Inspiring the Next Generation: Stories of Women in Physics Part 2

Science shapes our world—but without the voices, ideas, and discoveries of women, it’s missing half the conversation. This blog series highlights the examples of inspiring women in physics, and the central role they play in science and technology. Amplifying their stories is essential in a field that remains predominantly male, helping to foster greater representation and inclusivity.

In this second part, we feature the stories of Dr. Natalie Foster, Prof. Zhurun (Judy) Ji, and Dr. Tamanna Joshi. Each of them brings a unique perspective on what it means to pursue a life in physics—from early curiosity and moments of uncertainty to interdisciplinary exploration and evolving professional roles.

Beyond insights from their work, they reflect on the environments, mentors, and opportunities that have influenced their journeys. Their stories highlight the importance of supportive communities, representation, and practical structures that help sustain long-term participation in science. They also offer thoughtful advice to the next generation of aspiring scientists.

First Steps in Science

Natalie’s scientific journey began early on, fueled by curiosity about the natural phenomena happening around her. “My father had always sprinkled little tidbits of curiosity throughout my childhood—tracking the angle of the sun through our window as the seasons changed, cracking open seemingly ordinary rocks to reveal geodes on the interior, and explaining how the shape of airplane wings helps generate lift,” Natalie says.

Although hesitant at first, with the support of her teacher Natalie realized what she was capable of. “I really liked science, but I was terrified of math class. In high school, I had a wonderfully engaging and supportive math teacher who demonstrated to me that I was capable of learning difficult things. All of a sudden, math problems became fun.”

“My teacher took my classmates and I to math competitions, and even met with us for coffee on the weekends to discuss cool problems outside of our normal course curriculum. When I figured out I could leverage math as a tool to quantify physical phenomena in the natural world, I knew I had to find a way to continue having this much fun every day and make a career out of it,” Natalie explains.

Pursuing the Path of Research

Every research career starts with curiosity, and for Natalie, it was also about embracing the learning curve that comes with it. “A former college professor of mine once said (and I paraphrase), ‘For every scientific breakthrough, a million necessary failures first had to take place.’ I was inspired to make my minuscule mark on the greater scientific knowledge base, so I proudly took on the challenge of becoming a physicist, ready to face the inevitable failures (a.k.a. learning opportunities) along the way,” she says.

The path to discovering a research specialty often requires exploration and experimentation, and Natalie’s journey was no exception: “I tried out many different scientific disciplines before I converged on quantum information physics in my postdoc. It took a lot of trial and error. While I was very excited about experimental hands-on research in general, I found it difficult to narrow down my research focus to a specific field of study. Everything sounded so cool!”

As she gained experience across different fields, Natalie built a versatile toolkit that would later support her research. “From college through graduate school, I picked up skills here and there that would eventually become the bread and butter of my current research. For example, I learned how to process large datasets in solar astrophysics, how to work with cryogens and vacuum systems in condensed matter physics, and how to build physical models to explain observations in nonlinear optical physics,” Natalie explains.

“Now, as an experimental researcher in quantum information, I use all of these skills on a near-daily basis, and it feels like the perfect balance of all my favorite parts from my prior experiences,” Natalie continues.

No research journey is without its roadblocks, but Natalie has developed thoughtful strategies for overcoming them: “To deal with challenges, I first try to just sit with the problem and become extremely familiar with it, approaching the solution with an open mind. At times, I work on other tasks or problems to refresh my brain if I’m feeling I’m running out of ideas. And of course, I leverage my resources and ask my colleagues questions when I get really stuck. I stay motivated by celebrating small successes amidst the failures, and remind myself they are all part of the long journey towards a big result.”

Working Towards a Common Goal

What keeps Natalie inspired? For her, it’s the intellectual freedom and sense of contribution to the broader scientific mission: “Being a research scientist allows me to contribute to and interact with the scientific community while still enjoying the freedom to design my own experiments and pursue answers to interesting questions in physics.”

