Women in STEM: Stories to inspire the next generation

We spoke with researchers Nadezda Chukhno, Beyza Bütün, Behafarid Hemmatpour, Bei Ouyang, and Masoumeh Khodarami about science and equality

11 February 2026

As part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we interviewed five of our researchers to learn what excites them most about science, who their female role models are, and their inspiring messages for young women who doubt whether they are truly capable of pursuing a STEM degree (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Spoiler: they absolutely are.

First, some context. Year after year, various studies—such as the European Commission’s She Figures 2025—show a persistent gender gap in critical sectors like ICT, where only 22% of PhD students are women. Women outperform men in higher education overall, but they remain significantly underrepresented in STEM careers and leadership positions. As a result, the long-term shortage of skilled professionals in the EU is exacerbated.

Therefore, this debate remains more necessary than ever. Our PhD student Beyza Bütün is clear on this point and emphasizes the need to make women scientists’ work and achievements visible: “It’s important because, first, gender inequality is still there. And second, I believe these discussions should change society’s perception of women scientists, so that girls can find role models and believe they too can succeed in science and become key figures themselves in the future.”

Predoctoral student Masoumeh Khodarami adds: “Talking about women in science helps create balance within scientific communities. This encourages girls to participate in projects and research labs. As a result, I believe greater diversity can improve the quality of research.”

Here lies one of the core issues: diversity. To build a more open and inclusive society, diverse teams are essential. “Diversity matters in every field, not just technology development. For example, when training a machine learning model, it is often biased by the data or by any mention of gender or race. Consequently, the output will also be biased. That’s why we need diverse input data. It’s very difficult to eliminate bias completely, but you can try to reduce it as much as possible,” explains postdoctoral researcher Nadezda Chukhno.

It all starts with curiosity

All of the researchers highlight curiosity as the driving force behind their choice to pursue STEM. Thanks to their relentless questioning, turning ideas into real-world solutions, and conducting even small experiments, they decided to study science.

That path, however, has not always been easy. Masoumeh recalls feeling out of place at times: “Especially when in a new environment. I compared myself to others and felt I wasn’t enough. After that, I decided to talk to supportive people, ask questions, and start learning and researching. I always remind myself that making mistakes is part of growth.”

She adds that to work in STEM, “you don’t need to be a genius, you just have to start learning and building small projects. You shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes, because they guide you along the way.” Other researchers, like Beyza and Nadezda, emphasize that confidence is gained through experience and time, and encourage young women not to wait until they feel “ready.”

Some, like PhD student Bei Ouyang, didn’t always expect to end up in STEM: “Growing up, I loved writing and never thought STEM was for me. But later I learned it’s not just equations or code. It’s about curiosity, creativity, and expressing ideas clearly. Skills from seemingly non-technical interests can become real strengths in science.”

Predoctoral student Behafarid Hemmatpour explains that we live in a generation where STEM is everywhere: in music, art, social sciences, and even literature. “That’s why STEM is not a path reserved for a few people; it plays a pivotal role in any profession you can imagine. STEM is for everyone, not specifically for women or men, but for anyone with curiosity and a passion for understanding and shaping the world. From the beginning, science and technology have been recognized by all, and women have always played a crucial role in scientific progress. Although their contributions were not always visible, we now live in a society actively breaking down these biases.”