Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: PETA’s Dr Emily Trunnell On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Leaders should actively listen to team members, encourage thinking outside of the box and offer a safe space to share ideas without being judged. Cater job responsibilities to play to the team member’s strengths, not their weaknesses. Remember people’s individual contributions and thank them privately and publicly for those contributions. Make sure you tell team members when you are happy with their work, and offer specific feedback when you are not.
As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Emily Trunnell.
Dr. Emily Trunnell graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in nutrition science and earned a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Georgia in 2016. Dr. Trunnell is currently a senior scientist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She works with policy makers and other scientists to replace the use of animals in experimentation with superior research methods. Her peer-reviewed papers, letters, opinion pieces have appeared in numerous publications, including Drug Discovery Today and Scientific American.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In graduate school for neuroscience, I was given the task of designing a set of experiments that I could conduct and analyze in order to learn scientific techniques and write my dissertation. At the time, the laboratory I was in conducted experiments on animals and I was expected to do the same. As an animal lover, at first I was excited to work “with” animals, thinking that the animals would be treated with kindness and that what I was doing would benefit scientific knowledge and human health as a whole. But during my experience, I learned that the opposite is true: that animals used in experimentation routinely experience immense suffering and that the data gleaned from them almost never translates to humans. After graduating, I knew I needed to find a way to share this knowledge.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
I am trained as a scientist, so some of the tasks I took on when I came to PETA were a bit out of my wheelhouse at first, like doing media interviews and helping with demonstrations and fundraising events, including one where I got to meet Edie Falco! But mixing up my tasks keeps me on my toes, which I like. For example, I attended an Eli Lilly shareholder meeting to present a resolution for the company to ban forced swim tests on animals. The forced swim test is a cruel and scientifically invalid procedure where mice and rats, and sometimes hamsters, gerbils, or Guinea pigs, are dropped into beakers of water to see how long they struggle to stay afloat, an activity that is wrongly believed to be able to identify antidepressant drugs. After presenting my scientific argument at the shareholder meeting, I joined other PETA supporters standing in front of the company’s headquarters in a dramatic protest, which included an activist dressed as a mouse flailing in a large tank of water in a human-size version of the forced swim test.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Not exactly a humorous one, but a mistake I made at the beginning was assuming that people would not listen to me, considering I was young and voicing a dissenting opinion that was not popular in my field. I had to learn to shed the “imposter syndrome” and have confidence in my arguments, which are valid and evidence-based.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
PETA is the best animal rights organization when it comes to two things: making changes for animals and standing out! Our eye-catching, and sometimes provocative, demonstrations inspire people to discuss animal issues that they might not otherwise think about. But PETA also stands out for a fact that not many people are aware of: We employ more PhD-level scientists than any other animal protection organization.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes! While some of my work involves ending individual animal tests that are particularly cruel or scientifically inept, right now I am working on a project that would change the biomedical research paradigm as a whole. Along with other scientists at PETA, I had the privilege of drafting our “Research Modernization Deal,” a strategy that governments and funding bodies can use to transition away from animal experimentation and toward human-relevant research. We have versions of the Research Modernization Deal for the U.S., Europe, and India and we are working with legislators and regulators to implement the plan, which would eliminate many of the worst animal experiments, facilitate evidence-based funding decisions, better support modern scientific methods, and harmonize global research practices.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
Things have certainly gotten better as far as representation, but science does still feel like a “good old boys club” in many respects. Many of the older scientists who are still setting research policy, designing coursework, and mentoring students are not familiar with modern research tools — things like microfluidics and AI — which puts their trainees and students at a major disadvantage. I think a big hindrance to ending animal testing is that those people just won’t retire or give up their antiquated beliefs, which they impart on others.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
As much as the workplace has changed when it comes to women in STEM leadership roles, it often feels like less has changed in home life. Data show that women continue to handle the primary household tasks, with some studies estimating that women do two more hours of housework daily, compared to men. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened this chasm as women are taking up additional childcare tasks when schools and daycares close. This means women are getting an entire month less per year to focus on work productivity, physical and/or mental health maintenance, and sleep, compared to men. I can’t pretend to know how to fix this on a societal level, but personally I am working on learning how to set boundaries and be explicit with what I need, instead of being a people-pleaser.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?
