Announcements

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), observed annually on 23 June, is a global initiative that celebrates the outstanding achievements of women in engineering while inspiring more young women to pursue engineering careers. This year, under the theme “Together We Engineer”, we are sincerely honored to interview the Guest Editor of Processes (ISSN: 2227-9717), Dr. Jelena Svorcan.

1. What key experiences or inspirations led you to dedicate your career to engineering research, and how do you sustain that passion in your work?
I always liked and had success in math and physics (and other natural sciences), and I wanted an occupation that would be connected to these subjects, but also to real-world applications, and that would, in addition, allow me to play constantly. Aerospace engineering (flying, connection to space) seemed like a good balance between these three “opposites” (science, application, imagination). So, it isn’t that hard to sustain passion while working at the university since I like my job, and have the feeling that I can freely engage in research that suits me (it is quite a dynamic environment, and working with students adds a special touch and inspiration). Additionally, my mother worked as a physics teacher, and I had a great role model.

2. Was there anyone, perhaps a role model, who was decisive in your choice to study engineering?
As I previously mentioned, my first role model was probably my mother, since she is the first who explained to me the significance and beauty of science and how it is similar to and different from engineering. But there were also many others, mostly teachers and professors that I met during my education, that were brilliant and, at the same time, great and caring people. My older sister also played an important part in my personal growth. So, in my opinion, role models are important, as they can show us that different options exist and that many things that we thought were too hard, are achievable. They also encourage us to ask questions.
I am convinced even now that teaching through successful examples is one of the most successful ways to approach young people.

3. From your observation, what are the most significant systemic barriers that female researchers face in your field?
In my opinion, there aren’t numerous systematic barriers during education in Serbia (it is the same and available to everyone), apart from the “unwritten” prejudice that engineering is not a “female occupation” (it is difficult and dirty, with too long working hours in the field). So, many girls give up before they even try. Our job now is to explain to them that many engineering aspects are different today and that numerous options for females exist.
I think that real barriers come later when you start working. And, I don’t mean some brute discrimination, but the very subtle, condescending approach of male colleagues. They will rarely let females do any dependable job or reach high positions. And, of course, poorly defined regulations regarding typical life situations (like marriage, pregnancy, etc.) do not help. We should probably work on redefining some of the existing rules and formalities.

4. What distinctive strengths do female engineers bring to academic research, and what strategies would you recommend for leveraging these advantages in career development?
Females are generally very responsible, and well organized, do not do everything at the last minute, and can very successfully deal with particular, tedious tasks. They perform well under pressure and are great as team leaders and teachers since they engage more with younger colleagues, but can also be strict when necessary.
In my opinion, a balanced team, comprising both seniors and juniors, female and male engineers, and people with different opinions, skills, and approaches, is usually the best solution.

5. Could you share a specific example from your research projects where gender diversity directly contributed to innovative problem-solving or unexpected breakthroughs?
The first specific example of successful gender diversity that comes to my mind is probably the activity of writing project proposals. In my (real-life) experience, female colleagues were always more detailed, in both reading and comprehending project requirements and answering all of them. Also, they played a crucial role in finalizing the proposal text and inspecting it in detail. Male colleagues were most often only interested in their part, were a bit impatient, and didn’t want to particularly bother with all the rules and requirements.
So, if you need everything to be “by the book”, and successfully finished, it is best to include some females in the process.

6. What makes you feel recognized and welcomed at work?
I feel recognized when my male colleagues treat me equally and wish to cooperate with me on equal terms (meaning that they are truly interested in what I say and are truly open to my suggestions and ideas). That is basically all we need, equal treatment and opportunities, and I sincerely believe we’ll be able to show all our qualities.

7. Based on your experience, what strategic career planning approaches and skill-building priorities would you recommend to early career female researchers in engineering?
To all beginners, males and females alike, I recommend doing lots of different work, studying, cooperating, listening, discussing, attending conferences and other research events, meeting with experts, etc. Basically, do as many different activities as possible.
To females additionally, I recommend connecting to recognized females in your field of interest, because such persons will serve as great role models, and might even include you in some research projects. Either way, there is a lot to learn from them.

8. What concrete actions could academic publishers like MDPI take to better support and amplify the work of women in STEM fields?
Here, I will try to be imaginative, but I cannot guarantee all my recommendations are viable. Nonetheless, let’s try.
MDPI might offer some special publication price reductions to female authors in scientific journals (even a small fee reduction might inspire a greater number of female authors, particularly from less economically strong countries like Serbia). Also, the vouchers that MDPI provides to reviewers might have more value if younger female researchers perform those reviews. Or, as MDPI provides special traveling awards to young scientists, it might also offer some small research grants to females at the beginning of their careers, that would enable them to perform their research studies (regardless of how small they are) that could later also be published in MDPI journals.
Also, MDPI might organize seminars or training (events similar to the current one) where these topics could be discussed, and some important questions raised (even if not immediately answered).
Lastly, MDPI could form a database of female researchers and help connect them if they are willing and engage in similar research topics, thus inciting greater multicultural and diverse scientific cooperation. As I mentioned several times up to now, increasing the number of women in STEM fields will be a long process, and we’ll need constant engagement, patience, cooperation, experience exchange, and great role models.