LSIPR 50 2017: Audrey Goddard—Science is for girls too

“Nothing in life is to be feared—it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less,” physicist and chemist Marie Curie famously said.

Curie’s pioneering work included the discovery of radium and polonium, contributions to the fight against cancer, and her development of the use of X-rays in surgery, which saved countless lives during World War 1.

She is also one of the best-known female scientists to have graced the planet, being the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and the first person to win twice.

Women are continuing to make great strides in scientific research, and someone who fits into this category is Audrey Goddard, vice president of research and development (R&D) at microbial genomics company uBiome.

She is also a prolific owner of patents—more than 500 in her previous roles, the first of which was at biotechnology company Genentech.

Goddard held many roles in her time at Genentech, which she joined in 1993. She first worked as a scientist, then as medical director and her final role at the company was as associate director of companion diagnostics.