Celebrating women in science
Hear how they got into science, be it following a childhood love of nature or U-turning on a career in airlines to follow a newly discovered passion, showing it’s never too late to get into science. Find out what they’ve learned along the way that had them seeing the natural world in a new light, and what they’d like to say to others considering a scientific career.
Dr Hayley Jones
How did you get into science?
As a kid I was a big question-asker: what’s that? Why? How does it work? I loved the natural world, with one of my big inspirations being my grandad, who took me on trips and outdoor adventures. It’s not surprising that I was enthusiastic about science at school, and I went on to study Biology at undergraduate level. From there I was inspired to discover new answers to science questions, studying the flight ability of moths for my PhD. Having studied one type of insect for many years, I was excited to get a job at the RHS researching not just garden insects but molluscs, crustaceans and even birds and mammals too.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your career?
There’s so much to choose from – my job takes me to so many places, meeting so many different types of people, as well as different critters! A new and very exciting experience has been writing a book. It’s called ‘Slugs: Friend or Foe?’ and will be available in May 2025. It was a bit daunting to make sure I explained the science accurately while making it interesting and engaging in only 150 pages. The most exciting bit was seeing it come together as the publishers coordinated the design and illustrations to prepare it for print.
What have you learnt during your work that transformed your view?
There are 2500 species of moth in the UK – they are so amazingly diverse! For context, there are 24,000 species of insect in the UK, but only 640 species of birds, 330 fish, 90 mammals and 13 reptiles and amphibians. Another fun fact that I learned recently was that fungi cell walls are made of chitin, the same stuff that insect exoskeletons are made from!
What would you say to other people considering going into science?
Do it! If you enjoy learning, then science has so many of the best careers to give you new fun facts every day.
Dr Tijana Blanusa
How did you get into science?
I loved science at school, especially Biology. Chats with my grandad about his apple orchard, and how different ways of managing trees affected fruit size, helped to spark my curiosity about the ‘hows and whys’ of plants. I went on to do a Bachelor’s degree in Crop Science, followed by a Master’s in Plant Physiology – both at the University of Belgrade, Serbia – and then a PhD in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry in the UK. My first position after that was a three-year contract with the RHS and the University of Reading, and here I am still! What kept me here was the freedom to grow and develop my own research path, and excitement about the potential for my research to make a difference through the reach the RHS has.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your career?
There’s been a lot of excitement over the years. Things like initiating RHS research into green infrastructure and ecosystem services (environmental benefits provided by plants) in 2008; winning an external grant to support my first PhD student in 2010; the pride in seeing my students and early-career researchers I mentored develop and grow; papers we published and engagement to share what we’d learned; rewarding and enriching collaborations with research colleagues in universities and countries across the world.
What motivates you in your work?
The belief that collaboratively, our work can help inform ways to green our cities and make them more liveable, particularly in changing climate. Also, the energy I gain from working with enthusiastic, open-minded and creative people who are passionate about the work they do.
What have you learnt during your work that transformed your view?
Plants are deceptively simple! The fact they evolve adaptations such as leaf hairs, or leaf colour, or branch angles, for a reason. And how we can put those plant ‘quirks’ to use in cities to cool them better, or improve air quality. For example, how plants with hairy or rough leaves and larger denser canopies have a greater capacity to trap airborne pollution.
Mandeep Matharu
How did you get into science?
Being born and brought up in the agricultural region of Punjab in the north of India, I was surrounded by lush greenery and flowers, and the huge array of plant-derived spices and condiments in our kitchen. The economic value of plants attracted me towards botany, and I did a Master’s degree in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, with a thesis on a medicinal plant called Plantago ovata. Arriving in the UK, I started volunteering at RBG Kew and the Natural History Museum, where I was introduced to the amazing world of herbarium, curation and digitisation, and I became herbarium digitiser at RHS Wisley in 2011.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your career?
