Women In Science: Interview with Dr Nicole McPherson

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, hear from Dr Nicole McPherson, Senior Research Fellow and group leader of the Male Reproductive Life Course group, about her journey as a researcher, what drives her ambition, and what unique challenges she has faced.  

What are you aspiring to achieve in your area of research?   

"My ultimate research goal is to really include men in preconception care and family planning and for society to understand that men make a huge contribution to healthy conception, pregnancy and childhood health. Understanding what key preconception factors we may need to be aware of, improving male infertility services and testing and better understanding how sperm contribute to the formation of a healthy embryo, are my overarching key themes." 

What drives your motivation to be a researcher? 

"It’s the excitement of finding something new and different. Generating new knowledge that the world can utilise to improve the health and well-being of people is exciting! I have the possibility to re-write textbooks and change how society views men, and their role in the preconception period." 

“I have the possibility to re-write textbooks and change how society views men, and their role in the preconception period. That’s exciting!”Dr Nicole McPherson

What is the best thing about your job? ... and the hardest? 

"The best thing about my job is that every day I get to come to work and do something different, work on multiple projects, train the next generation of scientists – I love that! 

The hardest thing about my job is 100% the uncertainty of job stability. How am I going to support my family long-term in the current funding climate? – It’s always in the back of my mind."   

A moment, decision, discovery or achievement in your career that you are proud of, is.... 

"It’s hard to pinpoint one. There are a few things I’m proud of in my career - achieving fellowships are always hugely proud moments, because they're super hard to get. So, achieving two Government-funded fellowships are probably some of my proudest moments. Another one was taking my discovery research into a clinical trial and watching it have direct impact on people undergoing infertility treatment. Establishing my own research group and having recently been offered an industry research role within an IVF company were moments of personal pride as well." 

What support do you wish you had had along the way that wasn’t available to you? 

"I underestimated how much having career disruptions really impacts your career. I had two babies, and took 12 months off with both. It's not the 12 months that you take off following the births that impacts your career, it's the years following when you return to work part-time. When you come back and the clock starts again, you're actually starting from scratch, you've got nothing in terms of research outputs from those previous years. The biggest thing is getting your research momentum going again, so things like staffing support, small seed funding to help you get back onto the bandwagon and mentorship would all be really helpful to re-establish a career momentum post having children."  

What is your message to girls or young women contemplating a career in science? 

"Do it! If you're passionate, go for it and ignore everybody else who tells you otherwise."