One myth that seems to persist is that women are not as interested in or proficient in STEM careers compared to men. Historically, STEM skills were not prioritized for women, who were more expected to take on caregiving roles like nursing or teaching, but gender has nothing to do with desire or aptitude in any field.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Diverse and dissenting opinions should be welcomed. In his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, philosopher of science Thomas Khun wrote: “Almost always the men [sic] who achieve…fundamental inventions of a new paradigm have been either very young or very new to the field whose paradigm they change…And perhaps that point need not have been made explicit, for obviously these are the men [sic] who, being little committed by prior practice to the traditional rules of normal science, are particularly likely to see that those rules no longer define a playable game and to conceive another set that can replace them.” In any field, but especially in science, there is a tendency for people to get bogged down by their own way of thinking and doing things or by their long-held current concepts and theories. More senior folks may consciously or unconsciously dismiss ideas and thoughts from young team members, which can hinder progress. Every team member brings a unique perspective and those perspectives should be valued. For example, when I was in graduate school, I became increasingly concerned about the welfare of the rats we were using for experiments. It turns out that poor welfare leads to poor data, equaling wasted time, money, and lives!
Be willing to change your mind. Going off the previous point, normalize being able to change your mind presented with new information about a situation and don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. This is a real problem at places like the National Institutes of Health, where leaders refuse to step away from failed research methods like the use of many animal models of disease. Forward-thinkers must be nimble and willing to change course when the current strategy isn’t working.
Always remember your ultimate goal, and remind and inspire team members of that goal often. In science, it easy to get stuck in the minutia of day-to-day research activities: getting grants funded, getting papers published, getting protocols approved, advising students, preparing coursework, going to meetings, etc. The pressure to keep a research program going can actually detract from the goals of that research program and can lead to unethical behavior, like causing harm and suffering to animal in experiments that are known to be of poor quality. Too often, young scientists go into a field with the goal of answering a particular question, but end up on an academic treadmill that has them pushing out experiment after experiment with little understanding of the relevancy of those experiments to the larger world.
Encourage work-life balance. This is something that I think younger leaders are more aware of than ever. The generations coming up now don’t glamorize the “grind” as our elders did, which is a good thing. Happier team members are less likely to burn out, make mistakes, produce poor quality work, and are more likely to stick around. However, in my line of work, I also have to remember that the animals who are used in laboratories never get to have a day off. I do take time to recharge so that I can be at my best to advocate for them, but working hard and with great care and strategy is vital.
Encourage growth. Show your team members that they are valued by investing in their training. Support them in taking opportunities to expand their skillsets.
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
Leaders should actively listen to team members, encourage thinking outside of the box and offer a safe space to share ideas without being judged. Cater job responsibilities to play to the team member’s strengths, not their weaknesses. Remember people’s individual contributions and thank them privately and publicly for those contributions. Make sure you tell team members when you are happy with their work, and offer specific feedback when you are not.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
Delegate and trust your team members to do their jobs properly. Stay apprised of team members’ workload and adjust accordingly. And set up a structure that team members to access each other for assistance where necessary.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am grateful and humbled by the scientists who have come before me and pushed back against the status quo of animal experimentation, especially when there were fewer of us willing to do so. Their scholarship has paved the way for me to have the position I have today and to get a seat at the table for making changes.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
The best part about my job is knowing that I’m having an impact on the lives of animals and improving science at the same time. This is most directly observable when I have the opportunity to work on specific experiments, like ending animal starvation experiments that were occurring at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio or getting 15 companies, including most of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies, to ban the scientifically worthless and cruel forced swim test.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to be able to snap my fingers and get rid of “otherism,” or the belief that someone we perceive as “different” from us doesn’t deserve the same respect that we do. This false notion causes so much harm to humans and animals alike and it is the reason that detrimental practices like animal experimentation continue. It’s also anti-scientific. Science has demonstrated that all humans and other animals feel pain, suffer in captivity, and desire autonomy over their own lives. But because other animals look different than us and cannot speak our language, we often overlook these similarities in favor of exploitation.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Trying to defeat the very large and well-resourced animal experimentation industry often seems impossible and the victories we have can feel like emptying the ocean with a spoon. But I know that, in the end, we will be on the right side of history.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
This is not a very original answer, but considering he currently has the task of appointing a new National Institutes of Health director, I would love to have the undivided attention of President Biden. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. It needs leadership at the helm that is not only visionary, but also willing to make the tough, unpopular-to-some decisions necessary to put the U.S. back at the forefront of biomedical innovation and refocus the agency on its worthy goal of enhancing health, lengthening life, and reducing illness and disability, not propping up the failing paradigm of animal experimentation.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: PETA’s Dr Emily Trunnell On The 5 Leadership Lessons She… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.