SFU research chair Ailene MacPherson shares what it takes to close the gender gap in science

Ailene MacPherson, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics & Department of Biological Sciences, and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, theoretical evolutionary epidemiology

Ailene MacPherson sits at the rare and powerful intersection of mathematics, ecology, and evolutionary biology. As a theoretical biologist, she uses mathematics to understand how infectious diseases evolve, especially in a rapidly changing world. “I do interdisciplinary research in ecology and evolutionary biology,” she explains. “I’m a theoretician, which means I use maths to describe evolutionary and ecological phenomena and to learn about the natural world.”

Her work tackles some of today’s most urgent scientific questions: how climate change, pollution, and global pressures shape the evolution and impact of disease. “How do these aspects of global change impact how diseases evolve and their consequences for populations?” she asks. “That’s my research in a nutshell.”

MacPherson’s path into this field began with a deep love of math. “I always really enjoyed math,” she says. “I liked the rules, and that you could show ‘this is right’ or ‘this is not right.’” But she was also driven by a desire to help people. That curiosity led her to pursue biology in university, where an instructor’s guidance changed everything. When she raised concerns that she wouldn’t get to use math in her biology degree, the instructor connected her to a math‑bio program. “She was like, oh, do I ever know what to do with you!” MacPherson laughs. That moment set her on the path she still follows today.

Undergraduate research took her from classrooms to the White Sands Desert in New Mexico, chasing lizards across shimmering dunes. “I just fell in love with it,” she says. “My love of biodiversity has just grown ever since.”

MacPherson describes her scientific journey as a “story of going from one role model to the next role model to the next.” She credits a chain of mentors – Holly Wichman, Scott Nuismer, and the renowned theoretical biologist Sally Otto – for shaping her career. Having been homeschooled, she says she grew up with “a dearth of role models,” making these relationships especially important in her development as a scientist.

But the journey hasn’t been without challenges. “I have existential crises on a daily basis,” she admits. “Self-confidence – like, is the science I’m doing worth it? Will anybody care?” For her, community has been essential: “We are just better if we're in a community. Reach out to your professors, work with your classmates, build that community as much as you can.”

Her advice to young scientists – and her younger self – is to push past shyness and self-doubt. “A lot of my life is pretending not to be shy,” she says. “If you have to pretend not to be shy to build that community, do it.”

Among her proudest moments is not a single accomplishment but a way of living, which she describes as “curating a lifestyle of curiosity”. She says: “When I come into my office and I’m curious about what I’m going to learn today, that always makes me really happy.”

One milestone does stand out: receiving an early- career award named after a prominent population geneticist. “It felt like becoming part of the population genetics community,” she says, “like you are the next one in the chain.”

Looking ahead, MacPherson sees enormous responsibility and opportunity for the next generation of scientists facing challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change. But she’s optimistic. “We have so many tools and great shoulders to stand on. I fully trust that my generation and the next will step up to this challenge.”

She also emphasizes the importance of protecting and celebrating diversity in science, right down to the names on publications. “The more diversity we have, the more diversity it supports.” Her message is simple: “Be who you are. Don’t feel like you have to change yourself for science. You’re contributing to science no matter what your name is.”

Adapted from an article originally published by SFU News.