Rebecca Simmons

Dr Rebecca Simmons is a Senior Investigator Scientist and Deputy Group Leader at the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit. Inspired after a summer working on a Native American reservation, she completed a PhD in diabetes prevention at Cambridge and has continued her career here.

On one level I understand that I’m a successful woman, but I’ve not fully grown into my success yet. I don’t totally embrace it and I can see that I’m definitely a work in progress. But it’s not something I’m beating myself up about; it’s simply where I’m at right now.

I’m really proud of my working-class background. It defined where I started and still defines me to some extent. My father is an electrical engineer in a factory, and my mum worked at a playgroup. She then went to university in her mid thirties to train as a teacher and was the first person in our family to get a degree. She’s incredibly approachable, but she’s also got an inner steel and a work ethic that I really admire.

I think my parents are astonished on a daily basis that I work at the University of Cambridge, and to be honest they don’t have much of a clue about my job. When they heard that my college fellowship came with ten free meals a week their comment was, ‘Never leave, Rebecca, free food and all that cheap white wine too.’ Well they haven’t tasted the wine! They would be nervous about me risking any of that security. I’m also earning more than they earn, and that makes me feel deeply uncomfortable. I’m still struggling a bit with embracing how far I’ve come.

Cambridge can be a very inspiring place to be a woman. I’m in an all-women’s college, so I see lots of examples of successful women at the top of their game. But in the medical field most of the senior people are men. It can be quite a macho alpha-male culture, so I try to be the opposite of that with my own team by being open and approachable. My staff and students know that it’s okay to get things wrong and to ask stupid questions. I’m also aware that the numbers of senior women drop when they have families, limiting the role models we have around us, and I think things could be done to make it easier. I’ve worked in Denmark and they’ve got a much better system with parental leave and childcare.

“Cambridge can be a very inspiring place to be a woman.”

On a personal level I’m clear that I don’t want kids and I don’t want to get married. My life is busy and I’m having way too much fun to sacrifice my spare time. I know that sounds really casual but actually it isn’t; it’s a clear choice. I think women who manage kids and have a career are amazing, but I know it’s not for me.

I don’t claim to have everything all sorted, but I’m pretty stable and people tend to come to me for help. It can be a tough world, so if you can make anyone’s life just a little bit easier, that to me is a successful way of being. I’m very close to people who have had to deal with mental illness and depression. They know they can always come to me and I’m never going to turn around and say ‘No’, or ‘I’m too tired’. It’s very important to me that I have a job which means I can still be available for those I care about.

“I think women who manage kids and have a career are amazing, but I know it’s not for me.”

At the moment I’m a Deputy Group Leader in the MRC Epidemiology Unit. I love science because it gives me the opportunity to play with numbers and words and try to help improve human health at the same time. But, I have the appetite to take on more over time. I’m not interested in earning lots of money and ultimately I’d like to run a small charity, an NGO, or perhaps go into university administration. I’m efficient; I don’t procrastinate; I delegate and know when to say no, so I think a complex organisational role would come naturally to me. I’ve learnt to concentrate on finding a niche where my skills can really shine. I know that I’m not someone who comes up with the big original questions about science, and I’m comfortable with that limitation. I recognise that I have other strengths, particularly in team working, and I play to those.

I tend not to worry too much about what people think about me, and I’m very comfortable with my own company. I do think you’ve got to be at ease with yourself before you can be in a meaningful relationship or help others. I guess in some ways I’m quite alternative. I don’t wear a badge declaring my differences to the world, but I think it’s important to try not to make judgements about people who don’t fit a traditional mould. I just want people to be happy with who they are, and I try to live by that standard myself. I’m not gratuitously non-conformist but I do value difference and diversity.