International Women’s Day: Celebrating Women in Technology.
The next instalment from our collection of stories shines a light on the wonderful outcomes that happen when a traditional view of the pathway for women in society is challenged.
We continue to share these stories because as a team we are passionate about International Women’s Day (IWD) and its mission to “celebrate digital advancement and champion the women forging innovation through technology”.
Enough from us, let’s hear from Nancy, a Big Data Engineer at IntelliSense.io (thank you for everything you have contributed over the last two and a half years Nancy, we look forward to many more!).
Tell us a little bit about your educational & career background so far
I have a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, counting 12 post-doctorate years in the field.
I spent 9 years in academia, working as a Research Associate initially and a Research Scientist subsequently in multi-disciplinary R&D projects on IoT and emerging applications. In 2019 I decided it was time for me to step outside my comfort zone and try something that I haven’t done for a really long time; go to the Industry. This is when I joined Intellisense.io, as a Big Data Engineer.
What barriers did you overcome on your career journey?
I grew up in a small village in Greece in the ’80 and ’90s when, unfortunately, the role of young women was more or less predetermined. Complete the 12 years of mandatory education, get a high school (and maybe a University degree) and then get married.
This was the culture I grew in, and now that I am looking back I think this was the biggest barrier that I and my friends had to overcome, stepping out of that mentality and drawing our own path.
Who inspired or helped you on your journey?
My parents helped me to get into the University, and provided the financial aid I needed for getting my Diploma. During my PhD and Post-doc years I was fortunate to work with some very talented people, who taught me that once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.
My partner, and probably the cleverest Engineer I have met so far continues to inspire me to expose myself to new things.
Is there anything you would go back and do differently or change?
I would spend more time with valuable friends and less time in the lab. Life is not just about work. This is a constant reminder I am getting from my kids on a daily basis :-).
What does the future hold for you?
Honestly, I have no idea. Whatever it is, I just hope I will be able to embrace it in good physical and mental health.
What do you do at IntelliSense.io?
I help my team to build great software for modernizing the outdated tools used in the mining sector.
Why did you choose IntelliSense.io?
Because it has a great culture for supporting and facilitating its employees to become the best version of themselves professionally.
What do you love about your job?
I love and (sometimes feel intimidated by) the fast pace of things and how big an impact the code I am building today can make in the workday of a mining operator in 3 months.
I am a huge fan of the product we are building because I think it can have a great impact on sustainability and the future of our planet’s physical resources.
What advice would you give others thinking of following your path?
Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/athanasiapanousopoulou
#BreakTheBias #IWD2022
