Highlighting Women in STEM
Posted: 08 March 2021
This International Women’s day, we’re celebrating women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and highlighting the diverse range of exciting roles in the sector.
In 2018, women only made up 22% of the UK STEM workforce. Edinburgh Science is committed to inspiring young people, regardless of their background, to strive for a career in STEM. This April, we deliver Careers Hive: Live + Online, an interactive event which brings pupils and industry professionals together to highlight pathways into STEM careers.
With the help of our supporters, young people across Scotland are provided with vital opportunities to benefit from immersive science programmes such as Careers Hive. This International Women’s Day, we’ve highlighted some of the inspirational women in STEM from our supporter organisations below.
Name: Maeve O’Callaghan
Organisation: Elgin Energy
Role: Senior Project Manager
What inspired you to become a Senior Project Manager?
“I was inspired to join Elgin Energy because I wanted to work in the world of renewables. I had completed a Masters in Energy & Environmental Finance and a Bachelors in Environmental Science which increased my interests in sustainability and climate action. Renewables, and in particular solar energy, is playing an increasingly important role in the energy sector as we move towards a fully decarbonised world.”
How did you find your job?
“I joined the company in 2015 for a 3-month internship as part of my Masters programme. I had learned about the company through a friend and made an inquiry as they seemed to be growing their team. I was Elgin Energy’s first intern and 13th employee. Since then, I have progressed to Senior Project Manager and the company has almost doubled in size.”
What’s a typical day like in your job?
“You hear a lot of people saying there’s no typical day in their job but I can safely say that is true with Elgin Energy. My role is project management so I interact with a lot of internal and external stakeholders to progress solar farms from an idea into a reality. This work involves a lot of problem solving, communication and collaboration. Every day is a school day though and as I progress my projects towards the point of energisation, I learn even more. In the past two years I have been working on developing projects in Australia alongside our team on the ground over there.”
What’s the best thing about your job?
“I think the best thing about my job is knowing that we are making a difference in the world. We need to decarbonise our electricity system and economies as quickly as possible to combat climate change. I am proud to say that I am trying to play my part in the fight against climate change.”
What’s something you weren’t expecting about your job?
“While I always would have sought to enjoy my job and selected career path, I never would have expected to be quite so passionate about my work as I am about solar energy. Working in such an evolving industry has impacted my view of the world and I am lucky to enjoy my job as much as I do.”
Top tips for getting into your industry?
“Get online and do some research on the area you are passionate about. There is a wealth of resources and information across books, podcasts, websites, and webinars. Familiarise yourself with the companies active in the industry so you can keep an eye on their job opportunities, and don’t be afraid to network and reach out to people on LinkedIn. You would be surprised how many people will be happy to talk and offer advice to you when starting your career.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“I think it’s important for students to do some research/find work experience to figure out the right career for them. Understanding what excites you is crucial to successfully progressing your career while enjoying what you do. We spend most of our daily life working so it is important to find an area you are interested in and a team you like working with. I am very lucky to say that both are true in my case.”
Name: Sara Pellegrini
Organisation: STMicroelectronics
Role: Pixel Architect
What inspired you to become a Pixel Architect?
“The first time I saw the circuit board of an analogue amplifier, I thought it would be beautiful to be able to design and construct such an intriguing system, so I decided to become an Electronics Engineer. During my degree, the topic that interested me most was the creation of electronics devices in Silicon. This is what made me converge to the job I have now, which is the design and implementation of CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) pixels in silicon for mobile phone cameras.”
How did you find your job?
“After an Electronics Engineering degree from the Politecnico di Milano (Italya), I completed my PhD at Heriot-Watt University and then applied to become a characterization engineer for STMicroelectronics, measuring electronics and optical properties of pixels. As I grew in my career I moved towards my current job as a pixel architect. Following the full development of a pixel from concept to industrialization is fascinating.”
What’s a typical day like in your job?
“I spend most of my time in meetings with my extended team to review or coordinate all the activities that are needed to develop and industrialise a pixel, so that it can be sold to customers. Meetings are mostly with people in France, so they are virtual. I sometimes also travel to meet my colleagues in person. I also have to make sure that all the pixel performance is consistent with expectation and all the data provided is in a good format and stored properly for future retrieval.”
What’s the best thing about your job?
“The best thing about my job is to be at the forefront of Research & Development. We work on the next generation devices and are always looking for new technology or new architecture to improve our pixel performance.”
What’s something you weren’t expecting about your job?
“It’s the large amount of people that I need to collaborate with and that are needed to develop something as small as a pixel (1 to 10 microns in side).”
Top tips for getting into your industry?
“Doing a degree in Electronics Engineering or Physics would be the basis to get into the semiconductor manufacturing business.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“I find that if there is something you are really passionate about, you have to persist towards your goal. Most of the time the path towards it is not straight forward, but with tenacity you might eventually get there.”
Name: Julie Struthers
Organisation: Scottish Power
Role: Senior Analyst
What inspired you to become a Senior Analyst in the Project Management Office?
“In this job I can play on my organising, planning, tracking and chasing skills!”
