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Gabi Voigt

Director, IAEA Safeguards Analytical Laboratories

What interests and inspires me is the broadness of nuclear applications from human health to the environment; from energy to safeguards.

Gabi Voigt was born in Germany, and studied Biology, Genetics, and Radiobiology in Munich. She didn´t set out to be a nuclear scientist, but her career path changed when she took a position with the German Institute of Radiation Hygiene in 1979. "When I started working in the nuclear field I was the only woman in a department with 16 men. Throughout my career I was often the only woman in an all-male setting. Even now, as someone in a high-level position within IAEA Safeguards, I´m often in the situation where I am the only woman. Things are changing, but changing very slowly."

Gabi is still enthusiastic about being a nuclear scientist. "What interests and inspires me is the broadness of nuclear applications from human health to the environment; from energy to safeguards. The technology can help so many people and can bring peace to the world! And that, I find fascinating."

Anne Starz

Policy Expert and Head of the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Group

Every day I get to work with very smart people who I can learn from. I´ve found that nuclear scientists and scientists in general approach the world with a set of questions. They´re curious about everything. And they tend to be very interesting people. So the most rewarding aspect of my job is the people I get to work with.

I´m a policy expert and I was involved in nuclear policy matters for the US government for about a decade before coming to Vienna. I worked for the Department of Energy in the areas of non-proliferation, nuclear security and nuclear energy." Laughing, Anne says she didn´t always want to be in the nuclear field, but fell into it by accident because she was looking for something interesting to do after finishing university. "Early in my career when I was young and eager and working with people who were much much more experienced than I, it was a challenge to navigate all the technical issues, coming from a social science background myself. But I learned that if you work hard, your colleagues will accept that you can add value. And if you respect each other´s points of view, together you can accomplish quite a lot.

Now at the IAEA, Anne advises countries that want to start a nuclear power programme. "Someone like me can translate highly technical issues for policymakers and politicians who will actually have to make the decisions. This is a critical aspect of starting a nuclear power programme."

And the most rewarding part of Anne´s job? "Working with some of the smartest people in the world."

Amparo Cristobal

Physicist and Consultant in IAEA Radiation, Transport & Waste Safety Division

There are a lot of opportunities in the nuclear sector, with the growing number of applications of ionizing radiation in medicine, agriculture, industry and other areas. And also with the promised renaissance of nuclear power. So without hesitation, I would recommend that young women consider careers in this field.

"In our home, education and science were normal topics of conversation because my father was a math teacher and a principal. So it wasn´t unusual for me to consider becoming a scientist. My brother ended up becoming a nuclear engineer. I studied physics, specialising in electronics and started my career in the telecommunications industry. I married a nuclear physicist and eventually began working in nuclear science because I saw how much my husband and brother enjoyed their work."

A few years ago, to see a woman working in a nuclear power plant was really unusual. The sites didn´t even have appropriate changing or toilet facilities for women. Now the situation has changed because of the hard work of women over the years, and because society has evolved. Now there are women working in nuclear power plants all around the world.

Before starting at the IAEA, Amparo worked for the Spanish Nuclear Regulatory body. "I´ve found working in the nuclear field quite rewarding and challenging. One of the rewards is that you can help. You can contribute to the quality of life of many people." Amparo regularly visits IAEA Member States to advise their nuclear regulatory bodies on how best to improve their regulatory infrastructure.

Renate Czarwinski

Nuclear Health Physicist and Head of the Radiation Safety and Monitoring Section

The nuclear field is still dominated by men. The way for a woman to keep her position is to be extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter, and be honest and transparent in her management.

Whenever you do something you should aim to be as knowledgeable as possible in that area, and to impart that knowledge to others so that not only your organisation benefits, but your colleagues benefit as well. Before coming to the IAEA, Renate worked in Germany´s Federal Office for Radiation Protection. As the Head of the IAEA´s Radiation Safety and Monitoring Section in the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, she deals with radiation protection for patients, workers, and the public. "I love working in an international, multicultural environment, where issues are discussed from different points of view. This culmination of ideas and perspectives is really important in my job, where one cannot neglect how culture influences safety practices.

