Dr. Carole Thomas leads the ‘Women in Science’ agenda at The John Innes Centre (JIC) and played an instrumental role in JIC being the first Research Institute to be awarded a Silver Athena SWAN award, an award that recognises commitment to advancing women’s careers in STEMM. She is also a Daphne Jackson Trustee, a UK Charity dedicated to realising the potential of scientists and engineers returning to research following a career break.
After graduating with a Biochemistry degree from Manchester University, and a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology from Cardiff University she became a postdoctoral scientist at the John Innes Centre. Her research was focused on plant virus interactions and cell-to-cell communication. In 2008 she moved from research to the JIC Directorate, where she supports the JIC Director in preparing high-level scientific projects/papers and ensures an efficient and effective Directorate.