A Preface

The blog is a bridge between women in the field of science and the rest of the world. We share groundbreaking stories from interviews with women who are making significant developments in the continuously evolving world of science. The ultimate goals are to expose the challenges and strengths of women scientists, to inspire- the young and…

Rising above discrimination in science

Being part of the inaugural cohort at Ocean Womxn brought me closer to other black women and women of colour in my field of research. It additionally opened up a new world of opportunities for me in a range of fields within ocean sciences and externally. My brand became larger than life! Of course, as…

My life as an academic mentor

Two years ago, my PhD advisor asked me to mentor one of her 3rd year students. This is one of my responsibilities as an Ocean Womxn fellow. I had a Zoom session with the student and in that first meeting, she became so emotional from being reminded that she is brilliant, that she is not…

Nasreen Khan a Conservation Biologist

On an adventure down south at the unique Prince Edward Islands in the middle of the austral Southern Ocean, I met an intriguing sealer, Nasreen Khan. I had never met a woman sealer before and had to know more about her and how she became a sealer doing scientific research on Marion Island! Nasreen was…

Professor Julie Granger- A Marine Science Trailblazer

This International Women’s Day I celebrate the very witty, Professor Julie Granger. Professor Granger’s work tries to understand what controls the fertility of different parts of the ocean. Granger is originally from Quebec, the only Canadian province that acknowledges French as an official language. She was raised in this part of the world within a middle-class…

Science Communication: #SciComm

Science communication has bitten me like a bug and I love the effects! Through science communication, we as scientists get the precious opportunity to tell our science-related stories to the public. This sharing of scientific research and discoveries with non- experts in our different fields of expertise can be in the form of science exhibitions,…

Dr Katye Altieri an Atmosphere-Ocean Fundi

P-rated researcher Dr Katye Altieri was born in the largest city of the U.S. state and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She was a typical overachiever in high school with an interest in the majority of the extracurricular activities. Katye went to a very small university in the United States, The College of New Jersey, which was…

Meet Dr. Hsin Cynthia Chiang an astrophysicist

On a research expedition to the Subantarctic, I had the pleasure of sharing a room with Hsin Cynthia Chiang aboard the R/V SA Agulhas II. She struck me as shy, but extremely intelligent and as we introduced ourselves to each other I immediately knew that I had to feature her in my women in science…

My Ph.D. journey

The Ph.D. tempo has considerably increased as I reach the second year of study and panic mode is an element in the equation. My Ph.D. focuses on understanding nitrogen (mainly nitrate and ammonium) uptake in the surface waters of the Indian Ocean (nutrient poor) and Subantarctic Ocean (nutrient rich as nutrients are not fully consumed by the marine…

A 2017 Recap

It’s a new year, a chance to improve, conquer and be fierce. The new year brings opportunity, a chance to correct our mistakes and of course work towards finishing what we started. I’m one of the most prominent believers in women. Women are powerhouses, we sometimes forget just how valuable and influential we are in society….

ACE Project XII Workshop 2017

The first South African Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE Project XII) workshop took place at the University of Cape Town in November 2017. The University of Cape Town, Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela University and Cape Peninsula University are part of ACE Project XII. At the workshop, students and supervisors gave talks on their areas of research…