What percentage of women achieved a role in the STEM field?
Women only take up about 28% of workers in the STEM field. To this day the majority of women claim to experience a lack of confidence and strong intimidation at work, stemming from the need to fight societal assumptions over gender roles.
We often see this gender gap in high-paying, competitive jobs such as computer science and engineering. “Women are systematically tracked away from science and math throughout their education, limiting their access, preparation, and opportunities to go into these fields as adults.” says the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In other words, for many women, the STEM field isn’t even considered a plausible career, as the idea of it being predominantly for men is implemented at such a young age.
Ana Maiques, pushing for women in science, technology, engineering, and math
Neuroelectrics’ CEO, Ana Maiques, stated “Women need to engage with technology, science, and coding at an earlier age in school. That’ll gradually bring more prepared women into the market”. A big part of this issue is the lack of female role models in science for girls to look up to and learn from.
In recent years, numerous companies and organizations committed to changing the long-standing situation for women in STEM have demonstrated a stronger commitment to achieving gender balance.
Ana Maiques is the CEO and Co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a member of the European Innovation Council Advisory Board, and a Co-founder of the Spanish tech platform EsTech. Ana received the EU Prize for Women Innovators from the European Commission 3 years in a row. She’s also been named one of the most inspiring women on the Inspiring Fifty list in Europe. In 2022, she won the Builders and Innovators award from Goldman Sachs as she continues breaking the barriers of science and technology in an impactful way with Business Ethics.
Aside from her talent in advancing the world of neurological disorders, she has always been a passionate advocate for increasing the visibility of women in STEM. In most conferences, panel discussions, and awards ceremonies she attends, she finds herself surrounded by male leaders. This is why she makes an effort to highlight the contributions of women in this field through her company.
Neuroelectrics’ women in STEM
There are a great number of incredibly intelligent women who take up some of the top positions at Neuroelectrics.
As a first example, Ilaria Cesini is a mechanical engineer with a Ph.D. in Biorobotics. She works in the design of any parts of the products that come in close contact with the user. Her procedure involves a user-centered approach, accounting for safety, durability, esthetics, simplicity of use, and comfort. To achieve this, Ilaria analyzes the user needs and product requirements and then converts them into design specifications. First off, she conceptualizes the designs and transfers them to a 3D model to make prototypes through 3D printing.
Research Director, Roser Sanchez-Todo is currently leading a transdisciplinary team of researchers (physicists, mathematicians, and engineers) for the Neurotwin project. Neurotwin plans to transform science into clinical solutions based on personalized digital models of patients’ brains. Roser has always been fascinated by neuroscience and pursued her career to now be head of her department. With a background in biomedical engineering specializing in computational neuroscience, she is working to obtain a doctorate at the UPF on the topic “Digital twins for model-based non-invasive brain stimulation in Alzheimer’s”. Working around Ana Maiques and other remarkable women at the company has influenced her to push beyond office life. Thanks to this, she chose to present her work at one of the top museums in Barcelona, the CCCB.
“Our company makes a strong effort towards giving exposure to the works of our employees by providing them with the necessary tools to present their work to the world,” says our CTO, Giulio Ruffini.
Conclusion
Neuroelectrics with 41% of women in the company, most of whom have a Biomedical Engineering background. This highlights the importance of attracting female talent. We believe it’s crucial for a company’s growth and a competitive advantage in fast-growing companies in the STEM field.
Check out these blog articles of some of the amazing women we’ve just presented:
- Ana Maiques: The story of chasing a dream
- Roser Sanchez-Todo: Missing Rhythm: Gamma Oscillations, Alzheimer’s disease, & tACS