International Day of Women and Girls in Science with Dr Shannon Sahlqvist

Share a bit about your journey to where you are now. 

I haven’t always been passionate about sustainability. While my journey to where I am today has certainly involved some deliberate decisions, a lot has been outside my control and not by design.

From a young age I was interested in health and wanted to study medicine.

In third year of a Bachelor of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland, I undertook a subject called Health Promotion and from then on I no longer wanted to work treating disease, I wanted to prevent it.

I took on a PhD developing and evaluating a website physical activity intervention. After that, I found it very hard to find ongoing work – until I finally got a break, securing a fellowship with the University of Cambridge. I was to work on the iConnect Project, a large natural experiment to evaluate the impact of new walking and cycling infrastructure on physical activity and carbon emissions.

This is where my sustainability journey really began.

The idea that by researching ways to prompt a switch from car travel to walking or cycling I could contribute to finding solutions to two of the greatest challenges facing society – preventing chronic disease while mitigating climate change – was captivating.

The opportunity to live in Cambridge without a car, to be able to ride my bike everywhere and feel like a legitimate road user, has continued to shape me, my research and my understanding of what is possible.

Since then, I have stayed steadfast in my commitment to promote active travel as an alternative to car travel.

What have you found challenging in your career?

I feel very fortunate to have been able to work part-time for the past decade or so – it has enabled me to continue doing a job that I love and that gives me purpose, while spending time with my children. But of course in academia, if you are not working, that work is not getting done, so I think working part-time forces you to continually re-affirm your values.  There are projects that I say ‘yes’ to even if they mean working on my ‘non-paid workdays’ because they are important to me and to IPAN. Conversely, there are things I say ‘no’ to because the professional gain is not worth the time away from family.

In my current role I wear many hats (this is true for most academics). I have a research hat, a teaching hat and a leadership hat and they are largely disparate. Success requires role compartmentalisation and this can be challenging. This is no doubt true for all academics but perhaps it is amplified for those who work part-time as many women do.

What areas of action do you hope to see to improve future climate/physical activity/health outcomes?

I want to use my voice in STEM to get people out of cars and walking, riding and using public transport more.  I want to provide urban planners and policy developers with quality evidence and advocate for changes to the built environment that support more people to actively travel more often.

What advice would you share for an early career woman in STEM?

Find a mentor. Actually, find a champion. I have been lucky enough to have several in my career. These are people who advocate for you, believe in you, and shine a light on the skills that you have.

Celebrate your leadership traits, even those that seem inherently feminine – be vulnerable and generous and empathic. If you feel comfortable, a little self-deprecating humour can also help you seem more human.

Stay open to opportunities. It’s great, critical even, to have a plan, but sometimes amazing things happen when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Find out more about Dr Shannon Sahlqvist’s career and research on her expert profile.