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Drugs and cell trafficking: Lessons from calcium channels#

Date: 19th March 2025, 13.00-14.00 UK, online event

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Annette Dolphin FMedSci FRS MAE, President of The Physiological Society, will discuss her career in science and share her experiences as a woman in the field. This talk is part of Cardiff University’s BioConnect Seminar Series and is supported by AE Cardiff.


Annette Dolphin
Professor Annette Dolphin MAE

About Annette Dolphin MAE#

Annette Dolphin is a Professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, at University College London. She has made major discoveries with respect to neuronal voltage-gated calcium channels, their modulation and roles in disease.

She has received a number awards for her work, including the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) Sandoz Prize and the Pfizer Prize in Biology. She has also been awarded prize lectures such as the G. L. Brown Prize Lecture of The Physiological Society, the Mary Pickford Lecture of the University of Edinburgh, the Physiological Society Annual Review Prize Lecture (2015), the Mabel Fitzgerald lecture for female scientists, Oxford (2019) and the 17th David Smith lecture, Oxford (2023).

Professor Dolphin was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1999, the Royal Society in 2015 and Academia Europaea's Physiology and Neuroscience section in 2018. She became President of The Physiological Society in December 2024.

A short interview with Annette Dolphin#

Why do you think it’s important to mark International Women’s Day in scientific spaces like this seminar?

“Firstly, to celebrate how far women have come in getting recognition in scientific endeavour, secondly to recognise how far we still need to go to achieve parity, and thirdly because, as we look on aghast at what is currently happening to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the USA, we have to acknowledge that it is necessary to continuously monitor and assert our rights.”



What do you hope attendees will take away from your talk?

“That the situation for female scientists has changed beyond recognition compared to when I was starting out in my career, but there is still a long way to go.”



Throughout your career, how have you seen the landscape change for women in science, and what challenges remain?

“So much has changed in terms of workplace culture and the old-boy network. No-one would ask a job applicant not to have a child within 3 years of being appointed, as happened to me! However, I know there are still massive challenges for women in science, particularly in terms of juggling their scientific productivity with maternity and childcare, and also care of elderly parents.”



What advice do you have for young women aspiring to leadership roles in scientific research and professional societies?

“Don’t take on too much at too young an age; pick and choose what roles to take on; be a bit selfish and concentrate on your own career. Women are still in the minority, and they get disproportionately asked to fulfil university and external leadership roles to a greater extent that men, which is not always advantageous to their own scientific advancement.”





The interview was posted on the 17th February 2025 and conducted by the Academia Europaea Cardiff Knowledge Hub.
For further information please contact GerasimenkoJV@cardiff.ac.uk.

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