International Women’s Day 2020 at the Royal Society of Chemistry
Professor Dame Carol Robinson and Dr Helen Pain in conversation with Dr Suze Kundu
In celebration of International Women's Day 2020, the Royal Society of Chemistry President, Professor Dame Carol Robinson and Acting CEO Dr Helen Pain will share their experiences as leaders in the chemical sciences and their vision for the future of women in science with Dr Suze Kundu.
The theme for IWD 2020 is #EachforEqual, drawing attention to collective individualism - the collective impact that individual contributions have on wider society and on creating change.
The event will take place in the magnificent Library and Council Room at the Royal Society of Chemistry beginning at 18:00, followed by a networking reception.
Bios
Professor Dame Carol Robinson, DBE FRS FMedSci FRSC
President, Royal Society of Chemistry and Chair of Dr. Lee’s Professor of Chemistry, University of Oxford
Carol left school at 16 to take up a position as a laboratory technician with a pharmaceutical company. She completed her graduate education whilst working full-time in this post and was subsequently admitted to the University of Cambridge where she completed her PhD in two years. Following an eight-year career break to begin raising her three children, she returned to research at Oxford where she took up a professorial post. In 2001, she accepted the position of Professor of Mass Spectrometry at the University of Cambridge, becoming the first female professor of chemistry at Cambridge. In 2009 she returned to Oxford to take up the Chair of Dr. Lee’s Professor of Chemistry which she holds today.
A graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry, she is recognised for using mass spectrometry to further her research into the 3D structure of proteins. She has carried out ground breaking research into proteins implicated in conditions such as cancer, schizophrenia and drug dependence.
Dr Helen Pain, CSci CChem FRSC
Acting CEO, Royal Society of Chemistry
Helen joined the Royal Society of Chemistry after completing a degree and PhD in Chemistry. She is a Chartered Chemist and a Chartered Scientist. At the RSC, she has led many of its strategic functions becoming Deputy CEO in 2015. Helen is a champion for the profession and has commissioned bold campaigns such as Breaking the Barriers and our work to support Technicians.
In 2018, Helen was appointed as Chair of the Science Council, a UK organisation for the advancement of the science profession. She took up the role of Acting CEO of the Royal Society of Chemistry in January 2020.
Dr Suze Kundu
Head of Public Engagement, Digital Science
Suze is fascinated about breaking down the building blocks of life into its fundamental components – luckily science has enabled her to turn this destructive curiosity into a career. She has a BSc in Chemistry, a MSc in Analytical Chemistry and a PhD in Materials Chemistry from University College London. After six years lecturing at Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, she is now the Head of Public Engagement at Digital Science. Suze is also a science presenter on the Discovery Channel and a science writer for Forbes.
