What They Don’t Tell You About Academia: Lessons from Women in Neuroscience - A Review of WiNUK Day: Minds Matter
- Rebecca Pope
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
On 9th May 2025, Women in Neuroscience UK (WiNUK) hosted their much-anticipated WiNUK Day: Minds Matter event in collaboration with the University of Nottingham. Held in the Great Hall on University Campus, this event brought together a vibrant community of researchers to tackle the often-overlooked topic of mental health in academia and to spotlight cutting-edge research on women’s health. If you missed it, don’t worry - here’s a rundown of the key moments and take-home messages!
Opening Reflections: Challenges and Change
WiNUK founder, Elizabeth English, a final-year PhD student in dementia research and a passionate advocate for equity in neuroscience, opened the day with a personal and powerful reflection of the challenges and triumphs faced by women in STEM. Lizzie discussed her early passion for science through to her reasons for founding WiNUK, from her struggle to find role models in a male-dominated field to the sexism and gender bias facing many women who are navigating academia.
She celebrated the progress WiNUK has made over the past three years, building a supportive network alongside raising awareness of gendered experiences in STEM. A stark reminder of the continued need for WiNUK came in the form of an interactive survey at the start of the conference: over 81% of attendees reported noticing gender bias in neuroscience, and the rest claiming they were ‘not sure’.
Mental Health in Academia: A Personal Perspective
Our first speaker, Dr Caitlin Smith, Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, studies sensorimotor mechanisms in Tourette Syndrome using neuroimaging and brain stimulation. Her talk was titled Brainstorms, Breakdowns and Breakthroughs: Insights From A Very Very Early Career Researcher. She spoke candidly about the ups and downs of her mental health journey during her PhD and beyond, highlighting how the pressures of academia can take a toll. She also drew attention to the number of women leaving academia, predominantly due to balancing life and work, child rearing and gender bias.
Caitlin shared a tough lesson from her own experience: after losing a significant portion of her data due to a hard drive failure, she urged everyone to back up their work regularly - a small action that can save a huge amount of stress! She also reflected on becoming somewhat of a recluse during her thesis write-up, noting that while isolation might feel productive in the moment, maintaining social connection and balance is far healthier and more sustainable in the long run.
Wisdom and Wellbeing
Dr. Susan Pawlby, Senior Research Fellow and clinician at King’s College London (1990-2016), whose work has shaped our understanding of mother-baby relationships, delivered her talk titled Wisdom and Well-Being: A Researcher’s Perspective on Mental Health.
Reflecting on her long career, which began in the 1970s, she recalled the Loch Lomond Symposium where, as a postgraduate student, she was one of just four women invited by her supervisor to attend. Susan offered heartfelt advice to early-career researchers, urging them to advocate for their work, prioritise life outside the lab, and most memorably, to adopt a “life-work” balance, rather than the other way around.
“You’re all amazing, inspiring, up and coming neuroscientists. And your legacy will be there” Dr Susan Pawlby
Susan also spoke openly about taking a ten-year ‘break’ to raise her three children - but importantly, she had published before having children and continued publishing each year thereafter. She encouraged others to negotiate flexible working (make sure you explore shared parental leave options): be prepared to work and play hard! Her advice on careers? Be honest, know yourself, and apply for roles that align with who you really are. Following her retirement, Susan remains deeply connected to the academic world, sharing invaluable lessons from her long career. She shared a wealth of anecdotes from her career, both during her talk and in the lively Q&A sessions that followed, offering insights drawn from decades of academic experience.
Breaking Barriers in Global Academia
Next, Assistant Professor JeYoung Jung from the University of Nottingham shared her experiences of gender disparity in academia, particularly from her early career in South Korea. At Korea University, only one woman has reached the rank of Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience - a statistic unchanged in 20 years!
JeYoung highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated publishing inequalities, especially for women with caregiving responsibilities. She reminded us that while progress is being made, systemic challenges persist - and visibility is crucial.
Panel Discussion: Perspectives on Gender, Equity and Wellbeing
Facilitated by Sakaorna Jeyanathan, our panel featured five experts from across neuroscience and mental health to explore how gender, equity, and wellbeing intersect in the scientific workplace. Through personal reflections and professional insight, the discussion spotlighted how structural pressures - from academic precarity to gendered expectations - shape not just careers, but also mental health.
Speakers shared lived experiences and practical strategies for creating more supportive environments in neuroscience, both in and beyond the lab. These conversations laid the groundwork for our fact files - quick-reference guides based on key themes from the panel, designed to inform, empower, and spark change.
Questions included:
Can you summarise in a few words how you navigate your mental health as a woman in neuroscience?
Have you experienced or observed any disparities in gender in research or the academic community?
Have any of the points mentioned affected your wellbeing, if so, how have they affected your wellbeing?
If you could give one piece of advice to a younger woman entering academia and neuroscience today, what would it be?
Swipe through their responses in the fact files below:
Championing Women’s Health Research
We then turned to a powerful series of talks from early-career researchers exploring women’s health:
Simran presented Exploring Black Women's Experiences of Seeking Support for Menstrual and Gynaecological Health Issues. She shared that despite historical progress, recent UK surveys reveal that 50% of women still feel their pain is ignored. Black women, in particular, were found to face higher rates of chronic illness and poorer reproductive health outcomes. Simran’s research illuminated a gap in trust, diagnosis, and support - including the healthcare system’s overreliance on the contraceptive pill.
A third-year PhD student, Prerita, is studying working memory changes across the menopausal transition. With 90% of women reporting menopause affects their work and many misdiagnosed by their doctors, her research aims to identify structural brain markers tied to menopause stages. Prerita is currently recruiting - Nottingham locals, click here to help shape the future of menopause research, whilst getting paid to do it!
Peehu introduced the difference between PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) - the latter being a debilitating condition affecting mood and cognition before menstruation. Peehu shared how hormones, stress, and inflammation contribute to PMDD, and discussed available treatment options. She also urged the scientific community to increase funding and visibility, particularly for female-specific conditions. See our blog on PMDD here for further information!
Final Thoughts
WiNUK Day: Minds Matter was a celebration of shared experience, resilience, and research that doesn’t just ask questions, but demands change. From mental health to menstrual health, from academia’s past to its future - this event reminded us all that science is better when it’s inclusive, and that wellbeing should not be a luxury, but a foundation.
“Whatever stage you’re at, challenge the status quo” Professor Claire Gibson on asking for supportive policies when no policy exists
This article was written by Rebecca Pope and edited by Lizzie English, with graphics produced by Suzana Sultan, Rebecca Pope, and Ginevra Sperandio. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.
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