Women in STEM: Bioinformatician Emma Scully shares her story

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with three of our female researchers about their journeys into the world of science. One of them is bioinformatician Emma Scully from reNEW Melbourne, who shares her story and the path that led her to pursue a career in science.

What fascinates you about science?
I love that science is self-correcting – we’re always making predictions, developing theories, and revisiting our past ideas when presented with new evidence. Scientists are ready to admit making mistakes, it’s how we all learn. I think that that’s such an important sense of humility that I try to apply to all aspects of my life.

What was it that made you choose a career in science?
I’ve always been someone eager to learn and just figure out as much as I can about the world – so a career in science was something that just made sense. I like knowing how the things around me work. Specifically, the biomedical science space was really exciting to me to combine my love of science and the opportunity to research how to improve the health and lives of many.

3D image of engrafted kidney tissue. Photo: Emma Scully, bioinformatician and Dr. Kynan Lawlor, associate investigator, Little lab, reNEW Melbourne.

Did you have any role models that inspired you?
As a child I was absolutely obsessed with Violet Baudelaire from the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” books – I think the representation of her being an amazing inventor was really important to see as a young girl. It wasn’t until university that I was introduced to ‘real world’ women scientists. Like many young women who are computer programmers and engineers – I was inspired by Ada Lovelace. I found out about her when learning about the history of computing at university and I found her life so fascinating. I do wish I saw more representation of real women scientists and engineers earlier in life too.

What inspirational message would you give to young people to pursue a career in science?
A career in science is such a rewarding pathway to take. Science is so broad, there are so many fascinating areas to contribute to and we’re making discoveries every day. I think it’s important to remember that everyone feels imposter syndrome sometimes and that it just means you’re aware of what gaps in your knowledge you need to fill!