Nicola Gaston Honored for Advocating for Science Equity and Public Engagement

Renowned University of Auckland physicist Professor Nicola Gaston has been awarded the Thomson Medal, one of New Zealand’s highest research honors. The award recognizes her transformative leadership and advocacy for scientific equality and public engagement.

Gaston’s work has helped to highlight persistent gender disparities in science. Her 2015 book, Why Science is Sexist, sparked an important conversation about gender bias and its impact on women’s careers in science.

Despite ongoing efforts to address these issues, research continues to show that women in science face significant challenges. They tend to be paid less, hold fewer leadership positions, receive fewer awards, and encounter barriers posed by structural gender discrimination.

Gaston’s research focuses on the computational simulation of nanostructured systems. Her passion for understanding the roots of gender bias in science led her to write the book Why Science is Sexist.

„This is what I was trained to do as a scientist. So why is science sexist? Science is sexist because we’re doing science,“ she said.

„Unfortunately, we make sexist and other types of biased judgments all the time.

In recent years, various initiatives have been launched to promote diversity in the sciences, including goals, more inclusive work arrangements, and programs aimed at eliminating unconscious bias in the hiring and promotion process.

The Thomson Medal also recognizes Gaston’s contributions as co-director of the McDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at the University of Victoria and during her two-year tenure as president of the New Zealand Society of Scientists.

During her presidency, she played a key role in transforming the proposed Guidelines for Public Participation into guidelines that support, rather than restrict, the participation of scientists in public discussions on issues of public importance.

Gaston’s nominees for the medal praised her „critical intelligence in choosing her battles“ and her „tenacious courage in speaking truth to power.“

One judge agreed, saying, „Professor Gaston is not only an outstanding scientist, but also a skillful scientific leader who has demonstrated her ability to contribute to the solution of major problems.