International Day of Women and Girls in Science
“From vision to impact: Redefining STEM by closing the gender gap”
For this year’s feature celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Montreal Protocol Ozone Secretariat had the pleasure to interview a real STEM trailblazer and advocate for women in science: Dr Mona Nemer, an internationally respected expert in the genetics of heart disease and Canada’s Chief Science Advisor since 2017.
No stranger to the Montreal Protocol, Dr Nemer moderated a Science Panel on Ozone Layer Depletion and Recovery during the high-level segment of the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP29) and the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (COP11) held in Montreal, Canada in 2017 to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Montreal Protocol and again in 2022 when she moderated a high-level roundtable on the Kigali Amendment’s potential impact on climate change to mark the 35th anniversary of the Protocol during MOP34.
Born in 1957, Dr Nemer grew up in Lebanon, where her fascination with chemistry began at an early age. At the time, though, her all-girls school did not offer science courses — a reflection of a broader societal belief that scientific careers were unsuited for women. Undeterred, she challenged these assumptions and successfully advocated for the introduction of science classes at her school—an effort that would benefit generations of young women after her.
The outbreak of civil war in Lebanon prompted Dr Nemer to leave the country to continue her education in the United States. She later moved to Canada to pursue graduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, where in 1982, she earned her PhD in bio-organic chemistry. Her research centered on cardiac development and function and has played a significant role in advancing diagnostic testing for heart failure as well as improving understanding of the genetic causes of congenital heart defects.
Before assuming the role of Chief Science Advisor, Dr Nemer was a professor at the Université de Montréal and later joined the University of Ottawa. There, she became Director of the Molecular Genetics and Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory, continuing to lead influential research in cardiovascular science.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr Nemer places great value on maintaining a healthy work–life balance. In her personal time, she enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, dancing, and taking long walks in nature. She is also an enthusiastic linguist and is currently studying Italian.
OZONE SECRETARIAT: What first attracted you to STEM subjects?
DR NEMER: My path to STEM began with a natural curiosity about the world around me — I was always fascinated by how things worked, from the patterns in nature to the tiniest details of living organisms. From early on, I also wanted to use science to help people, to contribute in ways that could improve health and cure disease. That curiosity and sense of purpose led me to study chemistry formally, and then to pursue advanced research in molecular biology. At the time, I had become very interested in the rapidly growing biotechnology industry, although I lacked the formal training in biology to break into the field. It turns out that didn’t matter all that much as long as I was prepared to keep learning. And I was. So, I worked in the industry for a year, after which I returned to academia to pursue further study in biology and physiology. This decision to combine chemistry and biology as I trained in the new field of molecular biology shaped my career in many ways.
I must admit, being beyond my comfort zone was challenging, but it gave me the opportunity to interact with people from disciplines outside my own, and I learned how to bring different perspectives and expertise together to address complex questions. These are skills that helped to open doors for me in life, from research to academic leadership to Chief Science Advisor. I have seen how good communication skills, open-mindedness and adaptability go a long way in building bridges and achieving success.
One of the most important things I have learned from my experiences is that you should never hesitate to consider a new opportunity just because you may not have all the required training or experience for it. There is so much opportunity for discovery in taking the road less travelled. And for every mistake there was an unexpected success along the way, increasing my confidence in being able to address novel challenges and contribute in new and unanticipated ways.
OZONE SECRETARIAT: Who were your role models growing up and who inspired and supported you along your STEM career path?
DR NEMER: My first role models were the strong women around me starting with my mother, a dedicated teacher and academic leader who cared deeply about her school and her students. At the same time, she showered us with love and attention and instilled in us the value of education and civil responsibility. Later, I admired female authors like George Sand and Colette as much for their literary talent as for their determination to fight against prejudices and their pioneering advocacy for women’s rights.
As a scientist who has embraced multidisciplinarity and worked in more than one field of science, Marie Curie has always been an inspiration, having changed the world through both physics and chemistry. There is also Rosalind Franklin, whose groundbreaking work in X‑ray crystallography produced the images that revealed the double-helix structure of DNA — one of the most significant discoveries ever made, yet her fundamental work went largely unrecognized for a long time.
There are so many inspiring women of science, including here in Canada, and I myself have had wonderful teachers, students, role models, and colleagues who have inspired and supported me in countless ways. Among them, my most influential mentor has been Nicole Le Douarin. She is a leading French developmental biologist who created a method of using quail and chick embryos to study how cells migrate and develop, which has had an enormous impact on our understanding of how the nervous and immune systems form.
I first met Nicole at a turning point in my career. Seeing her excel as both a world-class scientist and a parent helped reshape my sense of what was possible, demonstrating that a significant scientific career and family life don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Her intellectual rigor, generosity, and example of leadership in a male-dominated field has left a lasting impact on me, helping to shape not only my career, but also my own approaches to mentorship, equity, and public service in science.
OZONE SECRETARIAT: What challenges have you had to overcome to get to where you are now?
DR NEMER: Throughout my career, I have had to navigate both opportunity and resistance. As a woman building a scientific career in a male-dominated field, I learned early that credibility, persistence, and excellence were essential — and that progress often requires patience. Balancing a demanding research life with family responsibilities was not always easy, but seeing mentors who had done both helped me believe it was possible and get organized to make it succeed.
Moving into leadership and later into government brought new challenges both as a woman and also as someone who was an “outsider,” someone whose career path did not fit the traditional stereotype for such roles. But being an “outsider” presented the advantage of fresh ideas and perspectives outside the beaten paths. It took longer for colleagues to take me, my views and my advice seriously or trust that I can deliver on major projects.
Not every effort succeeds but as one of my mentors had advised, if you believe in something, keep at it and don’t give up. So, I have learned to be confident and to work hard to earn people’s trust, respect and ultimately collaboration. Lasting change comes from building trust, strengthening institutions through teamwork, and showing, over time, that science and scientists can be effective leaders for the public good. My path has been shaped as much by resilience and learning from setbacks as by scientific and institutional successes.
OZONE SECRETARIAT: What do you love most about your work?
DR NEMER: I love many things about my work: interacting with smart and dedicated individuals who strive to build a better future; the opportunity to shape, even modestly, the science landscape, and above all seeing how science can make a real difference in people’s lives. I find it deeply rewarding to help ensure that decisions in government are informed by evidence, to support scientists in their work, and to build bridges between research, policy, and the public. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to learn and knowing that my efforts contribute to stronger institutions and a healthier, more informed society is incredibly fulfilling.
OZONE SECRETARIAT: What, if anything, have you observed during your career that has helped harness female talent and close the gender gap? What more would you like to see done?
DR NEMER: Over my career, I have seen the power of mentorship, visibility, and institutional support in helping women thrive in science. Programmes that highlight female role models, provide flexible career paths, and actively support leadership development, make a real difference.
Yet there is still much to do.
I would like to see both government and industry take as much chance on women as they do on men who are generally far better at promoting themselves than their female peers. While recognizing the progress made, we need to target persistent issues like workplace culture, equitable access to leadership opportunities, and promotion criteria that recognize the multiple facets of excellence and impact.
Moreover, we need to develop policies that enable work–life balance and recognize the predominant role of women in caring for children and aging parents alike. Ultimately, bridging the gender gap is not just about individual support — it is about building cultures and structures that allow talent, regardless of gender, to fully flourish.
