Following an introduction from Professor Tim Rogers, Professor Tiffany Taylor opened the event with her lecture titled 'An eye-witness account of evolution from the lab'.
Tiffany outlined her early years and her decision to study her undergraduate degree in Evolutionary Biology, which was not her original intention. Following her undergraduate degree she moved to the University of Oxford for her DPhil.
She moved on to develop her career at the University of Reading, and following a short teaching fellowship she received a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship and joined the University of Bath in 2016, where she was promoted to Professor in June 2023.
Her research has since expanded to include the genomic factors influencing evolutionary predictability and the spread and maintenance of bacterial defence systems.
Tiffany also highlighted her passion for early years science communication. She has written a total of three books on evolutionary biology for an audience ranging from 6 - 12 years.
Professor Momna Hejmadi followed with her lecture titled 'From hypoxia to higher education'.
Momna recounted her academic journey from completing her PhD in Radiation Oncology at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, to postdoctoral research in Brookhaven labs New York, Belfast, and Bath.
Momna gave an overview of how she moved from researcher to educator, becoming Professor of Bioscience Education in 2019. She outlined her work on MOOCs and widening participation.
She also explained her progression into several senior leadership roles, including her current roles of Associate Dean, International and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (Education Quality & Enhancement)
Both talks were inspirational and inspiring and were well received by the audience.
Please take a look at our Faculty of Science Inaugural Lecture Series events page for further talks taking place this academic year.