Science and Innovation

This year, the theme of LGBTQ+ History Month is Science and Innovation. LGBTQ+ History Month celebrates queer people's existence throughout all human history; this year its aim is to highlight their contributions towards scientific progress and innovation historically and today. We have chosen to highlight these two LGBTQ+ scientists and innovators as they inspire us as students to use our work and careers to push for change. 

Barbara Burford - Medical Researcher who Strived for Equality  

Barbara Burford (1944-2010) had a very varied career. She worked as a medical researcher in the NHS, specialising in electron microscopy and later at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital in Developmental Cardiology. Burford was also an avid writer producing plays, short stories, poems and science fiction novels with feminist themes. Her writing achieved critical acclaim, being included in many anthologies and her play Patterns (exploring women’s labour) was performed in The Drill Theatre, Oval in 1984. She was appointed as the Director of Equality for the Department of Health from 1999 to 2002 and was honoured with an OBE for services to the NHS. A key piece of work she produced was Positively Diverse, a handbook of guidelines on achieving equality in the NHS that is still used by trusts today.  

Burford advanced the field of medical research and education, established equality guidelines for the NHS, and advanced the field of feminist literature, by being a contributor to the first anthology of Black British women's writings, A Dangerous Knowing. I was inspired by Burford’s wide variety of passions which she pursued to such a high standard. Being a renowned scientist, civil servant and author, she used creative, scientific and political avenues to push for change within the NHS, as well as society at large. She survived by her civil partner, Joy Howard and her daughter, and she was honoured by the Gay Times with an eponymous Excellence in STEM award to recognise LGBTQ+ individuals who have made a difference in their field. 

Sarina Allan, Final Year Medical Student 

References: 

1. UCL Medical Sciences – LGBTQ+ Pioneers in Surgery (Barbara Burford section): 
   University College London. LGBTQ+ Pioneers in Surgery [Internet]. London: UCL; 2023 [cited 2026 Jan 30]. Available from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/about/campaigns/lgbtq-pioneers-surgery 

1. The Guardian obituary for Barbara Burford: 
   Worrow E. Barbara Burford obituary [Internet]. The Guardian; 2010 May 26 [cited 2026 Jan 30]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/may/26/barbara-burford-obituary 

Nergis Mavalvala - I am an Astrophysicist 

Dr. Nergis Mavalvala is a Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a research focus on the detection of gravitational waves and quantum measurement science. She is best known for her work on the detection of gravitational waves in 2016, as part of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project. She is a highly awarded physicist and a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, or ‘genius award’.  

Dr. Mavalvala identifies herself as a queer woman of color and is seen as a role model for many young aspiring female scientists in South Asia. She has been interviewed by Pakistan Newspaper Dawn about her life and career and has spoken openly about her upbringing and motivations: “I grew up in a family where the stereotypical gender roles were not really observed. So, I grew up thinking that women can, must, and should do anything and everything. That is very important for me.” Dr. Mavalvala was born in Lahore and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. She always liked maths and sciences, and during her early education, she knew she wanted to stay in the sciences but still appreciated the creative process of the arts.  

After obtaining her O-Levels and A-levels in Karachi, in 1986, she moved to the United States, where she received a B.A. from Wellesley College in physics and astronomy. Dr. Mavalvala completed her PhD at MIT. She shares that her graduate journey was not so easy, as she failed her PhD candidacy exams a few times before passing. She emphasises the importance of pushing through any challenges and obstacles you face, as the good things you want are waiting for you on the other side. The skills she gained helped her rise in academia, and later she worked as a postdoctoral researcher and then a research scientist at the California Institute of Technology. Here, she started her work with the cosmic microwave background, and then eventually began working on LIGO. Her research is focused on astrophysics, which includes building and using extremely sensitive lasers and mirrors to detect objects and waves in space. 

Building on the work on the detection of gravitational waves with LIGO, Dr. Mavalvala has also conducted pioneering experiments on the generation and application of squeezed states of light, and on laser cooling and trapping of macroscopic objects to enable observation of quantum phenomena in human-scale systems, to build greater sensitivity in the detectors. Additionally, she works in quantum physics, particularly in the development of exotic quantum states of light, and particularly the generation of light in squeezed coherent states. These states have been used to further improve the sensitivity of the LIGO detectors by reducing quantum noise.  

Answering scientific questions often leads to more questions instead of just one right answer. She is motivated by the scientific process and believes in applying creativity to her work to make her a better scientist. Dr. Mavalvala is also interested in STEAM education, breaking stereotypes, and encouraging kids to study both art and science, thus being an inspiring figure for young scientists everywhere. 

Argena Golloshi - 4th Year Physics with Astrophysics, WQPP President 

Jemima June Mamelok - 2nd Year Physics with Astrophysics, WQPP Events Officer. 

References: 

1. Nergis Mavalvala (2024) I Am A Scientist. Available at: 

https://www.iamascientist.info/nergis-mavalvala (Accessed: 23 January 2026). 

2. Nergis Mavalvala (2025) Wikipedia. Available at: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nergis_Mavalvala (Accessed: 23 January 2026). 

3. Nergis Mavalvala phd ’97 " MIT Physics (2025) MIT Physics. Available at: 

https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/nergis-mavalvala/ (Accessed: 23 January 2026).