International Day of Women and Girls in Science Q&A - Rosie Bridgwater

Rosie Bridgwater is a first-year undergraduate, studying for a degree in Natural Sciences. Rosie is also the JPC Access Officer.

What inspired you to choose to do a STEM degree?

I am inspired to study biology because of its real-world impact which changes and improves lives! Now more than ever we are seeing the importance of scientists in tackling the pandemic, and in the challenges ahead, the more we rely on science the more lives we can save!

What do you love most about your subject?

Biology is full of the excitement of discovery - whether it is making evolutionary links between fish colour and water depth, or uncovering a bit more of the subcellular processes that power all life - I love learning something new and incredible every day. Cambridge is such an inspiring place to study science - it is amazing to be surrounded by the labs where great developments have, and continue to be made.

What do you hope to do after graduating?

I am most interested in the biology of infectious disease and would love to pursue a career in research to develop new innovations to reduce their spread. In particular I am thinking about researching mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, however I am also really interested in current Covid research - especially vaccination technology, the evolution of strains and public health responses.

What advice would you give to girls considering studying a STEM subject at university?

It is so important to have confidence in yourself and your capabilities, however this can be really tricky to do in such a male-dominated field. I have realised that you can’t wait for someone else to believe in you, sometimes you need to take charge of the situation and believe in yourself! Remind yourself of how far you have come and know that you will go so much further!

Do you have a female STEM role model?

Professor Sarah Gilbert, the vaccinologist who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is a huge inspiration to me! Her work in vaccine development spanning Malaria, Ebola and Mers gave her the foundation of research to take a leap of faith to start developing a vaccine for Covid-19 before anyone realised how important it would become! Her research has had immense real-world impacts and is going to save so many lives - I would love to make such a difference one day too!