Event Updates
Meet the women behind the Resilient Crop Team on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Since the United Nations established the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) in 2015, it has taken place annually to celebrate and promote gender equality in research, technology, and innovation. Here we highlight how our team's composition showcases women's carreers in science.
The women behind the Resilient Crop Team. From right to left Dr Rossana Henriques, Grace Hurley, Prof. Astrid Wingler, Dr Catherine Gough.
Since the United Nations established the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) in 2015, it has taken place annually to celebrate and promote gender equality in research, technology, and innovation. The day was adopted to ensure full and equal access to science for women and girls (after noting that only ~ 30% of researchers are female) and to discourage gender bias from hampering scientific progress.
The ResilientCrop team at UCC includes several women researchers at various career stages. Today we decided to take this opportunity to highlight some of the amazing women on the Resilient Crop team:
Dr. Rossana Henriques is the principal investigator on the ResilientCrop Project and is the Paddy O`Keefe Senior lecturer in plant genetics at the School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences at UCC. Her research interests involve the understanding of how plants perceive daylength and seasonal changes to modulate their growth and development. Prior to joining UCC, Dr Henriques worked at several leading institutions in plant science such as the CRAG, Barcelona and The Rockefeller University, NY.
Professor Astrid Wingler is a professor of plant biology and is the head of plant science at the School of BEES UCC. She is co-supervisor on the Resilient Crop project. Her research focuses on plant-environment interactions, especially in the context of climate change. This includes investigating the impacts of climate change on plant growth and survival in natural habitats in agriculture and forestry. "I am particularly intrigued by how plants manage to survive despite being stuck in one place and being exposed to large changes in environmental conditions. The fact that we cannot easily see them “behave” made me even more curious to find out how plants perceive their environment and how they cope by adjusting metabolism, growth and development."
Dr Catherine Gough is the Postdoctoral researcher in the Resilient Crop project. A PhD and Master`s graduate of Durham University, Catherine’s interests are in plant molecular biology, abiotic/biotic stress responses, genomics & transcriptomics, Arabidopsis, crops, food security, and agricultural sustainability for the future.
Grace Hurley is a graduate of UCC with an MSc in Biotechnology and a BSc (Hons) in Applied Plant Biology. She is currently pursuing a PhD on the Resilient Crop project with hopes of following a career in academia and research. Her interests are plant science, molecular biology, and the abiotic stress management of agricultural crops in the context of climate change. Grace also had the amazing opportunity to travel to Singapore and Malaysia to complete a summer biodiversity program with the National University of Singapore after her Bachelor`s degree.
In the words of Marie Curie, “be less curious about people and more curious about ideas”. Science thrives on curiosity and curiosity knows no gender. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate the dedication, talent and leadership of the women contributing to all branches of science across the world. By supporting and recognizing women at every stage of their scientific careers, we not only strengthen research and innovation, but also help build a more inclusive and resilient future for science and society.
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