The forgotten women of quantum physics

In this piece by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, the author reviews Women in the History of Quantum Physics, a volume surveying 14 chapters about women who helped shape quantum physics from the 1920s onward. It spotlights figures such as Grete Hermann, Chien-Shiung Wu, Williamina Fleming, Hertha Sponer, Lucy Mensing, Katharine Way, and Carolyn Parker, among others. The article underscores that many of these contributors worked as experimentalists, technicians, and teachers—roles historically undervalued yet essential to the field’s advancements. It also examines how wartime research, institutional barriers, and intersectional identities shaped these careers, arguing that science advances through a village of contributors, not a few geniuses. The piece places the work in the context of the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan.

Overview and purpose

The article discusses the book Women in the History of Quantum Physics, which assembles 14 studies of women who contributed to quantum physics from the 1920s onward. It emphasizes that the discipline’s development depended on a broad range of participants, not only headline names. The author notes that even experienced researchers like Chien-Shiung Wu and Hertha Sponer faced recognition gaps, and that the book seeks to present “more rounded stories” without treating women as mere anomalies.

“We were united by the belief that quantum physics, broadly construed, deserves better stories, more rounded stories, stories that neither invisibilise women nor make them hyper visible as singular, anomalies, exceptions, legends and so on.” - Daniela Monaldi, co-editor

The piece highlights how the authors profile a diverse group of scientists beyond famous theorists, including Williamina Fleming, Lucy Mensing, Katharine Way, and Carolyn Parker, illustrating the everyday, essential tasks that sustained early quantum research, from matrices applications to spectroscopic techniques.

Labor, roles, and recognition

The article underscores that many women in the history of quantum physics performed critical laboratory and technical work, taught future scientists, and contributed to government and military research. These roles were often undervalued compared with theoretical breakthroughs, yet they were indispensable for validating ideas and moving the field forward. The narrative thus reframes progress as a collective enterprise rather than the product of a few celebrated geniuses.

“They were working physicists – not geniuses or heroes, but each was one of the many bright minds who collectively keep pushing knowledge forward a day at a time.” - Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Intersectionality, barriers, and progress

The book foregrounds how race, immigration status, and gender shaped the experiences of scientists like Wu and Carolyn Parker, illustrating the broader social barriers that could hinder participation in science. It also documents reform efforts and activism by women to improve equity in academia, even as such work sometimes cut into research time. The aim is to present a more complete picture of quantum physics’ development, one that recognizes both scientific and social contributions.

“There is no other way.” - Daniela Monaldi

Context and implications for today

With the United Nations declaring 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, the article situates the book within a moment of renewed attention to quantum science and its social dimensions. It also notes the contemporary challenges in science funding and immigration policies in the United States, arguing that embracing diversity is essential to solving global problems and advancing research. The author concludes that a fuller history of quantum physics can inspire a more inclusive and collaborative future for science.

“Even a revolutionary branch of study like quantum physics needed the proverbial village to get off the ground, and we ought not to forget that some of its citizens were also women.” - Karmela Padavic-Callaghan