WHAT DOES A SCIENTIST LOOK LIKE?
Where I Work is an award-winning photography feature from the journal Nature. It celebrates the many roles and types of research undertaken by scientists globally, and challenges stereotypical perceptions of what a scientist does and what they look like.
A selection of the portraits is now on display as a free outdoor exhibition across King’s Cross, London.
Nature is the world’s most important journal of scientific research and also publishes award-winning science journalism. It is part of Springer Nature Group, a global publisher. Springer Nature Group employs more than 1,500 people in its King’s Cross office, working with scientists, researchers, health-care professionals and educators around the world.
Springer Nature Group aims to be part of progress, discovering solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. Locally, it works closely with businesses, schools and young people across the community to drive curiosity about science, technology, engineering and medicine and to inspire the next generation through mentoring programmes, homework clubs and Saturday school initiatives. Find out more about its commitment to responsible business in its latest sustainability report.
Where I Work was launched by senior Careers editor Karen Kaplan, whose fearsome editing and enthusiasm brought the section to life. This exhibition is dedicated to Karen, who died in 2023.
The astronaut
Seventeen-year-old Zahra Ronizi jump-started her dream of becoming an astronaut and going to Mars by joining a simulated mission in a Spanish cave as a crew biologist.
The cave diver
Cave ecologist Fernando Calderón Gutiérrez is studying the resilience of cave-adapted species in the face of climate change and other stressors.
The robot teacher
By creating a better sense of touch, Yuhan Hu hopes to develop social robots — which could bring humans and technology closer together.
The medic
Damian Cohall’s studies of traditional medicine have sprouted new ideas for diabetes treatment and cross-Atlantic collaboration.
The snake charmer
Eletra de Souza’s research aims to help decrease lethal snake strikes in Brazil.
The surfer dude
Analytical chemist and avid surfer Cliff Kapono takes to his board to study the health of coral reefs off the coast of Hawaii.
The colourist
Biotechnologist Sara Abdou explores the genetics that regulate colour in ornamental flowers.
The composter
Bioprocess engineer Jesús E. Rodríguez’s team dreams of replacing all synthetic plastics with biodegradable products.
The bright spark
Quantum physicist Chao-Yang Lu develops superfast computers that rely on the curious collisions of single particles of light.
The theoretical physicist
Insight is more important than vision when working in theoretical physics, says Sofia Qvarfort.
The manatee champion
Nataly Castelblanco Martínez works to raise awareness of the perils faced by the much-loved marine mammals.
Click here to read Nataly Castelblanco Martínez’s story in full
The Pope’s astronomer
Around 100 active scientists have collaborated with the Vatican Observatory, says Brother Guy Consolmagno, its director.
The jellyfish hunter
Antonella Leone catches jellyfish off the coast of Italy to study them as potential sources of medicine and food.
The oyster farmer
Tom Cameron works with local people to restore native oysters to their natural habitat in the United Kingdom.
The firefighter
Biologist Cristina Cuiabália Neves and her team are dedicated to maintaining a nature reserve that is home to many endangered and threatened species.
The electrical engineer
Dorothy Okello teaches computing to displaced people, and launches programmes to get more women into science, technology and business.
The driller
Maria Josefa Verdugo ships into the bitter cold of far-northern waters to measure ice-core properties as part of a year-round climate project.
The editor
Molecular biophysicist Brighton Samatanga hopes to develop crops resistant to drought and pests.
The interpreter
Amie Fornah Sankoh studies how viruses commandeer plant communication at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
The fruit farmer
Lucas van der Zee hopes to restore current farmland to its natural state by eliminating the vegetation stage of crop-growing.
The extreme ecologist
Gerdhard Jessen studies how climate change might affect microorganisms in deserts, hot springs and hydrothermal vents.
The playful chemist
Martyn Poliakoff’s toys, puzzles and periodic-table-themed curios help him to lighten up and boost his creative thinking.
The historian
Aboriginal archaeologist Chris Wilson retraces the steps of the Ngarrindjeri people in South Australia.
The jet engineer
Gladys Ngetich spends time with a deafening experimental rig as part of her PhD to improve jet engine turbines.
The turtle rescuer
Carla Daniel runs overnight conservation activities for hawksbill turtles in Barbados.
The water marshal
Engineer Sofia Polo keeps the city’s water supply clean by managing storm runoff and tracking pollutants from roofs, car parks and fertilizers.
The moss surveyor
A rainforest in southwest Ireland offers Rory Hodd the chance to discover unusual specimens of ferns and other flora.
The defiant geologist
Abdulrahman Bamerni is working to understand Iraq’s ancient geology to avenge himself against the terrorists who put a target on his back.
The rock climber
Rose A. Marks abseils down South African cliffs to understand how the ‘resurrection’ plant stays alive for years during droughts.
The builder
With no research institute in Nepal equipped to support her work on drought, Hemu Kafle created one.
The stargazer
Sthabile Kolwa uses data from South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope to shed light on black holes and how the Universe evolves.
The Indigenous ecologist
Jennifer Grenz abandons colonial restoration dogma to reshape land systems according to community needs in Canada.
The medicine maker
Richmond Sarpong uses a nitrogen-filled glovebox to conduct hazardous experiments.
The underwater landscaper
Steven Yueh Jen Lai rebuilt his entire lab to model how water forms and shapes underwater canyons.
The Martian
Engineer and roboticist Zach Ousnamer is helping to prepare NASA’s Perseverance rover for its launch to the red planet.
The dumpster diver
PhD student Gianluca Torta contributes to green recycling by extracting rare-earth metals from industrial landfill for reuse in electric motors.
The ethical fisher
Marine biologist Laura Aiudi is working on a net that saves the lives of endangered species — but still protects the livelihood of fishers.
The listener
Acoustician Jukka Pätynen designs both performance venues and research laboratories.
The collaborator
Najat Saliba pairs global researchers with local communities in Lebanon to improve air quality.
The protein chemist
Juan-Carlos Jiménez Castellanos works to understand the drivers of antibiotic resistance.
The volcanologist
Richard Robertson’s personal history prompted him to monitor seismic activity across the Lesser Antilles islands in the Caribbean.
The taxonomist
Bhathiya Gopallawa tapped into a network of Sri Lankan researchers to unearth a rare discovery in the tropical forest.
The microbial detective
Geomicrobiologist Karen Lloyd explores the roles of microorganisms that dwell in the planet’s most remote regions.
The fresco restorer
Cultural and heritage researcher Arianna Traviglia uses a robot to painstakingly reconstruct 2,000-year-old mural paintings in Pompeii.
The brewer
Ana Saez García uses hydroponics to grow hops using barely any soil — and to boost yield sustainably.
The birdwatcher
A population of sparrows that migrated to an urban habitat inspires evolutionary biologist Pamela Yeh.
The celestial physicist
Experimental physicist Sheila Rowan works with laser beams and suspended mirrors to sharpen detection of collapsing stars and other celestial events.
The local leader
Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute in London, likes to think amid the hustle and bustle of the institute’s bright and lively atrium.
The curator
Douglas Russell catalogues and maintains specimens that offer a glimpse into the breeding behaviours of birds at the Natural History Museum.
The timekeeper
The only independent female watchmaker in the United Kingdom, Rebecca Struthers restores and repairs vintage watches using traditional techniques.
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