03 Jul 08

Dr Tamsin Mather has travelled around the world analysing samples of volcanic plumes

An earth scientist at Oxford University has won a national award that marks her out as one of the UK’s most promising young female researchers. Dr Tamsin Mather was one of four scientists to be awarded a L’Oréal–UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science at a ceremony held at the Royal Institution last night.

The £15,000 fellowships for outstanding female postdoctoral researchers will allow Dr Mather and the other winners to further their research careers.

Dr Tamsin Mather is a Research Councils UK Fellow in Physics and Chemistry of the Earth and Environment and is based at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford. Her work looks at volcanic emissions and their effect on the local and global environment and she has travelled all around the world to analyse samples of volcanic plumes.

Volcano emissions can perturb the environment both locally and globally, but also maintain natural balances in the world. ‘It’s important to understand all this because mankind is really changing our environment and it’s important to understand the natural processes that we are interacting with,’ says Dr Mather.

She proposes to use her fellowship to study the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, to help determine which volcanoes worldwide may be the source of potentially harmful chemicals to the environment such as halogens and mercury.

The L’Oreal–UNESCO UK and Ireland fellowships are designed to promote the vital importance of greater participation of women in science, and are run in partnership with the UK National Commission for UNESCO, the Royal Institution of Great Britain and the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET).

Baroness Susan Greenfield, the Director of the Royal Institution and chair of the L’Oréal For Women In Science jury panel commented: ‘It’s crazy to disadvantage 50% of the scientific workforce. It’s crazy to invest in educating and training people and then ignore them and their talent in later life.’

‘Approximately 50,000 women with SET qualifications are not working in these sectors. Many women leave each year, often due to maternity leave, and do not return to pursue a career in science,’ Baroness Greenfield added. ‘Women can bring a different dimension to science that has perhaps not been recognised over the course of history and today’s awards ceremony celebrates that fact. That is why the L’Oréal fellowships have been designed to be totally flexible. Winners may choose to spend their fellowship award on paying for childcare costs, or buying an assistant’s time – whatever enables them to continue with their research in a way that suits them.'