To celebrate the second Natural History Museum X Joanie range, we're talking to some of the women who curate and research the Museum's incredible collections!

Natasha Almeida is the Curator of Meteorites at the Museum, and we sat down with her to learn more about what got her into science and her career so far.

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Hi Natasha! Can you tell us a bit about your specific area of study or interest?

I’m the Curator of Meteorites, which means I am responsible for conserving, developing and providing access to the national collection. In practice, I deal with a lot of requests for material from researchers all over the world, so I work with them to find the best samples for their work while making sure we protect the collection for the future. I also try to improve the environment of the samples to prevent contamination, classify new meteorites, work on exhibitions and public engagement, and handle all other enquiries (like when people think they've found one in their back garden!).

My research mostly focuses on one specific technique, X-ray computed tomography, which is a way to look inside a specimen without cutting it open. As you can imagine, this is especially significant for extraterrestrial samples, which are so rare and precious. This expertise has meant I’ve been able to study some really cool specimens, like Moon rocks collected by the Apollo astronauts or pieces of the Ryugu asteroid brought back by the Japanese Space Agency in 2020.

What has your career looked like so far, and what drew you to the Natural History Museum?

I’ve been at the Natural History Museum for 14 years already – most of my career – but it’s definitely been a winding path. I started at the NHM as a volunteer, helping assess learning activities for the Darwin Centre, and then took a paid role in Visitor Services while constantly looking for opportunities to expand my experience. I volunteered with a curator rehousing arachnid and myriapod specimens that were stored in spirits (basically spiders preserved in alcohol), which opened my eyes to the varied work of museum scientists. I also did an internship in exhibition design.

While I was working, the NHM supported me to do a MA degree in Museum Studies, and that was how I got to know the previous Meteorite Curator. Getting to know the Meteorites Team was brilliant, and they encouraged me to apply for a PhD, which I did from 2013-2017. I was so lucky – this project involved many varied things, like working on landing sites for the Artemis missions to the Moon, travelling to France and Germany to learn new lab techniques, and presenting my work at conferences around the world. I also started working part time in meteorite curation and just knew that was where I wanted to apply my knowledge and skills. It’s a hugely varied role working with an awesome collection, and it enables me to do a lot of collaborative research, which is key for me – I am a people person and think we can achieve more if we work together. The NHM is one of very few places in the world where I could do this job.

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What inspired you to get into science - is it something you’ve always been interested in, or was there something or someone specifically that influenced your decision to pursue a career in STEM?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved the natural world. I was pretty obsessed with volcanoes as a kid! My brother and I loved sci-fi and anything about space, and I was lucky that my mum had a science background, so she was definitely a huge encouragement. Carl Sagan, the planetary scientist, author and science communicator, was also a major influence of mine. He articulated a feeling inside me when he said, “We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself” – everything that has happened in the past 13.7 billion years has enabled humans to be here, asking where we come from – we’re all connected. That kind of perspective has been a great comfort and inspiration for me and definitely influenced me to apply to study Planetary Science at university.

Since then, I’ve met lots of inspiring women in science, and it’s an honour to work with and support the next generation of scientists coming up.

What would you say are the major challenges as a woman working in a scientific field?

For sure, science as an industry is difficult for women, especially those of us from diverse ethnicities. Often we grow up thinking it’s not for us or we’re not welcome because there is a real lack of representation. But that is changing, and greater diversity will be a driver for greater access and inclusion and better working standards.

Another challenge, which I think shouldn’t be a ‘woman’s problem’ but invariably we are the most impacted, is the question of work-life balance and the desire to have a family. This is especially true for early career researchers, where people are typically on short-term contracts, and the competition for funding is pretty fierce. Jobs might be in another city or country and involve distancing from your support network.

I have a two-year-old now, and my changing responsibilities and outlook on life are definitely a challenge to my worklife. For example, being on parental leave for a year impacted my career: when my peers were writing papers and gaining experience to apply for promotions, I was exploring the world in a very different way! And the fact that I now am quite strict about protecting my personal time continues to mean my research output is limited. On top of the pressure on scientists to publish their work is the pressure on women to ‘have it all.'

Ultimately, the limitations on women have limited the development of science (and many other areas of human endeavour!) because it has lacked the diverse voice and insight that we can bring. The challenge for us all is to build an environment where everyone has access and can thrive by being themselves.

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What advice would you give to aspiring young scientists - especially young girls - who might feel daunted by the prospect of scientific study?

Give it a go! You can study science without committing to a life in a specific field. Studying science is so happy and healthy for our brains because it’s fun to find things out, and all the skills and knowledge you gain can be applied to whatever else you decide to do in the future. It’s about developing your analytical and investigative skills, which I think are crucial for understanding the world around us and making good decisions, no matter if that’s in science, politics, or even your personal life.

The other thing is that, like most industries, there is incremental change. Even in my short career, I’ve seen conditions improve for people, and that will only get better as more diverse people join the team and be the change they want to see in the world.

And lastly, science really isn’t that hard. It can seem daunting, but you’re not expected to just roll out of bed one day and understand relativity. You constantly build on your understanding, and you collaborate with people to share their knowledge too. Trust me - you are capable of so much more than you realise.

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

Well, I do have one of the coolest jobs in the world. Most days, I touch rocks that are older than the Earth and come from millions of kilometres away, and most days, I learn something new. For this tiny portion of their long lives, I get to look after them and unlock some of their secrets. I get to share this pleasure and enthusiasm with all kinds of people. And, of course, it never gets old to hold a piece of the Moon.