee Patent Attorney in the Engineering, Materials and Consumer Products Group
I am currently a trainee patent attorney in the Engineering, Materials and Consumer Products group at Reddie & Grose. I did a Mechanical Engineering degree at Imperial College London with a year abroad at ETH Zürich and my final year project involved controlling 3D acoustic levitation of particles (i.e. making things fly with sound!). Outside of work, I enjoy trampolining and board games and my favourite pizza topping is black olives.
1. Were there any role models or mentors who influenced your decision to pursue a scientific field?
Nina from ‘Nina and the Neurons’ on CBeebies, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara from ‘Mythbusters’, and my dad for introducing me to a lot of science-y things. I was interested in science from a young age and seeing experiments being performed on TV and the equipment behind the experiments was particularly eye-opening. I thought it was amazing how you could use various bits of workshop or lab equipment to find out new things!
2. Can you share a specific moment or event that inspired you to choose STEM-based studies/career?
When I was a child, I wanted to be an inventor when I grew up. My dad is an engineer and told me he invented something as part of his PhD so from then on, it was always at the back of my mind that I could invent things if I became an engineer.
3. Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as a female studying science? How did you overcome them?
Studying a subject where the proportion of women was about 15-20% could be discouraging. I’d feel the need to prove that I belonged and was acutely aware that I was part of the minority. However, it’s equally an empowering position to be in and it’s an opportunity to change the status quo. At the end of the day, I chose the subject because it was something I was interested in, as did everyone else, and there’s no reason why our experiences should be prejudiced in any way.
There was also the time the workshop didn’t have boiler suits suitable for smaller women. Despite that, sometimes you literally just have to roll up your sleeves and carry on as you were!
4. What advice would you give to other females considering a career in science?
Don’t hesitate to contribute your ideas and challenge others. Even if someone else says something first that isn’t nonsensical, offering your idea adds value to the discussion, even if it isn’t the most complete or game-changing suggestion.
Julie Richardson, Partner in the Electrical, Electronic and Software Group
I studied maths, physics, chemistry and French A-levels and decided on studying engineering as I was more interested in how we can apply scientific principles to the practical world than in a deeper dive into any one of the science subjects. I am a Chartered UK Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney and am a partner of Reddie & Grose LLP. I work in the Electrical, Electronic and Software group of the firm.
1. Were there any role models or mentors who influenced your decision to pursue a scientific field?
My physics teacher at school, Miss Crompton, was a Cambridge graduate (of physics I think) and was, by example rather than by spoken word, an advocate of science degrees. She drew my attention to WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) and to Insight into Engineering and, through those sources of information, I applied for and went on engineering taster sessions at Bath and Durham Universities whilst still at school. Professor Heinz Wolff (of the 80s show The Great Egg Race) came to the Durham course to judge the design and build challenge (which involved testing whatever we had designed and built at Durham swimming pool but I can’t remember why) which at the time seemed very exciting.
My dad had studied chemical engineering although spent his career working in the rapidly developing computing field. My mum was a PE teacher but very interested in the sciences and very vocal about the opportunities studying the sciences opened up. My mum and dad always encouraged us to listen to, or watch, shows like Johnny Ball’s “Think of a Number”, “The Great Egg Race” and the Royal Institution Christmas lectures which were about science subjects and we had lots of Lego as children. We were always encouraged to ask questions about how and why things worked. Early decisions on what to study in my life were always taken with parental advice about keeping options open and, if in doubt, doing what you are good at which led me to study engineering and then pursue a career which combines technology with law.
So my physics teacher, mum and dad all encouraged me in different ways to think about a career in science.
2. Can you share a specific moment or event that inspired you to choose STEM-based studies/career?
There was no one lightbulb moment – just a steady stream of nudges, including the Insight Course at Durham university and Professor Heinz Wolff, which gently pushed me to study engineering. There was a few days after a careers day at school that I considered being an actuary – it seemed they earned a fortune for work that I thought I could do – but wasn’t long before I found myself settled back on engineering. It’s worked out well and I’d do it again.
3. Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as a female studying science? How did you overcome them?
