Shining A Light on Influential Women in Science

In February we celebrated International Day of Women and Girls in Science by gifting our customers and community postcards featuring influential women in science as well as a selection of books written by women educated or involved in science.

Studies show that a diverse company makes for better business. When a team is made up of people with different backgrounds and lived experiences, they think of more possibilities and drive innovation. Part of building a diverse field entails giving visibility to women and people from often underrepresented groups as well as showing those who are looking to enter the field that there are paths forward for them in science.

This International Women’s Day, we’re recognizing some of the influential women whose images graced the postcards for their invaluable contributions in their fields. Artwork and information are courtesy of Nevertheless, Pearson, Storythings, and Ada's List, where you can also find more information on these pioneers in their fields.

Rosalind Franklin is well known at Twist for her work and contributions to discovering the structure of DNA. The x-rays she conducted on the fibers of DNA proved that it has a double helix structure. Her research and discovery paved the way for companies like Twist and laid the foundation for not just where the field of synthetic biology is today, but the entire field of life sciences.

True innovation happens when people are brought together and are able to challenge each other to get to the best idea. By building crowdsourcing tools, Juliana Rotich brought connectivity to difficult environments, enabled collaboration and helped people tell their stories. She co-founded two organizations -- BRCK and Ushahidi -- to build the most reliable internet routers in the world and empower communities to advance social change through accessible technology solutions, respectively.

Dr. Hayat Sindi broke barriers when she became the first Saudi woman to receive a Ph.D. in biotechnology from Cambridge University. Since then, she has gone on to encourage innovation and connection globally. She co-founded Diagnostics for All, a non-profit that designs diagnostics for the developing world and founded i2, to create an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and social innovation for scientists, technologists and engineers in the Middle East and beyond.

At Twist, we’re building a company without a glass ceiling. Women make up 39% of the executive team at Twist and 41% of the total workforce. 61% of employees identify as people of color¹. There are paths for advancement for employees of all gender identities as well as opportunities for professional growth including up to $5,250 per year for tuition reimbursement and access to a robust online learning platform.

Learn more about Twist’s ESG efforts here.

¹Includes employees in the US