Research isn’t carried out in isolation—it’s a team effort. Natalie takes pride in how her work has supported other researchers: “My research has contributed valuable insight into the types of error mechanisms that dominate coherence loss and energy relaxation in spin qubits. In the broader scope, this will help inform fellow researchers in my field how to anticipate problems that arise in quantum devices, whether it be at the materials design stage or quantum control level, so that together we can build more efficient and reliable quantum computers capable of solving challenges that are nearly impossible for classical computers.”

At the heart of Natalie’s work lies the pursuit of understanding and improving quantum computing systems: “In my current research, I conduct experiments on electron spin qubits, assessing the types of noise that limit their performance as components of a quantum computer.”

“In practice, that means I send well-calibrated electrical signals down into a refrigerator to jostle the electrons of my qubit to see how they respond. Depending on the frequency and strength of the noise affecting the electron spins, the qubit will respond in a different way, and it’s my job to understand the signatures of these various noise sources. If I know what kind of noise I’m looking for, I can plan mitigation strategies and come up with clever tricks to preserve quantum information longer,” Natalie continues.

Her current project has been a thrilling challenge: “It has been really fascinating to me so far because it requires so many moving parts working in concert, on a wide spectrum of timescales and energy scales. To accurately study the relevant physics forming the foundations for a viable quantum computer, I truly need to push my equipment to its coldest, fastest and hardest limits, which I find thrilling.”

“In the future, I hope that my research will be considered part of the discussion alongside other leading scientists in the community as we march towards a common goal – practical quantum computing. Society can benefit from quantum computing in many ways: through the optimization of chemical compounds found in life-saving medicine, more robust cryptography to keep our data safe, or detailed forecast models to accurately predict climate patterns,” Natalie explains.

From Barriers to Belonging

Natalie’s experience as a woman in a male-dominated field has shaped her perspective—and her advocacy. “Societal expectations of girls and young women are a major barrier to their success in the sciences. Although the environment for women in science has already seen great improvement, small, lingering issues that are frequently ignored tend to compound into the greater effect of systematically driving women away from working in male-dominated fields.”

She’s experienced firsthand how these biases can manifest in everyday situations: “I’ve experienced this myself on many occasions. I’ve been told that I only received a fellowship because I’m a woman, I’ve been singled out in class by a professor to answer mockingly trivial questions, and I’ve been asked if I was lost in my own physics building. There is no acceptable level of this kind of language in a learning or professional environment, especially when women as minorities in science are already placing themselves in a vulnerable position.”

Her message is clear: solidarity and active support are key. “The solution is to be their ally: treat your fellow female classmates and colleagues no differently than others and call out misbehavior that generalizes women under archaic stereotypes. Over time, these important demonstrations of support will manifest a more welcoming environment for girls and women of all ages and normalize the image of a woman choosing to pursue her career in science.”

Growing Into Research

Not every scientist starts out by getting excited about lab kits and telescopes. For Judy, the journey into science was a quiet evolution: “I wasn’t obsessed with science as a child. Maybe because I skipped grades when I was younger, which meant I was often the youngest in my classes, where I struggled to feel like I truly belonged in my peer group. But learning and thinking gave me stability and a sense of grounding.”

In college, Judy’s interest in science and research developed gradually in a supportive environment: “When I entered college, I was fortunate to have a research advisor who gave me a lot of trust and freedom to explore. He gave me access to work with various types of equipment (including optical spectroscopies and microscopes). It was an exciting process of trial and error.

“Beyond just working with instruments, I was also given the chance to manage research funding and communicate with professors for potential collaborations. I loved that process, not just doing experiments, but also thinking about how science gets done, how collaborations form, and how ideas evolve through discussion and exploration. That experience made me realize how much I enjoyed research, not just for the scientific questions but for the creativity, independence, and community building it involves,” Judy continues.

Letting Curiosity Lead

The path to a research career is rarely linear. Judy’s journey was filled with exploration and sometimes moments of doubt: “There were so many times when I doubted which direction to take, whether I was good enough to pursue research in physics, which felt so competitive. So, I wandered, exploring different areas, and only gradually found where I wanted to be. I mean, finding a point of potential energy minimum in a high-dimensional phase space is always difficult, isn’t it?”

