In a follow-up to her piece in our last issue, Liz Gerrish, technical programme manager and senior optical engineer at Wilcox Industries, provides further leadership perspective from being a woman in STEM
The workshop aims to connect excellent female scientists at the beginning of their career with experts in photonics holding leading positions at research institutions and companies. The event addresses young female postdocs in the field of (bio)photonics, who want to present their own research work and build up new networks. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange with experienced scientists from academia and industry and jointly develop strategies for a successful professional career.
Optical research engineer, Katie Schwertz, discusses the need for mutual understanding and empathy within the photonics community in order to move towards gender equity
Differences of opinion still exist when it comes to fair pay and promotion in optics and photonics fields, but job satisfaction remains high overall, according to the 2017 SPIE Optics and Photonics Global Salary Report.
The report, the seventh compiled annually by SPIE, is the largest international study of the photonics industry.
SPIE figures reveal that just 20 per cent of engineering degrees in the US are awarded to women, and 40 per cent of those women end up leaving the field. Christina Willis, laser scientist at Fibertek, gives her opinion on how stereotypes contribute to these statistics
In a traditionally male-dominated industry, Jessica Rowbury looks at the representation of women in the field of optics and photonics