Jean Purdy
Jessica Adams
Jean Purdy trained as a nurse at Addenbrooke’s Hospital before joining the laboratory of Robert Edwards in the Cambridge Physiology Department as a research assistant in 1968. The lab’s goal was to fertilise a human egg outside of the body – a process now known as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) – with the eventual aim of implanting the embryo into a prospective mother.
Although Purdy’s official role was to manage the laboratory, she did far more than administrative work. Edwards later described her contribution as “crucial” to the project. She was often the only person, besides Edwards himself, trusted to work in the lab, meticulously recording results, organising equipment, and making key observations.
Purdy was also the first to recognise and describe the formation of the human blastocyst – one of the earliest stages of human development. She went on to co-author 26 research papers with Edwards. Alongside gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, their work ultimately led to the birth of the world’s first IVF baby in 1978. Since then, IVF has helped bring about an estimated 12 million births worldwide.
“Next time you walk past the Physiology Department and see the plaque commemorating Edwards, take a moment to remember Jean Purdy”
Tragically, Purdy died in 1985 at just 39 after a short battle with cancer. In the years that followed, Edwards repeatedly emphasised her importance to the project, stating that there were “three pioneers of IVF, not just two”, referring to himself, Steptoe, and Purdy. He also campaigned (unsuccessfully) for Purdy’s name to be added to the commemorative plaque at the fertility clinic in Oldham where the first IVF treatment took place.
So the next time you walk past the Physiology Department and see the plaque commemorating Edwards, take a moment to remember Jean Purdy – a scientist whose vital role in the development of IVF was long overlooked.
Professor Dame Athene Donald
Sophie Patel
Professor Dame Athene Donald is a Professor Emerita of Cambridge University who worked here for 43 years, from 1981 until her retirement in 2024. Her research bridged multiple disciplines, focusing on the fascinating interface between physics and soft matter biology. Despite her wide interests, she is primarily a physicist (and was based in the Cavendish Laboratory), and has been recognised for excellence in her field on numerous occasions, including her 2010 DBE for services to Physics, and the Institute of Physics Michael Faraday Medal and Prize in the same year (amongst many others) exemplifying her contributions to science.
“Her research bridged multiple disciplines, focusing on the fascinating interface between physics and soft matter biology”
Beyond her research, Professor Dame Donald advocates for women in traditionally male dominated STEM fields. Her book ‘Not Just for the Boys: Why We Need More Women in Science’ explores the barriers faced by women in the physical sciences, and having read it myself I found it to be a great encouragement to take a leap into a degree in the physical sciences. In addition to her accomplished research and writing, she served as the Master of Churchill College for 10 years, being the first woman to hold the position. She currently has an active online blog where she discusses equality in the sciences, and recently wrote her own piece for International Women’s Day.
Dr Kamala Sohonie
Yu Tong Lim
In 1933, a young Kamala Sohonie arrived at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru hoping to secure a research fellowship. The institute’s director was C.V. Raman, a Nobel laureate and arguably the most respected scientist in India at the time, but he also held very traditional views. He bluntly rejected Kamala, telling her: “I am not going to take any girls in my institute!”
“He bluntly rejected Kamala, telling her, “I am not going to take any girls in my institute!””
Kamala refused to be turned away. She staged a satyagraha – a form of peaceful protest developed by Mahatma Gandhi, whom she greatly admired, and was then leading the Indian independence movement – and refused to leave Raman’s office. Eventually he relented and admitted her, but only on probation, and with the condition that she would not ‘distract’ his male researchers.
Despite this hostility, Kamala’s work quickly proved her capability. She performed so well that after she completed her MSc, IISc opened its doors to women. She later continued her research at Cambridge, working in the laboratories of Derek Richter, Robert Hill and Nobel laureate Frederick Hopkins. Her PhD thesis, which examined the role of the protein cytochrome c in plants, was groundbreaking, despite spanning only 40 pages and taking just 14 months to complete.
Yet despite a promising career in Cambridge, Kamala chose to return to India after earning her PhD. According to her son, she was deeply moved by the independence movement and felt compelled to contribute to her country. She went on to hold professorships and leadership roles at major institutes, including serving as director of the Royal Institute of Science.
Her research focused on the nutritional content of legumes and other foods commonly consumed by poor communities in India. Most famously, she investigated the nutritional value of palm extract; her work and advocacy on this earned her the prestigious Rashtrapati Award.
Throughout her life, Kamala Sohonie not only broke barriers for women in science, but also applied her research to real-world problems, using science to serve her country and its most vulnerable populations.
Dr Helen Megaw
Dhruv Shenai
Dr Helen Megaw was an Irish crystallographer who joined Cambridge’s physics department when it was headed by Nobel Prize winner W.L. Bragg. Megaw quickly established her niche in inorganic crystals, and became one of the earliest and most prolific researchers in the field of ferroelectrics. She discovered the crystal structure of perovskites – remarkable materials central to modern electronics that may soon revolutionise solar technology.
Described as “initially formidable”, I first learnt about Megaw in a conversation with eminent physicist Archie Howie. He recalled the daunting experience of presenting his research to her. Yet many of her students and peers are quick to note ‘the chinks in her armour’: her humour and kindness.
“Glazer’s paper went on to become his most cited – a testament to Megaw’s brilliance and high standards”
One former student, Professor Mike Glazer, recalls receiving a scathing, six-page set of referee comments on a paper he submitted. Furious, he went to Megaw, who helped him improve the paper. When he resubmitted it, the paper returned with another two pages of similarly detailed criticism. Once again, Glazer was outraged and had to be reassured by Megaw. Eventually the paper passed review – only for Glazer to later discover that Megaw herself had been the referee.
Megaw’s approach offers a model for supervision: supportive, but unafraid to push students further. Glazer’s paper went on to become his most cited – a testament to Megaw’s brilliance and high standards. Megaw died in 2002 at the age of 94.