Celebrating our women in science: Fernanda de Alba

At Stahl, our purpose is to touch lives for a better world – and in order to do that, we need to harness all possible talent. Sunday 11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which promotes women's access to, and participation in, the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In this blog, we talk to Stahl engineer Fernanda de Alba about what (and who) inspires and drives her. 

Can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you do at Stahl?   

I'd love to! My name is Fernanda de Alba, and I was born and raised in México. 
I am 28 years old and working as a Chemical Engineer at Stahl. 

I like to describe my role as doing whatever is required to make a sale happen. This involves having the complete picture of the product cycle all the way up to the perspective of the market and customers, with the clear objective to bring them together. 

If you had to pick a historic, inspiring woman in science, who would that be?   

I absolutely believe that there was a 'before' and 'after' period connected to Marie Curie's contribution to the history of science. Her life story is a clear example of how pioneers in the early 1900s actively demanded and forged a place for women in science. 

In what way did these women help you with your research?   

First of all, simply learning about the stories behind these women’s achievements is really motivational. The example they set is one of our most powerful assets.  

If we put the years in which Marie Curie, Dorothy Crowfoot or Rosalind Franklin lived into context, just by simply embarking on their careers they faced a very complex adversity that fortunately today's generation would find it difficult to understand. Not only was their ability questioned by the scientific community, but on numerous occasions they would be questioned and judged on the basis of their personal lives. 

So, to sum it up, I admire their tenacity: for deciding to be what they were told they couldn't be. I would love for those pioneering women scientists to know how much their careers, and the decisions they made, meant to what we have today. 

They are the role models that inspired the following generations, and we must keep doing so in order to see more women within STEM fields: we still have a way to go! 

How do you hope to inspire others?   

I believe that we have a responsibility to continue forging a path for new generations. We owe it to the women yet to come and the women that came before us. 

I think that if you promote the roles that women play in STEM areas and make them visible, it is already enough. You will undoubtedly – and inevitably – be a source of inspiration for the people around you. 

Fernanda, thank you for helping pave the way for future female engineers! Diversity is critical to our success as a company. Read more about our vision of diversity for creativity and innovation. 

Interested in joining the Stahl team? Apply here.