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79 news posts in WomeninScience

Featured news

17 Dec 2025

Monica Malta – The quiet architecture of violence: Why LGBTQ+ health demands community ownership

Dr Monica Malta is an Assistant Professor at the School of Global Health at York University, a TED speaker, and a human rights advocate with over 15 years of experience in global health research. Her work focuses on the social and structural determinants of health and gender inequities, with a strong emphasis on 2SLGBTQ+ communities - particularly female-identified, queer, and gender-diverse people - as well as people living with HIV, sex workers, and people who use drugs across the Global South. Grounded in community-based participatory research, Monica works alongside communities to document harm, shift power in research and policy, and co-create responses that improve safety and well-being. She is also the co-designer of the RISE Dandara app, a community-led digital tool that supports 2SLGBTQ+ people to report violence, access trusted resources, and strengthen collective protection. In recognition of International Human Rights Day, and in the spirit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, Monica joined us for a conversation about power, resistance, and justice in global health.

Frontiers news

20 Nov 2025

Angela W. Muriithi – Bridging rights-based agendas and development realities: A regional perspective on children’s rights

Angela W. Muriithi is the Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Horn at Plan International. Previously, she led Plan International’s East and Southern Africa region. She’s also worked with BBC Media Action as Country Director for Kenya and Somalia and Research Manager for East Africa. She began her career as a teacher and brings deep, hands-on experience with children to everything she does. Her work spans education, health, protection, governance, youth livelihoods, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in both development and humanitarian settings.

Frontiers news

30 Oct 2025

Janna Wale - Bridging worlds: Indigenous leadership in climate change

Janna Wale is a Gitxsan (Gitanmaax First Nation) and Cree-Métis climate researcher, working as the Indigenous Research and Partnerships Lead at the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). Her work bridges Western science and Indigenous Knowledges to advance holistic, community-led climate resilience. Recognized as a 2024 Corporate Knights Top 30 Under 30 Sustainable Youth Leader, through research, mentorship, and advocacy, she pushes for co-governance and the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in Canada’s climate strategies, challenging “fast-tracking” policies that risk sidelining Indigenous rights and environmental protections, and inspiring a new generation to see science as a relationship with the Earth.

Frontiers news

19 Aug 2025

Lucia Berdondini – Science in service, beyond borders: Celebrating women leaders in global humanitarian efforts

Dr Lucia Berdondini is an associate professor of psychology at the University of East London and course leader of DL MSc Humanitarian Intervention at the School of Childhood and Social Care. She is also a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Accredited Gestalt Physiotherapist. She has worked extensively with psychosocial intervention in countries in war and conflict, existential therapies, and intercultural counselling. With over two decades of experience, Dr Berdondini’s research and teaching focuses on psychosocial support, trauma, and counselling in international and humanitarian contexts. Her global fieldwork spans conflict-affected regions in Africa and Asia, where she has contributed to capacity-building and mental health projects for displaced populations and communities in crisis. Recently, she has been involved in creating a portal with online resources for humanitarian professionals, which can be found here. She has also been collaborating with Vilnosvita, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on playback theater as a form of crisis intervention.

Frontiers news

25 Jun 2025

Rhiannon Nichol – Beneath retreating glaciers: Science and stewardship in South Georgia

In honor of World Ocean Day 2025, I spoke with Rhiannon Nichol, a young marine biologist currently on a 24-month research deployment at King Edward Point Research Station in South Georgia. Her work is part of a long-term project for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), helping to guide the management of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area by the South Georgia Government. Surrounded by mountains and glaciers, the subantarctic island of South Georgia is a critical haven for wildlife: it hosts five million seals across four species, 65 million breeding birds from 30 species, and supports thriving populations of migratory whales, fish, and Antarctic krill. These krill form a vital link in the Southern Ocean food web. I spoke with Rhi about her work at the station, the challenges of conducting research in such a remote region, and the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems.

