International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated annually on 11th February, recognises the vital role women and girls play in science and technology.
At the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, we are fortunate to have so many incredible scientific women teaching, researching and learning with us. We asked some of them to tell us about their work/studies, and to offer advice to other women and girls considering careers in science. Listen to what they had to say in the short videos below.
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
Professor Akke Vellinga
Professor Akke Vellinga is a Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for EDI in the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. Here she introduces our SPHPSS scientific women.
Advice for Women and Girls Considering Careers in Science
In this summary video, hear all of the advice our scientific women offered to women and girls who may be thinking about working in science.
PhD Student Anna Quinn
Anna Quinn is pursuing a PhD in Nutrition & Exercise. Anna loves working in science for many reasons including being able to contribute to research which has a real impact on people's health. Her current research focuses on body composition and how it influences appetite and energy intake, particularly in older adults.
BSc Health & Performance Science Student and Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Ava Maleady
Ava Maleady is a Stage 1 BSc Health & Performance Science student and a UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar. Ava chose to study Health & Performance Science as she has always loved sport and finds what goes on behind the scenes really interesting. She advises women not to be put off entering what some people might think is a male dominated field.
Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education Dr Sinéad McMahon
Dr Sinéad McMahon is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Education in SPHPSS. Sinéad chose to be a physiotherapist as she always enjoyed sport and science in school, especially biology, and wanted to be able to help people after injury. She is passionate about empowering future generations of women in science and is currently working on integrating virtual reality into teaching to enhance student learning.
Professor Kate Pumpa
Professor Kate Pumpa is a Professor of Sport & Exercise Physiology. Kate chose to study sport science as she loves working with athletes to help them optimise their performance and keep them healthy, while managing high training loads. Kate has worked as a sports dietitian with many high profile sporting teams and is currently developing a wearable sensor that will help sports dietitians more accurately monitor energy expenditure.
BSc Physiotherapy Student and Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Saoirse Lally
Saoirse Lally is a Stage 4 Physiotherapy student and a UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar. With her background in sport, she has experienced many injuries and got to see first-hand the incredible work healthcare professionals do. With a career in physiotherapy, she will be able to combine her love of sport with the desire to help others.
Associate Professor Celine Murrin
Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School Celine Murrin, a UCD science graduate, chose to study Public Health Nutrition due to her interest in exploring ways to make healthy food accessible to everyone. She has worked in industry, non-government sectors and academia. A pivotal moment for Celine was when she realised that science is not just about atoms, molecules and laboratories, but it also helps us to understand people, how they experience their world and how to find solutions to make their world better.
Assistant Professor Alison Connolly
Assistant Professor Alison Connolly is an exposure scientist and her research is motivated by the protection of human health by evaluating and understanding exposures to new and emerging chemicals and pollutants. She and her team recently established the Human Biomonitoring Programme for Ireland which will include volunteers giving samples for analysis, to assess human exposure to hazardous substances harmful to health.
Associate Professor Brona Fullen
Associate Professor Brona Fullen is a chartered physiotherapist and chose this career in science because she knew she would be able to travel and work overseas. Brona has worked in several countries, including Bangladesh and USA. She specialises in the area of pain and one of her career highlights so far was being elected the President of the European Pain Federation, EFIC, the first female and first chartered physiotherapist to represent the 20,000 researchers and clinicians across Europe who specialise in pain medicine.
BSc Physiotherapy Student and Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Niamh Phelan
Niamh Phelan is a Stage 3 BSc Physiotherapy student and a UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar. Growing up playing sport, she was always surrounded by physiotherapists and really admired what they did, which influenced her decision to study physiotherapy at university. She advises anyone considering studying science to be passionate about it and do your research to make sure it's 100% what you want to do.
Professor Clare Corish
Professor Clare Corish is a Professor of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics. Clare chose to study dietetics because she was interested in the role that nutrition has in health and management of disease. She has had a very varied career and has worked in several countries. She loves teaching, and her current research focus is into improving the health of older people and the role nutrition has in that. Clare advises to find an area of science you're interested in and seek advice and mentorship to help you in your career.