Women In COG Project

Women In COG

I was very excited when this brief landed in my inbox. The client was looking to create a coffee table book, with profiles of 20 female scientists. The aim was to shine a light on their personalities and celebrate their work and achievements in COG.

It was such a privilege to travel around the UK and document these fantastic women. I spent a good few hours with each of them, listening to their stories and finding out more about them. It was incredibly insightful, educational, and I walked away feeling very inspired by each and every one of them.

Here’s a first look at the Women In COG book!

coffee table book titled: Snapshots of women in cog: scientific excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic

What is COG?

COG (COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium) was a group of academic institutions and public health agencies created to collect sequence and analyse genomes of SARS-CoV-2 at scale, as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

coffee table book titled: Snapshots of women in cog: scientific excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic
coffee table book titled: Snapshots of women in cog: scientific excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic
coffee table book titled: Snapshots of women in cog: scientific excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic

What did the project entail?

I travelled up and down the UK photographing 20 different humans, travelled over 3,000 miles and took 6,226 images in total.

I ventured to Scotland, Wales, Portsmouth, Cambridge, Nottingham and of course, London to document these powerhouse women.

Take a look at some of my favourite portraits of the women in COG project below and read some inspiring quotes from these fabulous women.

Colby Benari sits on peach chair in the Allbright building with black laptop next to her on table
Dr Áine O'Toole sits on University style tiered seating in a lecture hall at the University of Edinburgh Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Dr Lisa Levett, BEM stands against foliage backdrop while wearing navy blazer and white blouse
Angie Beckett, Specialist Research Technician, stands in the University of Portsmouth lab | women in COG

“My advice to women starting out in their career is: don’t underestimate yourself. Anybody can do science, and you’re not expected to know everything. It can seem intimidating to begin a career in science, but if you are curious and open to learning, then you can – and you should – do it.”

Angie Beckett

Dr Rachel Colquhoun - Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Edinburgh Institute of Evolutionary Biology | women in COG
Dame June Raine, DBE - Chief Executive | women in COG
Dr Nadine Holmes & Victoria Wright | Facility Manager, University of Nottingham | Laboratory Manager, University of Nottingham | women in COG
Dr Catherine Moore, MBE | Consultant Clinical Scientist, Public Health Wales | women in COG

“Be confident in your abilities – there’s a huge amount of potential out there. Choose your heroes wisely. I think science is still a very male-dominated field, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use your voice as a woman to ensure you are heard.”

Dr Catherine Moore, MBE

Colby Benari | women in COG
Professor Emma Thomson, OBE | Professor of Infectious Diseases, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research | women in COG
Dr Sam Barrell, CBE | Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Francis Crick Institute | women in COG
Professor Judith Breuer, Professor of Virology and Director of the Pathogen Genomics Unit, University College London | women in COG

“Having a clear purpose in the work that you’re doing is motivational, and one piece of advice is – to try and identify what your key purpose is – it will help you to retain your energy and not get ground down.

I think another vital – and underrated – piece of advice would be to keep learning, and crucially, keep having fun in whatever you’re doing. Learning is nourishing for the soul. But don’t forget about having fun; I think that really matters in the workplace.”

Dr Sam Barrell

Dr Sharon Glaysher, Specialist Biomedical Scientist, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust | women in COG
Dr Sally Corden, Clinical Scientist and Head of Unit, Pathogen Genomics Laboratory Team, Public Health Wales | women in COG
Dr Rachel Colquhoun - Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Edinburgh Institute of Evolutionary Biology | women in COG
Dr Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Virology Clinical Lead, Barts Health NHS Trust | women in COG

“Have confidence in yourself and to find the thing that excites you. If it excites you, you’ll enjoy it.”

Dr Rachel Colquhoun

Dr Sharon Glaysher, Specialist Biomedical Scientist, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust | women in COG
Angela Douglas MBE, Deputy Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England | women in COG
Dr Jude Heaney, Lead Molecular Scientist, Heath Services Laboratories & Dr Lisa Levett, BEM, Director of Genetics and Molecular Pathology, Health Services Laboratories
Dr Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief, Nature | women in COG

“A career in science is the most exciting profession you can get into, as not only does it fill your mind, but it also fills your heart. Working in science and healthcare has given me a real purpose in life.”

Angela Douglas, MBE

Colby Benari, Chief Executive Officer, In2scienceUK
Professor Charlotte Summers, Interim Director, Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge | women in COG
Dr Nadine Holmes | women in COG
Dr Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Virology Clinical Lead, Barts Health NHS Trust | women in COG

“Say yes to new opportunities, ask for advice, learn as much as you can, but please stop apologising. As women, we tend to apologise so much more than men and we need to stop feeling like people are doing us a favour by giving us a seat at the table. We have earned it!”

Dr Teresa Cutino-Moguel

Beth Blane, Research Assistant and Laboratory Manager, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge
Allyson Lloyd, Microbiology Lab Manager, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust with Kelly Bicknell, Virology Specialist Clinical Scientist, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Dr Nadine Holmes & Victoria Wright | Facility Manager, University of Nottingham | Laboratory Manager, University of Nottingham | women in COG
Dr Áine O'Toole, University of Edinburgh Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Professor Charlotte Summers, Interim Director, Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge | women in COG

“Focus on the areas that you have a strong interest in, which will feed your enthusiasm throughout your career. However, it is important to keep track of the wider pictures, and not become too engrossed in the small part of science that you’re working in. Science is ever evolving, and the focus of your work can sometimes change quite dramatically – as we have seen from the COVID-19 pandemic. But this keeps your work fresh and exciting. Playing even a small part in improving healthcare for others is always extremely rewarding, and I would recommend it to anyone.”

Beth Blane

Over the shoulder shot of female using a pipette in a laboratory

What an amazing project to have been a part of

I worked with a creative agency for this job, so if that’s you and you have a client that has a similar project in mind, please reach out, I’d love to hear from you.

As ever, you can find more ramblings and BTS on my Instagram and a few insightful posts here and there on my LinkedIn profile. To see more portraits of the incredible women I’ve photographed in my career, head on over to the personal branding portfolio.