Being female in a scientific world, I’ve always been in a minority through university and in my career. I’ve always tried to see that as an advantage rather than a problem. I work for a company where people are valued for who they are and what they bring to the table and not judged on things that are irrelevant – that’s not luck, I’d never have stayed if I’d found it otherwise.
There have been times when I’ve felt it might have made it more difficult to build connections with contacts but nothing that I could point out. When I was an undergraduate and young graduate I visited work places where there were inappropriate posters displayed and I found this very uncomfortable. This would never happen now. Back then, I felt supported by allies who would speak up to challenge this sort of issue. I would hope that I’d step up and be an ally for others should I ever see anything I felt was inappropriate.
4. What advice would you give to other females considering a career in science?
Go for it – there are so many careers where science is, or can be, the foundation or mainstay. Think of it as opening doors to what could be as varied and interesting professional life as you want. If my experiences are anything to go by, you won’t regret it.
Hannah Nagle, Trainee Patent Attorney in the Electrical, Electronic and Software Group
I am currently a first-year trainee in the EES group at R&G, having graduated from the University of Exeter with Masters in Physics in 2022. So far, I have been involved in working on a variety of patent applications in the electronics area, with a focus on telecom patents with my master’s project being based on the topic of antenna optimisation for microwave band (5G) communications.
1. Were there any role models or mentors who influenced your decision to pursue a scientific field?
I think that I have been quite lucky in having many passionate and engaging science teachers throughout school, the majority being female. Teachers who presented science as being for all, and were encouraging of the interest I already had. I think too, that having female friends who shared an interest in science was a key factor in me not seeing a barrier to pursuing Physics, since this helped to normalise girls studying it.
2. Can you share a specific moment or event that inspired you to choose STEM-based studies/career?
My male, A-Level Physics teachers encouragement to conduct my extended project qualification (EPQ) on research into the gender gap in Physics related fields, I think aided my decision to choose to study Physics at university. His support and guidance throughout the project helped to highlight the awareness and the interest, that men can have on the topic and reassured me in my decision.
3. Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as a female studying science? How did you overcome them?
Being one of only two females in my A-level Physics class was slightly daunting (and coming from an all-girls school, it was quite the change!). But, as I mentioned, the support of passionate teachers and being friends with my classmates really helped the situation. It turned what could have been a discouraging, isolating situation into one where we felt recognised and included.
4. What advice would you give to other females considering a career in science?
Making the most of the people around you can change your whole experience. Having friends that share your scientific interest, in my experience, can be the biggest encouragement and motivation in terms of progression, but also in terms of enjoying the studying, or working, in science. Science can be difficult, and finding support in others possibly going through the same struggles can make it so much easier.
Emily Nytko-lutz, Senior Associate in the Engineering, Materials and Consumer Products and Life Sciences Group
My name is Emily Nytko-Lutz. I’m a Senior Associate Patent Attorney and I split my time between R&G’s Engineering, Materials and Consumer Products team and Life Sciences team. I earned a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from MIT in 2008. I qualified as a US Patent Agent in 2010, as a UK Patent Attorney in 2014 and as a European Patent Attorney in 2015.
1. Were there any role models or mentors who influenced your decision to pursue a scientific field?
In terms of early experiences, I was interested in STEM at a fairly young age. I grew up in the 1980s in the US and I really liked watching “Mr Wizard’s World” with my dad before school – Mr Wizard did all sorts of cool things like build model volcanoes and rockets – and we replicated his experiments with things we had at home whenever we could. We’d go to the planetarium and also out with the local stargazers club to look through the telescopes – I remember going out in the early hours of the morning to see Halley’s comet and Saturn through a telescope. I also remember when my younger brother stuck an audio cassette in our family’s VCR and my father had to take the VCR apart to repair it and he let me help. It was pretty fascinating to see the guts of a VCR!
I had great teachers in high school science and math – and gravitated towards those as my favourite subjects. My aunt, who was a biochemist involved in coordinating clinical trials, took me to work one day and introduced me to different people in her company, so I learned about different careers in STEM. Also, it’s completely farfetched but I really liked the movie “The Rock” where Nicolas Cage plays a biochemist trying to foil a terror plot – I’ve seen it probably 50 times (no exaggeration). So it was really lots of role models and lots of people influencing my decision – my father, Mr Wizard, my teachers, my aunt, Nicolas Cage. By the time I entered college (university), I knew that I either wanted to be a medical doctor or pursue some sort of career in STEM.
