Penny Lecture: Soapbox Science

The Penny Lecture series continues with Dr Seirian Sumner, Co-Founder of Soapbox Science and Research Fellow at the Institute of Zoology, London.

More than 60 percent of biology undergraduates and postgraduates are female, yet less than 26 per cent of biology professors are female.

The statistics are more depressing for physical sciences and engineering, where only 10 per cent and 5 per cent of professors respectively are women.

Soapbox Science is becoming a leading advocate for improving the visibility and representation of women in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Medicine) in the UK and abroad, and a staple ingredient for Athena SWAN action plans across the country.

Dr Seirian Sumner gives a potted history of the ethos behind this initiative, the mission, and how Soapbox has helped promote the careers of some of the world's top female scientists.