Prof Nicola Gaston studies variations in physical properties of materials as a function of size, from few-atom clusters to large nanoparticles and the bulk at the University of Auckland (and MacDiarmid Institute, NZ). Her research seeks an understanding of the relationship between electronic structure, physical properties effects of the underlying material structure. Nicola is a prominent science communicator and advocate for women in academia, a past President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, and author of Why Science Is Sexist.