Professor Jane Clarke shares the soundtrack of her life

Jane sat down with Professor John Naughton, Director of Wolfson’s Press Fellowship Programme, to trace the arc of her personal and professional life: from her Welsh roots and childhood in Cambridge, through her university days at York – where she met her husband, Chris – to her prolific, trailblazing career as a leading female scientist. The audience heard snippets from the seven songs Jane has chosen to define each era of her journey, each song having a particular resonance for time and place, marking the formative moments that have shaped Jane’s incredible life and career.

Jane’s playlist is available on Spotify – listen along as she explains why each song made the list. 

“Welsh National Anthem” – sung by the crowd at Cardiff Arms Park (1959)

This song reminds me of my heritage. Both of my grandfathers worked in the coal mines of the Welsh Valleys, and from my family I learned that education is the gift you give your children to ensure that they have a better life than you. My family encouraged me to believe that I could do or be anything I set my mind to. 

“I Saw Her Standing There” – The Beatles (1963)

My family moved to Cambridge when I was ten, so I grew up here as a child of the 1960s – an exciting time! My mother was a biology teacher at Impington Village College, and she was the one who inspired me to become a scientist, pushing me to always ask questions and always be curious. The Beatles were just starting to hit the airwaves as I hit teenager-hood, and this is the first record I bought. 

“My Generation” – The Who (Live, 1971)

This song is an homage to my university years when I studied biochemistry at York University. The 1960s and early 1970s was the time of women’s liberation, birth control, the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and I was away from home, doing a course I loved, and believing that I was part of a new generation, with our long hair and short skirts, and demonstrations. Bands came through universities in those days, and in May 1970, Chris and I had our first date – at a Who concert. 

“Sultans of Swing” – Dire Straits (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1983)

When I left York, I trained to be a teacher. I had a clear career plan of becoming a Head Teacher in a large comprehensive school. I didn’t consider a research career although I was a high achiever. I wanted to be married and have children. Chris and I lived for a while in Leicester, and then moved to London in 1976, where I was Head of Biology and then Acting Head of Science at Northumberland Park School in Tottenham. I became a mother in London, but this track reminds me of the time when we had disposable income for the first time, and no children to stop us from enjoying life in London. We had the time of our lives! 

“No Surrender” – Bruce Springsteen (1984)

In 1976, Chris was offered an unmissable career opportunity in the States, so we packed up the family and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. This was a pivotal moment for me – I couldn’t teach in America, and the molecular biology revolution had happened, science had changed, so instead I did a part-time Masters to “update my science”. And I fell in love with research. One of my professors, Bud Suddath, taught a course on proteins and I was hooked. I was determined to do a PhD. Life in America was wonderful, but it wasn’t home and there were aspects I found difficult, so we planned to return to the UK at some point. But it was in America that I first saw The Boss live, and it’s such a great song – a call to arms, to never give up on your dreams. 

“Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen (1979)

After America, we came back and I started a PhD at Cambridge, which was the start of my career as a scientist: setting up my research group, studying protein folding and interactions, working with Professor Sir Alan Fersht. Having been rejected by faculty in the Biochemistry department –  “too old”, “young children to care for” – Alan gave me the opportunity to start my academic career and he has been my mentor ever since. He allowed me to define success not by the hours put in but by what you achieve – an important message for women in science. And the members of my research group chose this song for me. It was one we played in the car as we went off on our annual scientific retreats, to Devon or elsewhere. I think the song is a perfect choice, because not only was it the soundtrack to so many memories of that time, and the research group that I spent twenty years running, but it’s such important advice for women in STEM – “don’t stop me now” – don’t take no for an answer. And as the song goes, we were having “such a good time, having a ball”. 

“Drinking White Wine in the Sun” – Tim Minchin (2012)

This title is for my Wolfson years, years in which I have come to appreciate the importance of the people and traditions that make a place a home. When I came to Wolfson as President in 2017, I had a mission in mind: to support a space where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential, to support research, to embrace diversity, to create a place where different voices can be heard, and for this College to shape and nurture people who aspire to make the world a better place. This song is not only a reminder of what is important – family, friends, those you can rely on – but also a reminder to question, to speak up, to disagree. As Tim Minchin sings, “I don’t believe just because ideas are tenacious it means they’re worthy”. Because isn't that what higher education at a place like Wolfson is all about? And I hope that's a message I've been able to share and a mission I've been able to accomplish here during my presidency, before I leave in October, to hopefully enjoy a glass of white wine in the sun.