My childhood hero

It all started with my dad - my childhood hero. He is an engineer and he has extensive experience in several technical fields. I have always admired the way he can put things together. I used to be fascinated by how easily he could disassemble; fix a problem and re assemble, with not even one extra screw!

In my ‘childhood eyes’, he was the hero who could fix everything and I wanted to mimic him. I did (for the first time) when I was just six years old by disassembling the household landline phone and putting it back together. The incredible thing is the phone was still working afterwards!

The first time I told my dad I wanted to be an engineer he advised me that it is a very difficult subject to study, but he was sure I would be able to do it if I truly wanted to.

 A typical day

Each day is different but it always involves emails to collaborators and it continues with work on one of the research projects. It can include meetings with companies, assisting new team members, coding or a bit of designing. A great advantage of my workday is that there is always a lot of laughter and jokes with my co-workers.

 Questions, questions, questions

When I first started my studies in Mechanical Engineering, I never considered that I had any special attributes and skills that could help me. However, now I believe the one characteristic that allowed me to get here is the courage to ask questions without the fear of being considered less smart. My lecturers may not remember my name, but they will certainly remember the girl who asked all the questions!

 Something new everyday

I find it especially rewarding working with companies to provide them with answers that will improve their procedures, products and services. We are working in research so we always learn something new, and each day is different. The great team I work in is another reason why I enjoy my role so much. Everyone is always friendly and ready to answer questions and help.

 Advice to others

I would give the same advice as my dad gave to me. Engineering and all STEM subjects are challenging and you must really want to follow this specific path. There will be challenges and it will require a lot of effort, but don’t give up - it will be worth it.

 The future for Women in STEM

Technology and our interaction has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and I believe it will continue to change in the future. Based on this, job roles have been changing allowing us to achieve more in STEM. Personally, I believe that people from many different STEM backgrounds can come together to find solutions and answers to problems. We imagine more and therefore we achieve more. I am hopeful that this will allow us to demonstrate to more young girls and women, that studying STEM subjects can provide an enjoyable and prosperous career.

Nadia Kourra

Research Fellow