The STEM Demystified Digital Portal is now live, a new home for real STEM stories made for teachers, educators, and curious young learners. Built to make STEM feel closer, friendlier, and genuinely possible, the portal brings together global role‑model stories, interactive exploration, and classroom‑ready inspiration. It’s a growing resource designed to help children see themselves in STEM, and to give educators an easy way to bring real‑world representation into lessons. Explore the portal at stemdemystified.com.
Welcome to another edition of STEM Demystified, a project to tackle under-representation of women in STEM. This weekly Newsletter will showcase how women are conquering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics worldwide.
Today, Shonny Lehane is our STEM role model. Born in the United Kingdom, her academic background is in Applied Geology (mineral exploration), and she is the current Operations Manager at iCRAG (the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences hosted by University College Dublin). Shonny’s career has been varied and taken her from Perth, Ghana, Zambia, the Northern Territory and to Ireland, where she currently lives with her husband and 3 children.
Shonny has a fascinating journey and having worked in male dominant environments (like mineral exploration camps) she faced a few challenges along the way. We will now take a closer look at her story and find out how she overcame these obstacles.
What was your trajectory from school to where you currently are professionally or academically?
My tutor in secondary school had been a geologist, and around the time of career talks, he suggested I look into some of his geochemistry books. I enrolled at the University of Leicester with a clear idea of getting a degree with a job at the end. I chose Leicester because they advertised a very strong link to industry, and that was accurate.
Through that degree course, I was supported and encouraged to apply for scholarships and internships. I was interested in becoming a hydrogeologist initially, but at university my interest shifted to mineral exploration.
I graduated at a good time in the industry cycle and managed to get a job in Perth that included relocation costs and visa fees.
Coming from a single parent family in Cornwall, one of the lowest socio-economic areas in the EU at the time, this was a golden ticket!
I subsequently applied for a field-based role with Equinox Minerals located in Zambia, knowing that I didn’t meet the requirements for the position… but I was driven and enthusiastic, and it turned out that my skillset was sought after. The experiences that I gained at Equinox became the highlight of my career and a cornerstone for my future. During this time, I built a close network of respected colleagues and mentors, some of whom I went on to work with again at Allied Gold Limited and iCRAG.
What motivated you to get into STEM? Did you have a female role model or anyone who inspired you? If so, who?
I think it was something that I absorbed unconsciously. My mum was a maths teacher (now retired), and I grew up in a former counting house, surrounded by spoil heaps and open mine shafts. One of my school friends’ mums was a geologist, and I always saw things through the lens of maths and science.
My biology teachers spoke about how Cornwall was an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) because of the geology. While I didn’t have a specific role model initially, through my career, I have always found amazing women who I am in awe of and who have supported and guided me. These amazing professionals include: Dr Sandi Occhipinti (CSIRO), Helen Anderson (Searcher), Peta Libby (Digirock), Imogen Bartlett (VGW) Dr Georgi Pagey, Dr Jane Cuneen (Basin Consulting), Becka Barritt (OKC), Fiona Muriwai, Dr Jennifer Craig (SEG), and Dr Aoife Brady (iCRAG).
What’s your most important professional/academic achievement?
To my mind, to still be involved in geology after two major downturns in the mineral exploration industry (2008, 2013), a sabbatical period to travel overland, and two pregnancies (I now have an 8 year old, and 5 year old twins) amazes me! I think I have been incredibly lucky to be able to pivot into varied roles and adapt my working life as needed.
Did you face any challenge throughout your professional/academic journey? How did you overcome it?
Of course! Firstly, mineral exploration often happens in remote, inaccessible, and difficult environments. I had to repeatedly confirm that I understood and was comfortable with the living conditions of an exploration field camp. While I was genuinely happy in this environment, there were times I needed to request more female friendly considerations (sanitary products and bins, much to the embarrassment of the field logistics officers).
I have had people (men) tell me how I should speak to others, how I should leave exploration to find a husband, how they are incredulous that I am NOT having an affair with my supervisors. I have had to navigate transitioning from exploration to other aspects of geology in order to have a family. But along the way, I have made incredible friendships, found mentors and role models that have often seen strengths in me that I did not recognise myself.
In your opinion, what needs to be done to attract more women into STEM?
I do think visibility is important, and that is definitely changing! And there is still a gap between what the general public believe a STEM career is or can be, and the real scope and of roles and career paths available in STEM.
The diverse range of people and skill sets needed in these industries – it isn’t always a straight line. I have been a desktop geophysical interpretation geologist, a field exploration geologist, a mine waste management and monitoring geoscientist, a database geologist, and now a Research Centre Operations Manager. So, the image of a geologist, as well as other science careers, needs to be updated to highlight the breadth of opportunities, and showcase other aspects than the remote fieldwork, licking rocks and staring into the distance with a hammer!
What advice would you give to anyone looking into a career in STEM (or those who do not consider it)?
I really think that science is real-life magic and scientific progress is only limited by our imaginations. There are so many developing fields in STEM; technology and computing are impacting every area with improvements in AI and increased focus on the Climate Crisis as a driver for change.
You don’t need to be a maths genius or a lab coat-wearing scientist, there are so many ways to have an exciting, impactful career. There is so much creativity and collaboration involved in STEM careers, but the experience in school of these subjects doesn’t always reflect that.
There are some great social media accounts (Ashley Christine (@Moderndayeratosthenes), Erha Andini (@erthatheexplorer), Camille (@galacticgal), Swae Nye, Matt Green.jgm) and groups like Women in Technology and Science (WITS) so look them up and reach out for conversations and advice
I absolutely love Shonny’s journey. It’s fascinating how she got into Geology and how she navigated her way through, overcoming hurdles and challenges.
It also shows that sometimes we do not have official role models, or at least we do not recognise them as role models, but the environment where we live, as well as the people we get to know, can highly influence our path.
Until I got to know Shonny, I was sure that choosing to become an Oceanographer was aleatory and just a way I found to be rebel and different. But now I can see how the days I spent on the beach, snorkeling and exploring the environment during my childhood may have been some sort of hidden motive.
How about you? Have you considered having one of these hidden motives to pursue a specific path? Or maybe have you met someone that has unintentionally influenced your choices?
