The Contribution of Women to the Development of Structural Biology

At a time when science was overwhelmingly governed by men, it is interesting to note that a significant number of the early players in the field of structural biology were women. Women were among crystallography's earliest pioneers, starting from Kathleen Lonsdale, Rosalind Franklin and Dorothy Hodgkins, continuing then with Louise Johnson, Jenny Glusker, Eleonor Dodson, to recent Nobel prize winners like Ada Yonath and Jennifer Doudna. This is especially remarkable given that the early days were far more dominated by physics, traditionally more male-led, rather the more women-friendly fields of biology and medicine. I will briefly survey the history of the field, highlighting the contribution of women, with some thoughts and considerations coming from my personal journey.