Dr Monika Gullerova featured in The Independent

Dr Monika Gullerova, Fellow of Exeter College and researcher at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, featured in a supplement of The Independent recently.

Dr Gullerova received one of four L’Oréal UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science earlier this year. She was interviewed for the newspaper about her experiences as a Slovakian-born woman working in science.

‘My nationality is not an issue,’ she says. ‘Science is so international you never get a laboratory with one nationality.’

Unfortunately the same isn’t true of gender. According to Dr Gullerova, only one in 10 science professors is female. ‘Women cope with stress and are very competitive,’ she says. ‘The main reason for the drop out rate is that many women face a choice between family and academic life.’

She adds: ‘It’s so important for women to stay in science. not only do they bring different perspectives, but they can also change the culture from within because they are more aware of the challenges women face in balancing work and family life.’

Dr Gullerova also argues that it is important to have good role models, and she says that one excellent example is here at Exeter: Carol Robinson. ‘She’s a famous professor and a mother of three. She has successfully balanced work and family. In would love to emulate her.’