Interviews - Dr. Natércia Rodrigues Lopes

Welcome back everyone, we hope you are all keeping safe and well. Today we are bringing you another interview with a fabulous woman in STEM, Natércia! You can find Natércia on Twitter @NatRodLopes1 and we really think she is worth a follow!

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Cellfie: What is your job?

Natércia: I am a researcher working with ultrafast laser spectroscopy. I

use fast pulses of laser light to study energy transfer

mechanisms in molecular systems, such as the ones that are

involved with photosynthesis or vision.

Cellfie: That sounds amazing! Spectroscopy sounds like such a fascinating field and it relates to so many things that are so vital to our daily lives, such as eye sight.

When did you first realize you wanted to do STEM?

Natércia: I am not sure there was a specific moment – all through school I

found science classes more enjoyable than the others, even

when they were more challenging. I wasn’t always brilliant at all

the science subjects, and certainly not maths, but I enjoyed

working at it and got great satisfaction when I finally mastered

things.

Cellfie: Definitely! People seem to assume that if you are interested in science, you are automatically in love with all of the topics and every discipline. It doesn't always work like that and it is so important that we recognise that and normalise it!

Who were your role models growing up?

Natércia: I cannot pinpoint a role model, if I am honest, but the people

who inspired me to do science and stay curious were my

teachers. I’ve had so many excellent teachers who introduced

me to science and supported me through it. Particularly my

maths and chemistry/physics teachers from my last year before

university (both women). I never felt more in control of maths

and more in love for chemistry and physics than when I was

taught by them. They gave me the tools to do science and

made me believe in myself.

Cellfie: We have always found our teachers inspiring! It is so fantastic to see female STEM teachers that have inspired countless amounts of girls to go into STEM, they deserve so much more recognition- especially in light of current events.

Did you ever want to do anything else?

Natércia: I wanted to be a Britney Spears choreographer when I was a

kid, so things changed a fair bit! When science started to

interest me, I wanted to be a marine biologist, and only later I

wanted to be a chemist. It took years before I realised physical

chemistry/chemical physics was really my passion.

Cellfie: I mean being Britney's choreographer does sound amazing! Maybe not quite as cool as being an awesome woman in STEM though! :)

Have you ever had any setbacks or been told you are a girl so

cannot do tech?

Natérci: aAs a teenager my grandfather used to never trust me with any

tech related questions he had and always asked my male

cousins to help him with his phone or the laptop or the

internet. Even easy things that I could have helped with; he’d

never take my advice, and when it ended up being the same

advice my cousins would give him, he wouldn’t acknowledge

that’s what I had said. That was annoying and frustrating.

However, I think I was never told directly I couldn’t do tech or

science because I was a girl. And being a woman hasn’t in any

way hindered my ability to do science!

Cellfie: That is really sad to hear but a very common phenomenon. We are so glad that you have never been told directly, nobody should ever have the power to stop you following your dreams!

What’s one thing you’d like to change about the STEM

community?

Natércia: Unfortunately, the STEM community is still not inclusive – there

are still people who, for one reason or another, feel like STEM is

not for them. There are also people already within the STEM

community who are left feeling like they don’t belong, and who

are pushed out by an unwelcoming culture. This is what I would

change. I want the STEM community to be an inclusive space.

Cellfie: Totally! This is exactly why we set up Cellfie! Our ambition is to normalise girls and women having top positions in STEM and show them that it is most definitely possible.

Is there a problem with sexism in the STEM community?

Natércia: Yes. I didn’t really realise this even as I joined university,

because my cohort was reasonably gender balanced. But as I

moved forward in my career, there were less and less women. I

remember sitting at a conference in the first year of my PhD

and looking around the room – and then it hit me. Women are

still underrepresented in STEM, and particularly women of

colour. I have never been victim of sexist abuse directly, but

there are many situations that make being a woman and a

scientist difficult to combine, sometimes. Of course, there are

still examples of male colleagues being outwardly sexist on

social media, but there are also reports of biased interview

processes, unfortunately. Women who want to have children

also face other challenges with regards to career progression in

science, particularly if they work in universities. These are some

examples; I am sure other women in STEM will tell you more

about their own experiences.

Cellfie: Many university STEM courses still don't have anywhere near to an equal ratio of men to women on the courses. Cellfie was set up to try to help change that!

What’s your message for young girls wanting to do STEM?

Natércia: If you are interested in pursuing any STEM subject, if it is

fascinating and motivating to you, do it knowing that you can

be every little bit as competent as anyone else. Along the way

you may find people who would have you believe otherwise,

but work at being sure of yourself and your work. Be assertive

in standing up for yourself and defending your right to be a fully

contributing part of the STEM community!

Cellfie: We totally agree! It comes down to your own passion and whether you believe in yourself!

What is your favourite science joke?

A photon checks into a hotel and is asked if he needs any help

with his luggage. He says, "No, I'm traveling light."

Cellfie: That is hilarious!

What is your most embarrassing moment in your life?

Natércia: I’ve had many embarrassing moments in life, but I will tell you a

relatively recent one. While I was writing my PhD thesis, I spent

a lot of time in the university library, usually on the 3 rd floor.

However, one day I wanted a change of scenery so sat

somewhere different, on the 2 nd floor. The toilets are located in

the same relative places in each floor so when I took a break to

use the toilet, I went into the one I would normally use… only

to find out it was the wrong one! Turns out they alternate

which toilet is which at each floor! Everyone was looking at me

puzzled and I was mortified. Couldn’t have walked out of there

fast enough.

Cellfie: Oh no! We hope you managed to forget about it quickly, these things happen to the best of us! :)

What is your favourite food?

Natércia: Pasta! Of any kind, with anything, even if it’s just boiled

spaghetti with some butter. I would have pasta every day of my

life if I could!

Cellfie: Ooooo yum! We love pasta, one of our co-founders tried a potato pasta called gnocchi for the first time the other day and siad it was delicious!

What is your favourite shop?

Natércia: As long as it is selling stationery, it is worth a look.

Cellfie: We could not agree more! Books and stationary are all anyone needs!

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Once again, thank you to all the Cellfie family that are reading and a huge thank you to Natércia for taking part! If any of you have any requests as to people you would like us to interview, let us know and we will try our best to make it happen! We have a huge interview coming up with Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, the CEO of Stemettes, so definitely stay tuned for that! 'Til next time... :)