Even through uncertainty, Judy was driven by a deep sense of purpose: “I have always been driven by an idealistic desire to create or discover something new. That could mean developing innovative solutions to specific problems, uncovering new pathways in science, or even rethinking the way we approach education, where curiosity leads the way and humanity drives scientific progress. Research is the perfect platform to pursue these aspirations.”

Judy’s approach to science is defined by openness—crossing traditional boundaries and forging new connections between fields. “I love interdisciplinary research with no clear categories or boundaries, maybe because of the freedom I enjoyed when I first started research as an undergraduate. My academic path has taken me through different fields or directions, from optics, photonics to condensed matter, microwave and quantum sensing,” she explains.

Exploration Over Outcome

Today, Judy’s work explores the complex world of quantum materials, where she studies the intricate behaviors of electrons at the microscopic level. “My research focuses on understanding how electrons interact and entangle in quantum material systems, through building new microscopic tools and techniques to study their behavior,” she says.

“In our work on quantum materials, I hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of the microscopic mechanisms behind topology and strong correlations, and ultimately use that knowledge to design next generation quantum circuits,” she continues.

For Judy, the beauty of science lies not in predictable outcomes, but in the process itself—the pursuit, the uncertainty, and the joy of discovery. “My motivation doesn’t come from any specific outcomes. Science is always unpredictable, and I respect that. What keeps me going is more the process itself, the exploration, the problem solving, and the constant uncovering of new questions. And for me, that’s enough.”

Finding Her Spark

For Tamanna, the path into physics began not with textbooks or lectures, but with a personal connection to real-world problems. “My interest in science started at age ten, at an interstate science fair, where I found myself surrounded by experiments, chemical reactions, and science models. I presented a simple water purification method using potash alum, something I hoped could help people in my village get cleaner drinking water during monsoon. That was the first time I saw how science could be useful beyond the classroom. It was exciting, eye-opening, and honestly, kind of addictive,” she says.

That early experience ignited a spark that only grew with time. “I started asking more questions about how things work; why the sky changes color, how electricity flows to the bulb, what atoms really are? And the more I learned, the more I wanted to dig deeper. Physics, in particular, felt like a key to understanding everything, from tiny particles to the vastness of space.”

Pursuing science wasn’t always easy. But Tamanna credits her steady progress to the unwavering support of those around her. “There were plenty of moments when I thought, I can’t do this! What kept me going during those times of doubt was my family’s constant support. They never pressured me but always encouraged me to follow my passion and pursue my studies. Their encouragement truly made all the difference in helping me get to where I am today,” she shares.

“I was also fortunate to have inspiring teachers who went beyond teaching and became true mentors. Their guidance and belief in my potential had a lasting impact on my academic journey,” Tamanna continues.

Building a Foundation Through Experience

Throughout her education Tamanna took every opportunity to further her knowledge, whether through summer research programs, internships, or exchange programs, to see for herself how physics could apply to both fundamental discovery and real-world innovation.

“For example, I participated in the Summer Academies’ Summer Research Fellow program, where I worked on the fabrication of optoelectronic devices based on Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDC) and GaN at the National Physical Laboratory Delhi. It was messy, challenging, and absolutely fascinating. I realized I loved the process of experimenting, tweaking, failing, and eventually figuring something out,” she explains.

“My internship at the Inter-University Accelerator Centre in New Delhi also had a significant influence on my decision to pursue a PhD. There, I studied wide bandgap semiconductors. This project not only solidified my interest in semiconductors but also exposed me to the challenges and exciting potential of optoelectronic devices.”

A global perspective further shaped Tamanna’s scientific outlook: “I was also fortunate to attend the SAKURA Exchange Program in Japan, where I was exposed to fundamental physics research at Osaka University. This program, alongside my various projects, allowed me to engage with eminent scientists and broaden my perspective on the field.”

“It was inspiring—not just science, but the global collaboration, the mindset, the passion researchers had. It made me realize how research connects people across borders, all driven by the same need to understand and create,” she explains.

