Academia To Industry

Women in Engineering 2019:
Challenges, Support and Opportunities

02/10/2019
Help me help you!
Angeliki Loukatou
Modelling Analyst, ESC
Structure
A FEW THINGS ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES AND GENERAL ADVICE SOME USEFUL LINKS
ME CHALLENGES IN CHALLENGES IN
ACADEMIA INDUSTRY
A few things about me!
• From medical doctor to power engineering..
• Get the score
• Family tradition
• or…
• You truly wanted it!
• Applying for PhD while working part-time
• Accepted in the CDT in Power Networks of the University of Manchester for a PhD in battery
storage
-> Quite a marathon
-> Taught programme in power systems (October 2014-June 2015)
-> PhD started in July 2015 - finished February 2019
-> Graduated July 2019
• Modelling Analyst in Energy Systems Catapult (since February 2019)
-> Our mission? Unleash innovation in the UK
-> How? Help innovators in the energy sector, advise OFGEM, help DNOs with their
transition, advise UK government towards heat/electricity/transport decarbonisation
Opportunities and challenges in academia
Know your why!
If you consider to pursue a PhD: During the PhD studies:

- Think why you want to do this - Look at the positive side; knowledge you gain, network you build
- Think of the long-term plan - Accept that it will be hard and find hedging strategies
If you would go back in time, would you do it again?

Uncertainty - the most
certain thing in our lives!
• Persist! -> It is not only about cleverness

but also about keep going…
• Navigate through uncertainty
• Frequent changes around -> Become flexible and
adaptive to change ☺
• Everyone is scared of something!
• Tackle it by getting to action
Insecurity
Someone is always I do not have enough

Is it enough?
smarter, more effective papers..
Be realistic, everyone has • Compare yourself only with the

their own story and last version of you
capabilities! • Work with yourself for yourself
• Find role models
Too much (new) information..
Seek Guidance from your supervisor/colleagues to narrow it down
Accept In year 1, you will read/do more and probably shift direction
Develop Critical ability to understand what is needed and what is not (prioritise, be realistic!)
After graduating, I will be too academic…
The ‘ugly’ truth -> Yes, a lot of people may believe this..
Think of all the skills you developed and how you can back them up
Organisational skills (responsible for Communication skills (interaction Time management skills (journal Presentation and writing skills
Problem solving skills!!
your work, data selection, lab setup) with colleagues, supervisors) papers, thesis writing etc.) (conferences, thesis, articles)
If possible to teach it, do it -> one teaches, two learn!!

The best way to master knowledge and test if you can convey complex principles Knowledge is to be shared ☺
Loneliness
Left alone to solve the megaproblem!
Embrace your emotions! T-A-L-K!
• Colleagues, supervisors, roommates, partners, friends, family..

• Other people have similar problems
• You organise your thoughts
• Your problem may not be as magnified as you think..
• You release ‘feelings’ and it feels good ☺
• It took me months to say something more than ‘hi-bye’ with Mingyu
• Involve in volunteering/attend meetups
• Exercise/meditate
Volunteering ☺
Serious commitment; it is not optional once you have said ‘yes’
• How you do anything, is how you do everything!

• UoM is leading in social responsibility
You build (professional) skills apart from software and research
• Leadership
• Fund management
• Communication strategies
• Team leading
• Interaction with industry; understand how things work in corporate companies
It feels good to interact with your colleagues :)
Deliver events with impact -> organised by students for students!

Data/tech meetups
• Plenty of them in Manchester
• HER+Data MCR, PyLadiesNW, PyDataMCR, Machine
Learning Group, Manchester R Group, R Ladies
Manchester, and many more!
• Talks, mentoring schemes, hackathons, trainings,
networking, etc.
• Still remember the first time I attended.. Few ladies
in a room..
• Identify role models
• Exposed to a wealth of knowledge
• Get out of the office!
Transition to industry!
Take a break (if Transition takes

possible)! time..
Finish with Familiarising with

Start practicing
academic new colleagues /
work-life balance!
responsibilities new discipline
Differences with academia!
Close interaction- Pace-requirements- You don’t have to do it

engagement approach alone
- It can be proved tricky until - Frequency of changing tasks - From academia, you come
you find balance can be remarkable, not all of with the belief that things will
- You gain a lot, many them in similar area / may run go fundamentally wrong ->
knowledgeable people around in parallel foresee problems!
- So many different - Defined by others - You speak with your

backgrounds/levels of - Help a client vs finding an colleagues if you have
experience! innovative approach concerns; willingness to help!
Amazing female presence: Arianna, Beckie, Charmalee,

