If you’re a researcher and want to know more about the people driving innovation and change, look no further than these six impressive women.
In every industry, there are movers and shakers whose work often leads to the evolution of what is possible and the reimagining of what is possible. The field of research, perhaps more than most, includes those with an inquisitive mind and a vision for the future – think of people like Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and Alice Ball.
In the 20th century, these women were there forward in the research area and their work continues to impact people’s lives today as it did when they first shared.
But who are today’s movers and shakers? Who are the women researchers who answer life’s toughest questions?
Yvonne Buckley
Yvonne Buckley is professor of animal science at Trinity College Dublin. He was also co-chair and founder of the All-Island Climate and Biodiversity Research Network, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Ecology, a member of the National Carbon Budgets Working Group and a member of both the Royal Irish Academy and the Academia Europaea. He leads a team of researchers, post-docs, PhD students and undergraduates who aim to better understand the fundamental drivers of animal and plant population processes.
Their findings are often used to support environmental decisions in the areas of biodiversity conservation, invasive species management and habitat restoration. Earlier this year, he received the Royal Irish Academy’s gold medal for Environmental Sciences, Geography and Geosciences in 2026 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to science, research and scholarship.
Emer McGrath
Prof Emer McGrath is an associate professor in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Galway. He is also an assistant professor at UT Health San Antonio, a neurologist at Galway University Hospital, a Framingham Heart Study investigator and a research associate at Boston University School of Medicine.
His current focus is research on risk factors for dementia and identifying signs of the disease before the patient has memory loss and irreversible brain damage, which can make treatment more difficult.
Ieva Plikusienė
Ieva Plikusienė is a professor and senior researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences and the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius University. His area of research focuses on the development of advanced biosensing systems, designed to detect early warning signs of illness in the human body. The purpose of his work is to help find the best people to design drugs and discover important cancer, virus or bacteria symptoms.
In recognition of her contributions to the research and medtech fields, Plikusienė was recently awarded the prestigious André Mischke award from the Young Academy of Europe.
Sarah Gilbert
Professor Sarah Gilbert is professor of vaccination at the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford. His main research interest is the development of viral vaccines that work by inducing strong and protective T- and B-cell responses. He led work on the development of an influenza vaccine and vaccines for a variety of emerging viruses, including MERS and Lassa virus. He regularly collaborates with colleagues working at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility and the Center for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine in Oxford.
In 2020, he was named the leader of the Oxford project for ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, a vaccine for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. If you’re interested in the vaccine program and related fields, such as preventing future pandemics, Gilbert’s trail may provide some inspiration.
Friederike Otto
Professor Friederike Otto is a renowned researcher and scientist working at the intersection of climate science and environmental policy at Imperial College London.
He is the leader of World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international effort to analyze and communicate the impact of climate change on extreme weather events. You learn how extreme weather events, such as droughts, heat waves and hurricanes, are intensified and made more frequent by climate change. He is also interested in the integration of science, law and policy, and aims to better understand how scientific evidence can be used in law, litigation and more informal governance in strong societies.
He has written numerous reports, was recognized for his founding of WWA in the Time 100 list as one of the world’s most influential people, is the author of two non-fiction books – ‘Angry Weather’ and ‘Climate InJustice’ – and has had his work widely featured in the world’s media, including The Economist, BBC, Times, India, Financial Times, and India.
Abeba Birhane
A brilliant scientist researching AI accountability, Prof Abeba Birhane is the principal investigator of Artificial Intelligence Accountability Lab and assistant professor of AI in the school of Computer Science and Mathematics at Trinity College Dublin. His work ranges from systematic evaluation of AI ecology and management frameworks, to performing algorithmic evaluation. Also important in his research are the goals of challenging and eliminating social and historical inequalities and power asymmetries, making responsible bodies accountable, and paving the way for a future marked by effective AI systems that work for everyone.
He has contributed to several peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed journals, and is a driving force behind ongoing research on AI, ethics and the long-term, societal implications of the technology. He has also been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including being named to the Time 100 Most Influential People in AI 2023 list, and the Distinguished Paper Award 2024 at the IEEE Conference on Secure and Trusted Machine Learning.
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