Professor Dame Athene Donald gives Imperial's 2013 Athena Lecture

Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, gives Imperial's annual Athena Lecture on 13 June.

Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, gives Imperial’s annual Athena Lecture, celebrating the achievements of women in science, technology and medicine.

In a talk entitled 'From geek to glamour via a desert island - how did I get here?', Dame Athene will discuss her scientific work as well as her career path as a female physicist.

You work in the field of 'soft matter physics'. What is 'soft matter' and what makes it so interesting?

Soft matter physics deals with the physics of things, like cells and food, that a non-scientist would think of as 'squishy'. This means that they can visibly deform on timescales of the order of seconds - unlike hard matter.

Much of my work deals with polymers, which are long, chain-like molecules. In the synthetic world these include familiar plastics such as polythene and perspex, but I also investigate naturally occurring polymers include polysaccharides such as starch, proteins and DNA.

I am interested in seeing how these molecules pack together and arrange themselves, and how that affects their properties. For instance, I studied the organisation of starch molecules at length scales ranging from individual molecules all the way up to millimetres, in order to understand the implications of this underlying structure.

Through collaborations with colleagues from both industry (Unilever and Dalgety, a company no longer in existence) and plant biochemists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, I also examined how the molecular structure of starch affects its use during the processing of food. Using national facilities to access high intensity X-ray and neutron beams, we used scattering experiments to explore how the granule structure breaks down during processing, in other words during cooking, following the changes as water enters the granule, causing it to swell and disintegrate. We can begin to relate the changes to the type of plant and how it synthesizes the starch as the molecules are laid down - this was where the plant biochemists came in. I find this sort of interdisciplinary work very interesting; there are always opportunities to learn new things. But also, because it’s a relatively new approach to apply physics concepts and tools in investigating these materials, it is a very rich and rewarding area of study.

What is your proudest achievement in your field?

Most physicists would regard the work I have done on materials as unconventional. I’d like to think that working closely at the interface with biology has helped to make the subject of 'biological physics' more acceptable and respectable amongst my physics peers. It isn't a single achievement with one Eureka moment, but there has been something of a shift in what is seen as 'real' physics and I'd like to think I've contributed to that shift.

Why is it important to you to communicate your science to the general public?

I believe being a science communicator is part of the role of being an academic. I discovered after appearing on Desert Island Discs just how much a scientist talking about their life in a human way can affect the listener – I got a lot of emails from total strangers on the back of the programme which was very uplifting. I think it is hugely important that the public do view scientists as interesting people who have personalities, as well as simply geeks who keep their head down. Since Desert Island Discs I’ve been on The Life Scientific, as well as various programmes on Radios 3 and 5, where I’ve had an opportunity to convey this message and I think this is something any of us who get the opportunity should seize.

In terms of my writing, I rather fell into blogging by mistake but I quickly discovered I loved writing in a personal style – unlike the dry style of scientific papers. My personal blog is mainly written for other scientists in academia, including those at the start of their careers, but the readership is very international. When I write for the Guardian I am consciously writing for a very different audience, often trying to convey a very specific message that I feel the public should hear. For instance my most recent article was about why it really matters for science that we stay in the EU.

How do you feel the perception of women in science has changed over your career?

I think I would rather answer that from the perspective of being a woman rather than how they are perceived. Although numbers of women in physics and especially engineering are still disappointingly low, they are nevertheless creeping up. This means, for instance, that I am less likely to find myself the only woman in a room. Perhaps even more importantly, the topic of women in science is on universities' agenda so it gets talked about and action is taken. Hence, women are no longer so likely to feel invisible and unheard and it is no longer necessary to believe that the only way to get on is to try to pretend you are a man and behave like a man. This has to be a good thing.

There is also more support and more discussion about relevant issues. The best end point would be when everyone is just seen as a person and as a scientist, and their gender is of no interest. That would mean we had really reached equality.

What do you see as the most significant obstacle to reaching gender equality in the sciences?

What acts as an obstacle clearly differs between the disciplines. Physics and engineering are fields where the pool of women entering universities as undergraduates is still far from equalling the number of men. So in these subjects the problems clearly start at a very early age. Social conditioning and cultural norms - including the kinds of toys and play that are encouraged in young children - are obviously playing a large role in deterring girls from studying these subjects.

In biology the drop-off in numbers happens much later. Here the workplace environment and the difficulties of obtaining a satisfactory work-life balance must be more important issues. These are topics of concern in physics and engineering too, but they come on top of the earlier obstacles!

If you would like to hear more from Professor Dame Athene, register here to attend the 2013 Athena Lecture from 17.00 – 18.00 on Thursday 13 June.