Despina, Emma, Eva, Eveline, Gail, Ines, Irene, Marie, Natalie,
Nisha, Solmaz, Soma, Susannah, Susie, Vili ☺
• Is it stressful to be in ‘EPO’ (Energy Path Operations) team?
Biggest • Yes! My moto is: ‘It is scary until it is done…’
• Focus on small wins: ‘As long as you learn, keep going…’
challenge? • Effective interaction
• Is it stressful to be a woman in EPO?
Stress… • Not really..
• Stress does not go away..

• Senior colleagues around me exhale as I do
• Become more resilient and get better coping mechanisms
• Different challenges around, parents, kids, getting a
divorce, etc.
Advice:
- Think of how you balance yourself in and out of work
Practice to reach the point ‘OK, I will have a stressful day but when I leave-go
home,…’
- Whole system approach for yourself:

Software(s) + research (knowledge) + network + personal development
Student branch coordinator of the IEEE UKRI PES Chapter
• My aspiration was to become Mingyu’s boss!

• Gained a lot from the experience
• Aggregated knowledge to be shared!
Attending meetups
• Codebar Birmingham, Birmingham R User Group, Coderbunker

• ‘Discharge’ towards python, git, Linux commands
• ‘Charge’ towards web design
What else? • Involved in other events as well in Manchester
Yoga ☺
• Stay present - test if I have taken on a lot & proper switch off
• Where your energy goes? Learn how to control it
• What you can’t control? Let it go
• Gratitude - a little goes a long way
• Patience - most of the postures take years to be reached!
• Fall in love with progress - fight perfectionism
• Clear thinking - take decisions
• Perfect analogy between yoga and coding!
Learn quickly and effectively (plan!)
Deal with problem solving (adjust!)
Be self-organised and self-driven (persist!)
Key skills? ‘Sophisticated’ algorithm of my life:
•A. Short-term
•Wake up in the morning - go to bed in the night
•In between:
•learn, get to action and digest new information/numbers
•treat people well and respect them
•be modest and honest
•enjoy!
•B. Long-term
•Reflect on your personal progress and keep searching your why(s)
•Treat time carefully; you cannot generate more or less - pay attention to people
•If you want me to help you in any way, you first need to help me understand the context,
the concern and the problem!
Useful links / books
• Meetup page:
https://www.meetup.com/HER-Data-MCR/
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/manchester-hacktoberfest-tickets-
73737604159
• IEEE UKRI PES SBC of the UoM
http://www.ieee-manchester.org.uk/
• Energy Systems Catapult
https://es.catapult.org.uk/
• Smart Works (‘Get the Clothes. Get the Confidence. Get the Job’)
https://smartworks.org.uk/get-involved/
Thank you for your attention!
Any questions?
E-mail: angeliki.loukatou@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliki-l/
Twitter: @AngelikiLk

Academia To Industry

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Women in Engineering 2019:

Challenges, Support and Opportunities

Help me help you!

If you consider to pursue a PhD: During the PhD studies:

If you would go back in time, would you do it again?

• Persist! -> It is not only about cleverness

Someone is always I do not have enough

Be realistic, everyone has • Compare yourself only with the

Seek Guidance from your supervisor/colleagues to narrow it down

If possible to teach it, do it -> one teaches, two learn!!

Left alone to solve the megaproblem!

Embrace your emotions! T-A-L-K!

• Colleagues, supervisors, roommates, partners, friends, family..

• How you do anything, is how you do everything!

You build (professional) skills apart from software and research

It feels good to interact with your colleagues :)

Deliver events with impact -> organised by students for students!

Take a break (if Transition takes

Finish with Familiarising with

Close interaction- Pace-requirements- You don’t have to do it

- So many different - Defined by others - You speak with your

Amazing female presence: Arianna, Beckie, Charmalee,

• Stress does not go away..

- Whole system approach for yourself:

• My aspiration was to become Mingyu’s boss!

• Codebar Birmingham, Birmingham R User Group, Coderbunker

What else? • Involved in other events as well in Manchester

Deal with problem solving (adjust!)

Be self-organised and self-driven (persist!)

Key skills? ‘Sophisticated’ algorithm of my life:

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