What’s the best thing about your job?
“I love being busy and learning new things and that is certainly true of my experience at Scottish Power.”
What’s something you weren’t expecting about your job?
“The challenge of starting a new job whilst working from home was something I have never experienced before.”
Top tips for getting into your industry?
“The electricity networks industry needs people with a vast range of skills. An interest in the future of energy in the UK and the changes that the move to Net Zero will bring would be a good start.”
Name: Fabiola Schneider
Organisation: Elgin Energy
Role: Project Development
What inspired you to work in the solar industry?
“To me it is important that my job is aligned with my values – if I spend most of my week on it, I better fully believe in what I am doing. A job in renewable energy allows me to dedicate my time to something meaningful. The industry is fast growing and offers great career prospects as well as job security. It is a future proof job and contributes to future proofing our planet!”
How did you find your job?
“I completed an internship at Elgin Energy as part of my Masters after attending one of their presentation days. I enjoyed working with the company so much I decided to stay on.”
What’s a typical day like in your job?
“There really is no typical day! The basics of solar development can be simplified into four steps: grid, land, planning & routes to market. On a day-to-day basis this means that we have team meetings to discuss ongoing projects, or I spend my time searching for new opportunities and sites. My work also includes interacting with external stakeholders such as Distribution Network Operators, Planners or Landowners to progress projects. Internally, I engage with our in-house finance team on project modelling to ensure the projects are financially viable, as well as the legal team to finalise lease agreements with landowners.
Every now and then (before working from home was the new normal) I would get to go on site to assess various planning and design features of the prospective projects and to meet with local stakeholders.”
What’s the best thing about your job?
“What matters most to me is having a positive impact on the planet! I truly believe solar can play a crucial role in the energy transition. The clean energy sector is ever evolving, exciting new technology is emerging, and improvements of existing technology regularly occur. I get to attend conferences on these advancements and am encouraged to extend my horizon – I’m always learning.
Moreover, it is brilliant to work in a small company as I get exposure to all departments, which allows for a deeper understanding of the business. Being part of a young and dynamic team allows for a positive working environment and makes me enjoy my job!”
What’s something you weren’t expecting about your job?
“As this is the first time for me working in a small (non-corporate) office I am constantly amazed how the company takes care of each employees’ individuals needs and does their best to accommodate everyone’s personal situation – that’s particularly relevant in times of unprecedented change introduced by this pandemic!”
Top tips for getting into your industry?
“For anyone considering a career in the solar industry, I would advise them to do some research! See what job opportunities are available and what matches your background – renewable energy is not just for electric engineers! Also, check what current and former employees say about the firm you’re applying to. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people on LinkedIn and ask for advice or mentorship.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“Why is it so important to have more females in STEM?
Diversity is important in all sectors as different people can offer unique insights and solutions – diversity is directly linked to success!
Additionally, representation is important to encourage other females to enter the workforce. We need more females in leadership positions to inspire future generations.
Diversity is a key aspect of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and today especially board levels still lag behind in this regard. I am very pleased to see companies – Elgin Energy among them - introducing ESG policies and working towards changing this.”
Name: Dr Geri Kitley
Organisation: Royal Society of Chemistry
Role: Member Engagement Executive
What inspired you to become a Member Engagement Executive?
“While doing my PhD I had always been interested in science outreach but didn’t think more about it than doing open days at the university. About two years into my PhD I realised that whilst I loved chemistry, I didn’t think academia was for me. [After working in a school] I quickly realised I didn’t want to go into teaching either, but I did want to do a job that supported chemists or potential chemists.”
How did you find your job?
“While spending that year in a school I discovered that the Royal Society of Chemistry had a graduate scheme which offered the opportunity to develop skills and become familiar with a number of different departments within the organisation. Half way through the scheme my role came up and they offered me the opportunity to engage with members of the RSC and develop or research different ways that we could further support them. Later, this then included managing the Outreach Fund which means I also get to read about and support a wide variety of fantastic outreach opportunities out there.”
What’s a typical day like in your job?
“A few of the typical activities that I do in my job is reading and reviewing grant applications, developing and maintaining relationships with grant holders and supporting them where appropriate, outside of a pandemic I might actually go and visit some of the activities that we fund as well! There is also an element of analysis and reporting to my role as well.”
What’s the best thing about your job?
“I enjoy the variety – answering what a typical day looks like isn’t easy as even just contacting grant holders provides variety and helps me to keep in touch with the science outreach activities out there. But in addition to the Outreach Fund there is all the member and volunteer engagement work our team does which helps me remain connected to the chemistry community even though I don’t work in academia or industry.”
What’s something you weren’t expecting about your job?
“The emotional ties to projects. When I discuss a potential project with an applicant I love hearing their passion and I get excited about the project. But what I have to remember is that the Outreach Fund is a competitive process and talking about a project is often different to reading it and the information we require.”
Top tips for getting into your industry?
“Be open to the kinds of organisation you might work for and think outside the box - there are lots of organisations that you might not have heard of that require employees to do member and volunteer engagement jobs, as well as outreach management.”
