Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science

February 11th was the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which highlighted the gender imbalance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields. We believe it is important to support women and girls who aspire to have a career in science and engineering and are actively working with educational bodies and STEM partners to encourage future talent in to the business.

We want to recognise our female talent and the work they do that contributes to our world leading technology. We had the pleasure of speaking to our employees, Charlotte Grinyer and Zereh Pam to find out why they chose a career in science and engineering.

Meet Charlotte Grinyer

Hi, my name is Charlotte Grinyer and I am a Research Engineer within Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI).

I studied physics at university, but quickly realised that I wanted to apply my skills to emerging technologies within engineering. Getting involved in AI and Machine learning during my Thales internship made me realise how passionate I was about this area. Working in an innovation-based domain has so many possibilities, so pursuing a career in Research Engineering was a natural fit!

I love the opportunity to connect with other Thales research departments on an international scale and I was lucky enough to spend six months working in Montreal with their AI research team. Maintaining these connections and being able to bring knowledge back to the UK has really contributed to my development.  

Despite there being excellent role models in science and space, none of them really spoke to me. I think this shows how important it is that we highlight women in wider and varying roles, as women in engineering should be the expectation, not just an inspiration.

I hope to continue my development, with the goal of becoming a Thales Expert. I believe it is important we continue to recognise female talent and make meaningful developments within technology that contribute to a better future. 

It would be great to see more female engineers in the field! 

Meet Zereh Pam

Hi, my name is Zereh Pam and I am a Software Engineer Degree-Apprentice, working in the Aerospace sector.

I chose to do a software apprenticeship because I am enthusiastic about technology and wanted to get first-hand experience working in this dynamic industry. I enjoy problem solving and becoming fluent in different programming languages, as it makes development even more fun.

My mother inspired me to go into STEM, as she was an Avionics Engineer and she passed her passion for aviation down to me; it gave me the confidence to learn more about the roles that existed in this area. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin also inspired me. Her 1925 thesis on the composition of the Sun was rejected at first, but later accepted by others. They did not offer astrophysics degrees to women at that time, but she persevered and her research has been foundational in modern astronomy. It is because of great minds like her we can understand the stars better!

Doing a software apprenticeship has been great because you are able to learn and immediately put that knowledge to use. I have also built up confidence with my skills and I have found innovate ways of making my code more efficient and robust. 

I definitely encourage others to consider STEM related careers and my goal is to become a Chartered Engineer, working on space related projects; astronomy has always been a deep interest of mine. 

It would be great to see more women from all backgrounds in this field as together we can achieve great things.

Early Careers

Find out more at our  Early Careers page.