Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! Every year on 11th February, we celebrate the significance of female representation in STEM, shining a spotlight on achievements, big and small, that inspire future generations of female scientists to dream boldly and challenge stereotypes in the field.
This year, we are turning our attention closer to home ... Meet Katherine Hills, our Supply Chain Manager!
Last week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Katherine to talk about her career journey, the importance of female leadership, and the insights she hopes to share with the next generation of women and girls in STEM. Read the full interview below.
1. Tell us about your career in science…
"I’ve always been very inquisitive – I like to know how things work and why things happen, so unsurprisingly, Science was my favourite subject in school. I studied all three sciences at A level, and then went on to study Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of York for my degree. When I started university, I had ambitions to become a Research Scientist as I also love to help others – but my career ambitions changed when I started my final year research project. I spent the year working with a strain of meningitis that cannot be vaccinated against, which meant I spent most of the project working in isolation, to ensure no one else could be infected if anything went wrong. Thankfully I wasn’t responsible for causing any disease outbreaks! But working alone so much made me realise that lab work probably wasn’t for me, so I went on to train as a teacher instead.
After a number of years, I made the difficult decision to leave teaching and in 2020 an opportunity came up at SLS which allowed me to use both my scientific background and experience working in education. Since then, I’ve been promoted and in my current role as Supply Chain Manager, my scientific background is particularly useful for understanding our product range and the requirements of our customers. We work with some really interesting suppliers, who are making products that are instrumental for use in scientific research, but also in the NHS and lots of other places I’d never really considered. My current role allows me to satisfy my interest in scientific research and discovery, without having to do the parts that I never really enjoyed."
2. Why do you think it’s important for women to be represented in science?
"Every individual in any job will bring their own unique views and experience to a role, so I think diversity in general is important in every workplace.
I think it’s especially important for women to be represented in science because historically, this is a sector that’s been dominated by men. As a result of this, there are many female health conditions that have been under-researched – maybe just because the passion and interest wasn’t there in the same way it would have been if there were more female scientists asking questions about the conditions that impact our bodies.
It’s also important for young women to have people to look up to. Part of my passion for Biology came from having an amazing Biology teacher when I was at school, but I was also inspired by the research of Barbara McClintock. I used to love teaching about her research to my A Level students and would highly recommend her work on ‘jumping genes’ to anyone wanting to extend their teaching beyond the curriculum textbooks."
3. What’s the best part of your job and why?
"The best part of my job is getting to work with manufacturers who are developing new, innovative products, to respond to the ever-changing needs of the scientists in the labs we work with. These people really are at the forefront of scientific research and are some of the most brilliant minds in the country. I also absolutely LOVE a factory tour! I said I was a kid who liked to know how everything works… that hasn’t changed in adulthood."
4. What advice would you give to young women starting out?
"Instead of advice, I’ll share a quote: “The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask”. I used to say this to my students, and I still find myself saying it with my colleagues. Science is all about asking questions, and if you don’t ask the question, how will you ever know the answer?"
5. What has been your proudest achievement so far?
"I’m from a working class family and my parents never went to university so I’m really proud to have been the first in my family to go to university, and also my most recent promotion. I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am, and seeing the pride on my dad’s face every time I accomplish something. I think that’s probably the best bit for me."
6. A quote that inspires you is…
“My mission is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style” – Maya Angelou.
Katherine’s journey to leadership is an inspiration to women across our company and beyond. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate her achievements and the powerful message her story sends.
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science from SLS!