2. Can you share a specific moment or event that inspired you to choose STEM-based studies/career?
In my freshman chemistry course we synthesised some really brightly coloured transition metal compounds in the lab – they were the most brilliant shades of blue and green and pink – I found them absolutely fascinating! I found I really liked studying quantum mechanics and ligand field theory and the way light interacted with matter, but I also liked making things. I worked for my first undergraduate mentor in a physical chemistry lab setting up laser experiments to study electron transfer in solutions – he was incredibly patient and encouraging, and I learned a lot from him! I liked it but I decided I wanted to do a bit more synthetic chemistry and he was very understanding and supportive when I moved to another lab. I did an undergraduate thesis with a second mentor where I was doing a lot of work synthesizing transition metal phosphine complexes, working in glove boxes under an inert atmosphere. It was pretty cool.
When choosing a graduate advisor, I gravitated toward the lab where I did my PhD because of my advisor’s focus on sustainable energy, and the lab’s focus on both physical and inorganic chemistry.
It’s all about finding what inspires you, and surrounding yourself with positive people and mentors. There’s no one path.
3. Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as a female studying science? How did you overcome them?
Graduate school was a very challenging time for me – but I think graduate school is very challenging for anyone who goes through it! I went to MIT in a very male-dominated department. It’s difficult to be the only woman, or one of only a few women, in a room.
I joined the Women in Chemistry group at MIT and sought out female mentors in my department. I made sure that I had friends and a good support network away from the department as well – to provide some much-needed perspective on some of the challenges that were weighing on me. I scheduled time to do the things I liked. I took up a hobby, long-distance running, which I found meditative.
And personally, I’m very driven and very determined (read: stubborn), so I just stuck it out when things got tough. It was invaluable to have outlets and a support network, though. I would not have made it through graduate school, and would not be where I am today, without those things.
One of the older students in Women in Chemistry started working in patent law when she graduated, and I thought it sounded interesting and worth pursuing. And now, here I am, 15 years later!
4. What advice would you give to other females considering a career in science?
It’s all about finding what inspires you, and surrounding yourself with positive people and mentors. There’s no one path. When things get tough, remember that other people have been in similar situations before and can probably relate, and that everyone starts somewhere. It is invaluable to have outlets and a support network – so seek out these things!
Hannah Brace, Trainee Patent Attorney in the Life Sciences Group
I am Hannah Brace, a first year trainee in the London life science team. I joined R&G shortly after completing my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Bristol. Throughout my time studying chemistry, I undertook a year in Industry at a speciality chemical company, I demonstrated and assessed A-level and undergraduate laboratory work, and I volunteered for several outreach programs. During lockdown, my sister and I made a maths GCSE YouTube channel, with the aim to create a more woman-friendly/engaging presentation platform for maths tuition. Unfortunately it hasn’t gone viral…yet!
1. Can you share a specific moment or event that inspired you to choose STEM-based studies/ career? Were there any role models or mentors who influenced your decision to pursue a scientific field?
My parents have always been interested in science and my grandad was a chemistry teacher. I think a career in science was somewhat in my DNA! In fact, I was not particularly inspired by my school chemistry teachers and just about managed to stay interested in chemistry in spite of this…
2. Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as a female studying science? How did you overcome them?
I found that whilst studying chemistry at university, the student gender split was pretty even. However, it was noticeable that I only got lectured by two women (over four years). The lack of female academic role models, in part, dissuaded me from further pursuing academia. I was lucky to share my PhD experience with some wonderful women, meaning that on a day-to-day basis, being a female in the chemistry department was normal and enjoyable. In terms of challenges, one of the reasons I chose not to carry on with lab-based work was a concern for how lab work would eventually fit with having children. Luckily there were also other reasons why I didn’t like lab work and so I chose to start a career as a patent attorney!
3. What advice would you give to other females considering a career in science?
To other females, I would say that pursuing a career in STEM is exciting and rewarding! My advice would be to seek out female mentors – I wish I’d done that a little more!
Life at Reddie & Grose
Find out more about becoming a patent attorney and life at Reddie & Grose on our Graduate Careers page.
