Name: Nasreen Peer
Role/Occupation: Researcher, Lecturer and Small-business owner.
Country: South Africa
Nasreen Peer is a researcher, lecturer and small-business owner. Clearly, a woman who wears many hats. Peer currently lectures at Stellenbosch University, where she also carries out her research. Her work focuses on the biological and ecological study of coastal habitats, specifically the mangrove and rocky shore ecosystems.
A few years ago, Peer realised the importance of listening to one’s emotions or ‘gut feeling’, “ethics is becoming more important to me as I grow as a researcher. I also realised that I don’t want to be an academic. Academics represent something unattainable and most people don’t relate to you.” She wishes to bridge the gap between the general public and scientists which is part of the reason she started her company. The company, Argonaut Science (a citizen science, capacity development and consulting company), is one that Peer cofounded with her partner and husband Dr Nelson Miranda.
Peer has recently started to include a social aspect in an attempt to incorporate indigenous knowledge into her investigations after having spent some time in Mozambique; “I realised that there are huge sources of indigenous knowledge in our countries and we need to learn to incorporate these into our fields in an accurate and respectful way.” Peer also realised that including local communities was necessary, “our conservation initiatives are never going to succeed unless we started working with communities, developing what they’ve already built instead of shutting them out with fences.”
Peer is very passionate about her job, “I love being a scientist, asking questions, looking for answers but the idea that southern Africa has something new and different to offer the world in terms of research and conservation is what excites me most these days.” In fact, despite certain hurdles, she has a positive outlook on STEM in Africa, “While there has been (and still is) an overwhelming amount of parachute research on our continent, there are so many incredible scientists taking charge of research in their own countries now. African researchers are becoming more and more internationally recognised for their contributions to science.”
Peer’s experience as a female in the STEM field has largely been positive, but she understands that it might not the same for other females and she hopes to make a difference, “I love the fact that I can dedicate my career to creating the same safe space I had for other females (and leading others to do the same, of course).”
She has learnt that life is all about balance, “work hard but give yourself a break in between, push for your career but not at the cost of your mental health. Surround yourself with supportive people… who will be honest with you and who are not afraid to disagree with you. These people help you to grow and keep you humble.” Peer is really strict about maintaining work-life balance, “I leave everything work-related in the office… go home to my family, cook a great meal, exercise and unwind… [work related] thoughts cross your mind at night but it’s easy enough to jot down ideas. I find myself refreshed in the morning excited to get to work and start my day.”
Read more about Nasreen Peer, in a multifaceted interview below about a multifaceted woman and her dynamic contribution to the STEM world.
Nasreen Peer was interviewed by Dhruti Dheda, the founder of the African Steminist on behalf of Geeky Girl Reality. The full interview can be found here.
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