What is your “official” professional role and field?

I have a full-time position as a researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). My research focuses on satellite positioning, and more particularly, on how the integration of new technologies (such as laser links between satellites) can improve the estimation of the user's position.

Since February 2023, I am also officially registered as a public speaker on the topics of sexism and microaggressions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

What are your unofficial roles and fields?

I have a lot of extra activities! Most of the time, when people ask what I do, I concentrate on one or two of these roles because I am afraid to scare them off…

At work first, as a researcher in a very male-dominated area, I have been looking to connect with other women and gender minorities scientists (both combined account for less than 15% of the employees in my Institute). To this end, over the past two years, I have co-founded two groups: one within my Institute, gathering 30 women and gender minority scientists, and a second one within the entire DLR (30 locations and 55 Institutes), which today counts 450 women and gender minority scientists. The concept of these networks is to create a place to 1) connect - enabling women and gender minorities to feel less isolated, 2) discuss gender-related issues that we face at work, 3) support and inspire each other.

I also co-founded in March 2022 the Belgian branch of Pépite Sexiste, called Sexisme Flop: an association calling out the use of sexism or gender stereotypes in advertisement. There, I lead a team of 4 volunteers, and together we publish "flops" sent by our community every ⅔ days (on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter).

Finally, I also coordinate the research group on Visibility Of Women in STEM for Women-in-Aerospace Europe. We produced a white paper on the topic last year, providing recommendations to conference organizers, media, company board members and scientists.

How did you get to where you are today in your career?

I had the privilege to grow up in a family composed of many doctors, who encouraged me to study Science at university. Even if harsh sexism, racism or homophobic statements are not so common at the workplace anymore, I have kept on hearing jokes or demeaning comments directed at minorities. These microaggressions, whether verbal, behavioral or environmental, are constant and have a dramatic impact on victims' mental health since the very first incident.

I have experienced harassment from male colleagues at the workplace for two years especially because of my activities for women+'s rights and well-being. But I had the chance to have an amazing group of women+ (my Institute's network) who listened to me with empathy and believed me the very first time I opened up about this. Thanks to their trust, I felt brave enough to confront my offenders one by one. This experience was very hard on me, but after opening up and taking action, two new feelings emerged: 1) we created a strong sense of community and support within this women group, and now, some other women+ have taken in charge the role of organizing support meetings to report the aggressions we are victims of (and there are still a lot), 2) I think I was still looking for my male colleagues' approval before this incident, which is a feeling that has now completely disappeared. Opinions from people who have never questioned their judgments have no impact in my life, and it feels really good!

Your relationship to “social impact”: has it evolved since you began your career?

I have discovered, similarly to what Sarah Farhatiar mentioned in the previous newsletter, the impact that I could do, on my own, to defend people, causes, and projects I deeply care about. I have met amazing people with the same energy as me, and together we can do even more.

But this made me also realize the privileges I have, as a white educated European person living in Western Europe. The impact that I've had so far was oriented mostly towards people looking like me, and by trying to help them, I might have also reproduced other oppressions that I have been raised up with.

As individuals, we have a lot of power and influence on people around us, in our organizations and at the workplace. So I want to keep educating myself, on discrimination I experience, but also on all other discriminations, in order to apply the concept of intersectionality in all my actions, in my management style or in the way I write and talk. I have a long way to go but my wish is to become someone safe and an ally for other minorities.

Lessons you’re taking away from the first few years of your work experience, and applying to the next chapters of your career.

1. Trust your guts. If your body tells you something is wrong, it is. Some comments make your hair raise on your skin, but often we still try to gaslight ourselves into thinking that this is no big deal. It is. If you don't believe it, imagine how made you would be if someone had said the same thing to your very best friend. Treat yourself like your best friend.
2. Find safe people around you. We all have toxic friends, there is something weirdly attractive about it, but make sure you know who to find when you need support, in all areas of your life. Have safe people at work, in your family, in your friend circles.
3. We don't have to wait to be CEO of a company to make changes in it. We spend a huge amount of time at work, how sad would it be to feel terrible at work everyday of our lives.