Frontiers news

19 Mar 2025

Eliza Stott – Wrangling wombats and connecting women in wildlife

In honor of World Wildlife Day, we spoke to Eliza Stott, a PhD student at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Eliza gave us an insight into how she juggles studying for a PhD and working as a wildlife ranger with her role as founder and director of Women in Wildlife, an organization which connects women and non-binary persons within the wildlife industry around the world. She also shared her thoughts on this year’s World Wildlife Day theme of ‘Wildlife Conservation Finance’ from the perspective of an Australian conservation scientist.

Frontiers news

28 Feb 2025

Empowering Tomorrow: Young scientists leading the way for an inclusive robotics field

The rapidly evolving intersection of engineering, computer science, and technology demands a visionary approach to the field. With robots becoming increasingly embedded in a variety of industries, as the field grows, so too does the need for a more inclusive, diverse, and sustainable approach. In celebration of the International Day of Education, I am thrilled to present Robotics Inclusive—an inspiring organization founded by visionary PhD students Edith-Clare Hall, Alex Schutz, Isabelle Ormerod, Ella Maule, and Yael Zekaria. These young individuals are committed to broadening opportunities in robotics education. Working on a mission aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, they aim to encourage inclusivity and accessibility. Robotics Inclusive aspires to transform the landscape of robotics through innovative programs and collaborations.

Frontiers news

18 Nov 2024

Ioly Kotta-Loizou – The role of mycoviruses for the future of disease in medicine and agriculture

In honor of this year’s World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), Professor Ioly Kotta-Loizou discussed her research and experience in the field of mycovirology. Ioly is head of Crop Protection and Climate Change (CPCC), co-director of the Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management (CAFEM) research at the University of Hertfordshire, and an honorary lecturer at Imperial College London and the University of Manchester. Ioly also holds several editorial roles with Frontiers, including Associate Editor for Frontiers in Virology and Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. With over 15 years of experience in the field of molecular microbiology, Ioly's research is focused on viruses, bacteria, and fungi, with a particular interest in mycoviruses for the directed manipulation of fungi in remediation and biotechnology.

Frontiers news

11 Oct 2024

Georgina Catacora-Vargas - Securing our food: Women scientists and the pursuit of food security in the Global South

Dr Georgina Catacora-Vargas is a professor of agroecology at the Academic Peasant Unit "Tiahuanacu" of the Bolivian Catholic University; president of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA), advisor for Agroecology Fund; and research associate at AGRUCO, Faculty of Agricultural and Livestock Sciences at the University Mayor de San Simón (Bolivia), with decades of experience in agriculture, agroecology, and policymaking. She is also a member at the IPES-Food think tank and the Ad Hoc Expert Technical Group on Farmers Rights under the International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the United Nations Organization on Food and Agriculture. Previously, Dr Catacora-Vargas worked at the Ministry of Environment and Water in Bolivia as chief of the Forest Management and Development Unit and advisor of the National Competent Environment Authority. In honor of World Food Day and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Dr Catacora-Vargas took the time to sit down with us and discuss her journey in agroecology.

Frontiers news

16 Sep 2024

Pallavi Pant - Bridging science and community action to combat air pollution

In honor of this year’s International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, we sat down with Dr Pallavi Pant to discuss her work related to air pollution and human health, as well as her thoughts on future directions for the field. With near 15 years of experience in air pollution science, Dr Pant currently leads the Global Health program at the Health Effects Institute in Boston, USA. Her primary focus is on public awareness and engagement, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Frontiers news

25 Jul 2024

Rasha Dabash - Climate action needs women and girls

Rasha Dabash is a multilingual researcher, technical advisor, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) advocate with over 25 years of global experience in effectively generating and using evidence to drive innovative changes in policies and practice. Currently, she works as an independent technical consultant to international NGOs and feminist movements/projects. Previously, she held leadership and research roles in reproductive and maternal health at Ipas, Gynuity Health Projects, EngenderHealth, and the Population Council. Prompted by this year’s World Population Day theme which aims to “To Leave No One Behind,” Rasha and I discuss what inspired her to pursue Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights research and why its intersection with climate change is so pivotal to focus on right now to protect the life and health of the world’s population.