The Superstars of Environmental Science
Do you have a passion for the planet? An interest in science and conservation? A curiosity for discovery and research? Then a career in environmental science could be for you!
This week we’re rounding up four amazing women to give you an idea of types of careers in environmental science. These women have pushed the boundaries in their fields and made tangible impacts on the protection and understanding of our beautiful natural ecosystems.
Read on for the profiles of these four incredible women in STEM.
Dr Phoebe Meagher
Wildlife Conservationist
Phoebe spent her childhood chasing stingrays through the surf and has always been fascinated by wildlife and the wild places they inhabit.
After working closely with sharks at a Sydney aquarium, she completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science, Marine Biology, where she received first-class honours for her novel work assessing the genetic diversity of Grey Nurse sharks in Australia.
Phoebe has been mentored by some of the greatest minds in science and science communication at leading institutions including The Centre of Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities and The Australian Museum.
Phoebe received a full PhD scholarship to investigate reproductive biology and fishery impact in rays and was concurrently awarded the Teaching Fellowship at the University of Sydney.
Now at Taronga Conservation Society Australia she divides her time between managing research and pathology at the Wildlife Hospital and leading her own research and lecturing at the new Institute of Science and Learning. Using her experience in pathology combined with her understanding and passion for wildlife conservation, Phoebe leads the way forward in the emerging field of conservation forensics. Her recent groundbreaking work was accepted for publication and subsequently received media attention, including the cover story of the most recent Australian Geographic.
Dr Sharon Hook
Environmental Toxicologist
Dr Sharon Hook was born in Pittsburgh (USA), when it was still a steel town. After steel crashed, the mill sites frequently could not be redeveloped because of groundwater contamination. This began Sharon’s life-long interest in pollution and its environmental effects. She has a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Smith College (MA, USA) and a Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography from Stony Brook University (NY, USA). She moved to Australia and joined CSIRO in 2009. Sharon works across disciplines to introduce new ideas into environmental toxicology. Her dissertation research utilised oceanographic tracer studies to demonstrate the toxicity of metals in food - traditionally dissolved metals were considered the most toxic. She was also among the first to use modern genomics based approaches in environmental toxicology -and one of the first to demonstrate that these modern molecular techniques could be used in the ‘real world’- for non-model organisms in the field.
Her research has influenced policy. She was lead author on the oil spill monitoring handbook, now adopted as Australia’s national plan for a maritime emergency. She also highlighted that modern use pesticides may be impacting fisheries and aquaculture. Sharon enjoys bushwalks with her family, cooking, reading ‘pulp’ novels, and running (slowly).
Dr Ellen Moon
Environmental Engineer
Dr Ellen Moon is a lecturer in environmental engineering at Deakin University. Her research focuses on developing sustainable remediation strategies for land and water contaminated with heavy metals. Her work combines fieldwork, lab work and synchrotron-based analyses to understand the molecular-scale processes that ultimately control the way heavy metals move through the environment.
Ellen received her PhD from the University of Southampton (UK) in 2012. She moved to Australia in 2011 and since then has worked in both industry and academia, on a range of projects including the environmental sustainability of industrial processes and the resilience of remediated landscapes to climate change. She has also been involved in national scientific policy design related to waste management.
In 2017, Ellen travelled to Antarctica to participate in Homeward Bound, a ground-breaking leadership, strategy and science communication initiative for women in science. She uses her experiences in Antarctica to engage young people in the importance of STEM-based careers for tackling current and future global challenges.
Ellen is a proud advocate for women in STEM and strives to make science & engineering more accessible to young women.
Dr Deborah Bower
Ecologist specialising in amphibians and reptiles
Reptiles and amphibians can squirt blood out of their eyes in defence, push bones out of their hands for grip and drink through their feet. They are truly awesome. Researching how we can conserve these remarkable species for future generations is at the core of Debbie's work. She holds a position as a Lecturer in Ecosystem Rehabilitation in the Laboratory for Applied Zoology and Ecosystem Rehabilitation (LAZER) at the University of New England in Armidale, country New South Wales.
Debbie’s Ph.D. was awarded by the University of Canberra and she has since published over 30 scientific publications on the ecology and conservation of wildlife. Making science available to everyone is Debbie's goal and passion. This manifests in community frog hunts, frog life cycle dances for children and writing a weekly nature column for Fairfax Media. As a LGBTQI and Women in STEM activist, Debbie is working to increase equality in environmental science.