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International Women in Engineering Day 2021: seven ParisTech women who are flying the flag for French engineering excellence
By shining a spotlight on these women and their achievements, the schools hope to show young women interested in science and engineering that they can succeed in the world of STEM, and inform and inspire those who might not otherwise have considered a career in these fields. Encouraging more girls to study engineering is one of the key ways in which ParisTech is seeking to promote gender equality.
Read on to meet seven women whose achievements highlight the value of a French engineering qualification and the transdisciplinary nature of the ParisTech network.
Vaitea Bahri graduated as an engineer from Arts et Métiers in 2020 and is now studying for a Research Master’s in Engineering for Energy Conversion Systems at the Arts et Métiers campus in Paris. She has been accepted onto the Systems Engineering Master’s programme run by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of UC Berkeley, where she will major in energy systems. A significant part of her tuition fees will be covered by a student grant from the prestigious Fulbright programme, which is funded by the United States and other countries.
Hanna Bendjador was a 26-year-old doctoral student at ESPCI Paris – PSL when she received the 2020 Rising Talent Prize, awarded by the L’Oréal Foundation in partnership with the Académie des Sciences and the French National Commission for UNESCO. Having completed her thesis at ESPCI Paris – PSL, which combined physics and biology, she is now continuing her work as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University.
Tatiana Budtova, who works as a lecturer and researcher at the MINES ParisTech Centre for Materials and Forming Processes (CENEF), was awarded a CNRS Silver Medal in 2020. A brilliant scientist, her major contribution to the field is the discovery and development of new bio-based materials known as bio-aerogels, and her goal is to manufacture aerogels without chemical synthesis, based on naturally occurring polymers.
Béatrice Foucher is Brand Chief Executive Officer of DS Automobiles, part of the Stellantis group. She studied at AgroParisTech, where her passion for industry led her to specialise in industrial engineering. The industry internships she did during her course were instrumental in confirming her chosen career path. After graduating, she decided to add another string to her bow and embarked on a Specialised Master’s in Quality Management at ESCP Europe.
Céline Guivarch, Head of Research at the École des Ponts ParisTech and researcher at the International Centre for Research on Environment and Development (CIRED), received the “Young Female Scientist” award in 2020. This prestigious award is one of the three Irène Joliot-Curie prizes bestowed by the French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation each year. Céline Guivarch is a member of the French High Council on Climate and her work focuses on the economic aspects of climate change.
Véronique Jolivet studied at the Institut d’Optique Graduate School and is Head of the General Sales department in the Africa Division of Total Marketing & Services. Her day-to-day work involves helping professional clients across Africa make the transition to lower-carbon sources of energy that meet their energy requirements.
Clothilde Perez, a graduate of Chimie ParisTech – PSL, is the founder of Koya, a start-up that helps people looking to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle identify concrete ways of making impactful, long-lasting changes.
Click here to read more about what ParisTech is doing to promote gender equality.