In conversation with Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Winner of the 2024 Hawking Fellowship
In November 2024, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was awarded the Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship, a prestigious annual fellowship awarded to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the STEM fields and social discourse. TCS had the opportunity to sit down with her at the Cambridge Union before her acceptance speech.
Dame Burnell is an eminent astrophysicist best known for her discovery of pulsars, a groundbreaking achievement in astronomy that reshaped our understanding of the universe. She is a visiting professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford and remains a passionate advocate for women in science.
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell / Ami Khawaja
Bell Burnell’s interest in science was sparked during her childhood, but was not without challenges. Growing up in 1950s Northern Ireland, she faced systemic barriers as a girl pursuing science. "Boys went to science. The girls went to the cookery room. No discussion. No choice," she recalled. Her parents rallied with other parents to demand equal opportunities for their daughters. She proudly recounted, “We were the first girls ever to do science in that school… I came top of the class.” Burnell’s case exemplifies that often what stops people, especially women, from achieving is not lack of ability, but rather lack of opportunity.
“Growing up in 1950s Northern Ireland, she faced systemic barriers as a girl pursuing science. "Boys went to science. The girls went to the cookery room. No discussion. No choice," she recalled.”
Her time as a graduate student at Cambridge was transformative, albeit intimidating at first in 1967. Reflecting on her experience, she noted, “It was an amazing place to be. I actually found it a bit too amazing to begin with. It was overwhelming.” Despite the challenges, her doctoral research led to the serendipitous discovery of pulsars—rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting radiation beams. This discovery was groundbreaking and led to a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974, but controversially, she was excluded from the award. Instead, the prize was awarded to her male supervisor and another colleague.
When I asked how she felt about this currently, Bell Burnell expressed that she was still happy as "it was the first time ever that the physics prize had gone to anything astronomical. It convinced people there was good physics in astronomy.” The reason for her omission was stated as being because graduate students were too junior and thus insignificant. Interestingly, in 1993, graduate students, including her colleague Joe Taylor’s student, shared in Nobel honours for similar work, highlighting the unfairness of her exclusion. Despite this, Bell Burnell remains proud of the discovery and its lasting impact on the field.
Throughout her career, Bell Burnell navigated sexism in academia. She shared instances of being dismissed due to her gender, including a professor discouraging her from pursuing geology, stating it was "not for women." As the only woman in her physics class, she endured sexist traditions, such as men whistling and banging desks upon her arrival in lecture halls. I expressed my horror at this, and we both agreed this would be completely unacceptable today.
Despite these obstacles, she persevered. Her advocacy for women in science remains central to her legacy: "I’m quite keen to encourage women to do science, especially physics," she said, emphasizing the importance of gender balance in advancing scientific disciplines. She acknowledged progress in maternity leave policies and support for women but noted that true equality is still a work in progress. Bell Burnell’s advice to aspiring scientists is both practical and inspiring: “Just do your best work as much of the time as you can, and all sorts of things might fall out of it.” She described physics as a “fantastic subject” that opens numerous career pathways for those who pursue it. Despite the adversity she faced, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell remains an unwavering advocate for science, equity, and curiosity.