To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of the BES community. In each post, they discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, means to them.
Emma Sayer
Professor in Ecophysiology
Ulm University, Germany
What work do you do?
Research, teaching, mentoring, and science communication – not necessarily in that order. I love doing research, and I want to ‘share the love’ through teaching, mentoring and science communication. I’m fascinated by how plants interact with their environment and other organisms to form a complex, functioning whole – and what happens when the system is disturbed. A lot of my research revolves around decomposing plant litter, which is much more interesting than it sounds! An astounding array of processes at many scales hinge upon plants and their traits – even after death. And because litter decomposition links above- and belowground subsystems, most terrestrial ecosystems simply couldn’t function properly without it. The other aspects of my job are linked by the same motivation as my research: I think the natural world is simply amazing and I’m lucky to have a job that involves learning new things every day. I try to use this enthusiasm to promote curiosity and a sense of wonderment in others.
How did you get into ecology?
I initially chose to study Biology because I love being outdoors, but it wasn’t until the Ecology module in my 1st year as an undergrad that I found my niche. I’ve always wanted to know how things work, and what could be more intriguing and challenging than understanding the inner workings of a whole ecosystem? When I ended up in Belize doing fieldwork for a 1-year Masters by research, my fate was sealed. It was really hard work in a remote location and everything went wrong, but it was a great adventure and I loved it! For the first time, I realised that I could use my aptitude for problem-solving to turn my curiosity and fascination for nature into a career…
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who manage to be at the top of their game, while remaining considerate and engaged human beings – in any setting or profession. There are too many ‘visionaries’ that are simply horrible to work with. It’s so much easier to get ahead if you’re selfish – you can save time by dumping on other people, neglecting staff or mentees, and generally ignoring anyone and anything that doesn’t serve your purpose. I don’t think being brilliant gives you a license to behave badly towards others, so the people who inspire me are the ones who have the big ideas and drive, but are also willing to muck in on the onerous tasks, and still take the time to support others. Even better if they do it with a smile 🙂
How do you think we could ‘accelerate action’ within ecology and science, to move towards gender equality?
Role models, mentoring, and peer-support. The importance of role models for getting women and minority groups into science is pretty clear, but I think mentoring and peer-support are essential for keeping them there. I know too many women who have left research and academia because they dislike the high-pressure, competitive working environment – and the way it can promote cut-throat behavior. I strongly believe that promoting a more supportive and collaborative working culture is the key to boosting equality and diversity in science. Of course, there is intense competition for funding and a lot of pressure from the top down, but peer-support and mentoring can make a really big difference at the departmental, institute, or group scale.
Read the full collection of blog posts for #IWD2025 here!
