Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science

11 February 2026

Why We Love Working in STEM at INFORMED

Science, data and critical thinking sit at the heart of everything we do at INFORMED. From laboratory analysis and testing to certification and product oversight, our work depends on people who are curious, rigorous and committed to protecting fairness in sport.

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we asked some of the women across INFORMED a simple question:

Why do you love working in STEM?

Here’s what they told us.

Samantha Kay, Head of Product Management

“A career in STEM has given me the freedom to explore roles that truly matter to me while building a broad skill set. From starting as a research scientist and later moving through customer, team lead and certification roles, I’ve seen firsthand the effort our team invests across every stage – from sample receipt and testing to auditing and programme management.

Today, as Head of Product Management, my role is to connect that excellence to the products and experiences our customers rely on. The greatest reward is seeing colleagues’ expertise reduce risk and raise confidence across the INFORMED certification family.”

Emma Midforth, Team Leader – Supplements and Feeds

“I love working in STEM because I get to use my skills and analytical mindset to solve real challenges.

I am grateful that being good at STEM subjects was encouraged and normalised from a young age. In our Fordham lab, a culture of knowledge-sharing has helped me grow a career in analytical chemistry, and now I’m passionate about passing that knowledge onto others. I get to combine analytical problem-solving with the human impact of anti-doping work, and it’s incredibly rewarding to contribute to something that protects fairness in sport.”

Helen Osborne, Senior Scientist

“For me, the best part of working in STEM is taking data and turning it into something that actually helps people. I enjoy interpreting results, deciding what they really mean, and bringing everything together into a clear final outcome. There’s a real satisfaction in being able to explain those findings to customers in a way that’s honest, straightforward, and genuinely useful.

It’s also inspiring to work alongside so many talented women across INFORMED – that sense of community and shared purpose is a big part of why I enjoy what I do.”

Suzanne Lister, Senior Scientist – Customer Leader

“I love working in STEM because it allows me to combine curiosity, creativity, and problem solving to make a real impact. Within my role, I get to dive into data analysis – turning complex datasets into clear insights that help customers understand their challenges and make better decisions.”

Taken together, these reflections show that working in STEM at INFORMED is not defined by titles or disciplines, but by responsibility.

The work is precise and evidence-led, but it is also collaborative, communicative and grounded in judgement. Scientific rigour is only part of the job. Interpreting results, sharing knowledge, supporting others and understanding the real-world consequences of decisions matter just as much.

Across roles and teams, there is a shared understanding that science does not exist in isolation. The outcomes of this work influence athletes, programmes and careers. That sense of accountability shapes how problems are approached, how data is handled and how trust is built.

This is STEM in service of fairness – careful, considered and human. It is the standard we strive to uphold across INFORMED every day.