Celebrating Women in Science: Three Stories from the Trust

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, read how three John Muir Trust team members used the appliance of science to shape their career.

Tuesday 11 February is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day where we have the opportunity to recognise and promote full and equal access to and participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects for women and girls.

At the Trust we're lucky enough to have a great team of female staff leading the way in all areas of our work, from conservation to land management. We'd like to share just a few of their stories today. 

Liv - Fundraising Officer

My background is a mix of geosciences, marine conservation, policy, and fundraising. After earning my BSc in Environmental Science (1st) and MSc in Marine Systems and Policies, I spent time volunteering with conservation charities—restoring peatlands in the Flow Country, managing wetland habitats in Northern Ireland, and raising awareness about marine conservation in Berwickshire.

Before joining the Trust as a fundraiser in December, I also worked for a fundraising consultancy, supporting charities, social enterprises, and community groups across Wales and the Southwest of England. I grew up in Powys, near the Elan Valley, surrounded by lots of wildlife, Celtic woodlands, and peatlands, with parents who always supported my curiosity about the natural world and encouraged my love of wild places through walking and camping. However, I also felt discouraged by the lack of action required to tackle our environmental problems taken by key decision-makers. 

Joining the Trust felt like a natural step, allowing me to blend my fundraising expertise with my knowledge of the physical, social, political, and economic dimensions of environmental management and conservation - something that I really enjoy communicating to our donors. Most importantly, I feel that through fundraising I'm able to facilitate vital land, policy and engagement work to protect some of the UK's most wild and beautiful places.

As well as inspiring my love for the outdoors and wild places, the women in my life continue to be resilient, creative, and compassionate, and have been key role models in shaping me into the woman I am today. I feel really proud to call myself an intersectional feminist and am incredibly lucky to be part of a team filled with brilliant, thoughtful, and trailblazing women and non-binary folk who can bring incredible brains, balance and empathy to conservation work! 

Steph - John Muir Award Officer

My background is in Psychology (1^st BSc Hons Psychology), and I am really interested in the reciprocal relationship between humans and wild places. I was lucky enough to focus on the salutogenesis of wild swimming in my undergrad dissertation.

My inspiration to study the connection between people and wild places came from my experience of caring for my local wild places in Lochaber. I decided I wanted more experience in conservation as it’s an actionable way to care for the landscapes that care for me. I joined the Trust as a Ranger and am now back at the trust as a John Muir Award officer.

My role as a John Muir Award Officer focuses of encouraging others to connect with, protect and restore wild places forming their own special relationships with the land that will support them throughout their lives. I belive my background in psychology has enabled me to communicate the benefits for wild places and people through the John Muir Award.

I'm lucky enough to work with so many incredible female scientists at the Trust. We have such a wealth of knowledge and experience across all the teams and it’s fantastic to work along side such inspirational women!

Ailsa - Corporate Partnerships Manager

Spending almost every holiday and spare weekend as a child in Glen Nevis and the surrounding area, I developed a deep love for nature. Watching the seasons transition from winter to spring, I became fascinated by how ecosystems change and function. That curiosity led me to learn more about our global ecosystem, and I became particularly interested in rainforests. Their critical role in our global ecosystem was captivating, but also their rapid destruction was hugely concerning for me. I began to understand that the loss of wild places wasn’t just a biodiversity crisis; it was a direct threat to human survival.

I felt confident in understanding the science, but what struck me was how little of it seemed to reach decision-makers. There was a clear gap - scientific knowledge existed, but it wasn’t being translated into action at the pace or the scale needed. Initially, I had my sights set on marine biology, but I quickly realised that my real passion lay in engagement: educating and enabling businesses and governments to make decisions that reduce or eliminate negative impacts on our natural world for maximum impact.

Understanding the science remains crucial in my role. It allows me to take complex information and translate it into compelling, accessible content that motivates organisations to act. My goal is always to bridge the gap between knowledge and action. I’m a natural problem solver, and I love enabling businesses to understand the science and create opportunities to create real, lasting change. This is what brought me to the John Muir Trust.

I continue to enjoy our precious oceans and marine life, and will continue to observe, record, and protect our aquatic ecosystems through voluntary conservation work.