I love the part of being a curator where you get to dig in to the past life of plant collectors, scientists and gardeners like a detective. Writing about Janaki Ammal, RHS’s first female scientist, was an amazing project. It was fascinating doing all the research on her background, her journey from India to the UK and then back to India again, and all the incredible research she did during her time as a botanist and plant cytologist.
What motivates you in your work?
The fact that we are doing all this amazing work to improve science, promote sustainability in gardening and encourage a new generation to get involved in science and horticulture. I love spending time with school children during their career days, explaining my role and sharing the opportunities we have in the RHS, or working alongside work experience students who are gathering knowledge by working with different departments.
What would you say to other people considering going into science?
If you love science in any shape or form, just go for it! Make the most of any opportunities to spend time doing work experience with different organisations and their teams, something I didn’t have growing up back in India. Science is a fascinating field with endless possibilities to explore and new things to discover. Always feed your curiosity, and keep asking those questions!Lou Jones
How did you get into science?
After a long career in airlines, my journey into science began unexpectedly. In 2017, I enrolled on the RHS level 2 diploma at my local college to improve my gardening skills. I realised I was drawn to the scientific theory more than the practical element of the course. I’d been working as British Airways cabin crew for over 20 years and had the opportunity of voluntary redundancy. I accepted and applied for a Plant Science degree, graduating in 2022.
I continued with post-graduate study at the university and hosted by the RHS Plant Health Team, completed a Master’s by Research degree in 2023. When my current role opened at the end of my Master’s, I was very fortunate to be the successful candidate. The whole journey has been a life-changing experience – not without challenges, both personal and professional, but with self-determination, a sense of humour and amazing support, I have secured my dream role and am thrilled and proud to be part of the RHS.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your career?
Presenting my work on oomycetes (water moulds) found in a public garden at the 2024 British Society of Plant Pathology conference, held at Oxford University. This work was the basis of my Master’s thesis, and it was the first time I’d attended an academic conference. Being an early career scientist, I was due to present on the early careers day, but I ended up presenting at both this and the main event. I was very nervous, but all the academics were very supportive. I can’t wait for the next one!
What have you learnt during your work that transformed your view?
The fact that there are microscopic fungi called mycoparasites that parasitise other microscopic fungi, by either killing them or supressing their growth. It really is the survival of the fittest!
What would you say to other people considering going into science?
Your mind will be blown – strap in and enjoy the ride!
Dr Chloe Sutcliffe
How did you get into science?
I started with a degree in Social Anthropology, but became interested in environmental resource use, and ended up doing my MSc thesis on allotments. Visiting sites and talking to lots of plot holders sparked my love of gardening, and after my Master’s I spent a couple of years training and working in horticulture at English Heritage, Garden Organic and RBG Kew, before going back into academia to do a PhD on smallholder agriculture and climate adaptation. After that I worked as a Postdoc on food systems and water scarcity, before luckily finding an opportunity to combine my love of gardening with my research skills at the RHS!
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your career?
As a researcher, probably doing my PhD fieldwork in Malawi. As a gardener, probably going up in a cherry picker to prune plants that were getting too tall for the Palm House at Kew.
What have you learnt during your work that transformed your view?
Many of the ornamental plants in our gardens are actually edible, and quite a few of the weeds too! For example, Cercis canadensis has edible flowers, seedpods and seeds, and ground elder was introduced to the UK by the Romans as a salad crop. The fact that there is always so much more to learn about plants really does blow my mind!
What motivates you in your work?
For many of us, gardening is one of the main ways we directly interact with the environment, and it can help us grasp the connections within the natural world and our relationship with it – such as how the microbes in our
As gardeners, by engaging in care, for plants, wildlife and other people, we can establish a reciprocal relationship with the natural world which fosters a sense of gratitude and responsibility. The environmental problems humanity is currently facing can feel overwhelming at times, but gardening can enable us to engage meaningfully as caretakers of our environment. It can help us to understand the small, but essential, role that each of us has to play in addressing climate change and the