These layered experiences ultimately convinced Tamanna to pursue graduate studies in the United States, where her interest in quantum computing took root. “During my PhD I worked on projects involving NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) hardware, which really got me interested in the development of quantum computing. Now, supporting research in quantum technology feels like being part of the future of computing.”

Bringing Science to Life in Industry

Tamanna works as a Technical Sales Engineer at Bluefors Brooklyn. This role allows her to work directly with scientists, combining her technical expertise with her love for collaboration. “My job is to help researchers figure out what cryogenic systems they need and support them through the decision-making process. I use my physics background to understand their experiments and explain how our systems fit into their work. At the same time I use soft skills like writing, presenting, and working across teams, every day.”

In moving from academia to industry, Tamanna wanted to stay close to research while getting more involved in solving practical challenges and working directly with people. “I moved into industry because I wanted to apply my physics background in a hands-on way, I liked research, but I also enjoy working with people, solving problems, and seeing faster results. At Bluefors, I saw a chance to be part of a team supporting real-world experiments and helping researchers get what they need to move forward.”

Tamanna’s goal is to make advanced research tools easier to access and use. “Sometimes that means simplifying a technical explanation or helping someone meet a tight proposal deadline. I want to make things smoother for researchers. For instance, I’ve helped researchers who are new to dilution refrigeration understand how the systems operate, and I’ve worked with them to design configurations that fit both their technical needs and budgets,” she reveals.

“What keeps me motivated is knowing that, even though I’m not directly doing research anymore, I’m still enabling it. I’m helping researchers overcome obstacles and make breakthroughs, which makes me feel like I’m contributing to the bigger picture of progress and innovation.”

Overcoming Barriers with Perseverance

Tamanna’s journey hasn’t been without its share of challenges—the biggest being adjusting to the academic environment. “When I moved from a small town to a larger city for college, the transition was tough. I had to quickly adapt to new methods of studying, more advanced concepts, and a faster-paced environment. There were also moments when I questioned whether I was capable of keeping up with my peers. Additionally, the lack of resources, like access to high-quality equipment or even reliable internet, sometimes made it difficult to stay on track,” she explains.

“But those challenges helped me build a strong work ethic and taught me how to be resourceful. I learned to navigate those hurdles and kept pushing forward with perseverance and the support of a few mentors along the way,” Tamanna continues.

As she progressed in her studies, Tamanna noticed subtle expressions of gender dynamics in the field. “Sometimes if I spoke up confidently or knew an answer, it felt like I had to walk a fine line, where confidence could easily be read as cockiness. Or in group settings, I found myself falling into that role of being the one to smooth things over or manage the tone of the conversation–even if it wasn’t really my job,” she says.

But with awareness, mentorship, and persistence, Tamanna continued moving forward. “I just learned to identify it, name it for what it was, and keep going. I’ve been really lucky to have strong female mentors throughout my education. They believed in me, and they reminded me to stay focused on what matters and not let the small stuff throw me off,” she notes.

Creating Space for Women in Science

Tamanna highlights the importance of not just bringing more women into science—but ensuring they stay. “A major challenge for women in science is retention. While women make up 33% of researchers globally, their numbers drop significantly at the postdoctoral and faculty levels. This isn’t due to a lack of interest or ability, but because systems aren’t set up to support women long-term.”

To support women in the field, Tamanna advocates for structural changes. “While mentorship is incredibly important, practical support systems matter just as much. Many leave because of limited flexibility, advancement opportunities, or isolation in male-dominated environments. To address this, we need tangible changes like flexible work policies, family leave, and accountability in hiring and promotion,” she explains.

“One tangible step is offering access to on-site or subsidized childcare. Juggling lab work, deadlines, and family responsibilities can be overwhelming, and this is one of the reasons many women leave science mid-career. Providing childcare facilities could help women stay engaged in research, attend conferences, and take on leadership roles.”

Tamanna concludes, “It’s not just about bringing more women into science, but ensuring they can stay and thrive there.”