"I like working in a team—in sports and on the job. It´s very seldom that an individual is so good that he can achieve the same kinds of results solo, as if he were working with a team of people."

Renate is also Vice President of the International Radiation Protection Association, which has more than 20 000 members worldwide.

Adeline Djeutie

Programme Management Officer, Technical Cooperation in Africa

Women shouldn´t always be the recipients of aid, we should also help to solve the problems, the ones who work in international development. Because women, especially in Africa, are the main beneficiaries of nuclear science in everyday life.

"Never in my life did I think I would end up here at the IAEA. Because when you study international development you look for work in developing countries, not in Europe! I came across this by chance and was intrigued to know that the IAEA is involved in agriculture, human health, ensuring food and water quality, and so many other things, not just nuclear power." Adeline was born and raised in Cameroon. She studied political and social analysis and the economics of natural resources in Essen, Germany and in Grenoble, France. As a Programme Management Officer, she works with 5 African countries - Benin, Burundi, Chad, Gabon and Mauritania.

"I really enjoy my job. It´s good to work in an environment where I feel that we all speak the same language per se; we all have the same passion for the continent, the same drive to improve the lives of people in Africa."

Eva Gyane

Nuclear Safeguards Analyst and part-time Nuclear Safeguards Inspector

As a nuclear safeguards inspector I have the feeling that I can directly contribute towards world peace through my work.

Eva was born in the former Czechoslovakia, her husband is Nigerian and her last name is Ghanaian. Eva has always been interested in the job of a nuclear safeguards inspector because of its important role in keeping the world safe, by verifying that nuclear material is used exclusively for peaceful purposes. "The IAEA is the only organisation that has the legal right to inspect states under the international safeguards system. I love being a safeguards inspector. I love my job. I love coming here every day." About 10% of nuclear safeguards inspectors are women. And most nuclear facility operators are men. "So it means you deal with men and travel with men most of the time. I wouldn´t say being a woman in this field has been a challenge. It´s mostly been a pleasant experience. And we are mostly treated with respect by the nuclear facility operators."

Eva speaks 9 languages, has a Master´s degree in Business Administration and is about to complete a Master´s degree in Nuclear Science and Technology from Manchester University. She has 3 children, who unfortunately aren´t interested in nuclear science.

Sharon Soliban

Technician, IAEA Insect Pest Control Laboratory

The thing I enjoy most is working with people who are passionate about what they do. There´s very little competition among the people I work with. We help each other and I think this is a very good environment to be in.

"When I was going to school in the Philippines, science was always something I enjoyed doing. I was always good at Biology. So when it came to choosing a programme at university, that was the most natural thing to do. There´s so much you learn by doing science, like the way to approach and solve problems; so much you can apply in other aspects of your life. Scientific methods get assimilated into your life and you look at things differently, have a different perspective." Sharon´s lab deals with mosquito Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which is used to control unwanted populations of insect pests. It has been successfully applied against insects that threaten livestock and crops. Sharon is in charge of maintaining the quality and competitiveness of the male mosquito in the colonies she supervises.

"The thing I enjoy most is working with people who are passionate about what they do. It´s very infectious! Enjoying my colleagues is especially important in a field like entomology where you seldom see rewards, at least not right away."

Yvonne Lokko

Plant Breeder/Geneticist, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture

When I was working in Ghana, I enjoyed encouraging young girls to pursue the sciences. It was always wonderful to see girls, who like me, had thought that with GCSE and A-Levels in science one must become a doctor or pharmacist, now instead contemplate life as scientists themselves.

Yvonne originally wanted to be a pharmacist, but with only one University offering the course in Ghana at that time and the competition quite stiff, she accepted a place in the botany and zoology programme at the University of Ghana instead. By the end of that course she realised there were many opportunities to use biological sciences in industry. Of all things, it was on a class trip to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission that she became interested in nuclear science. And that´s where her career got started. "When I started working, most of my colleagues were older men who were very supportive. They acted more like mentors than bullies. So no, I won´t say I faced any challenges as a woman in this field."

Yvonne did her PhD research at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria. "I encourage all the young women I meet and work with, if they really want to remain in the sciences, to do their PhDs as quickly as possible. Because PhD research makes you a better, more competitive scientist."