Panel discussion organized by Texas A&M at Qatar highlights the importance of female STEM graduates for Qatar’s workforce
Published Jan 04, 2023
Texas A&M University at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university recently bought together leading experts from academia and industry for a panel discussion on ‘The importance of Female STEM graduates for Qatar’s Workforce’. The discussion, which was organized by Texas A&M at Qatar’s Female Faculty Forum and the Graduate Studies Office was attended by students, Faculty and staff from Texas A&M at Qatar and other Universities in the Education city.
The panelists included Dr. Lina Rueda, R&D Manager at Qatar Shell Research & Technology Center, Dr. Veronica Bermudez, Senior Research Director for Energy at Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Dr. Majeda Khraisheh, Head of Chemical Engineering at Qatar University and Dr. Annette Vincent, Associate Dean for Diversity and Climate at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (a Qatar Foundation partner university university). It was moderated by members of Texas A&M at Qatar: Dr. Ghada Salama, instructional professor and Dean’s Fellow for Diversity and Dr. Valentini Pappa, Manager for Graduate Studies.
During the discussion, they covered numerous questions including the importance of graduate studies for women, the need for inclusion and female representation, progress made over the last few decades, role models, and personal experiences. It explored how their own graduate study degrees shaped their individual career journeys including why they decided to pursue a graduate degree, and what can be done to make it better for female graduates today.
Dr. Khraisheh said that graduate studies plays a key role in making an individual more employable. “Consideration of graduate studies should include your own personal development as a key factor. The reasons to pursue graduate studies is to enhance your job prospective. Graduate school has always been about specializing in a subject area. This specialization enables you to stand out from others vying for the same positions and makes you eligible for positions that demand graduate degrees. It also gives you a chance to experiment with new concepts and come up with original ideas, which also will make you get noticed.”
Rueda highlighted that her graduate program allowed her to build a string network of mentors. She said, “My graduate studies provided me with deep knowledge in my area of expertise and connected me with a network of professionals which has been invaluable throughout my career. My Ph.D. was supported by an industry grant. Through this sponsorship I connected with industry experts in my area of research who became mentors in my thesis committee. These experiences shaped my career aspirations as I was able to see direct applications of my research work and was exposed to possible career paths that I ended up following to where I am today.”
For Dr. Bermudez, graduate studies helped her all-round development, beyond the technical knowledge. She said: “Some of the skills I acquired during my graduate studies helped me adapt to different styles of work, from an international perspective. These skills include critical thinking, analytic abilities, time management and presentation skills, all of which also helped me to have a global mindset, work across different cultures, adapt to new environments and work in diverse teams. All these have made of me a lifelong learner exploring the world around me”.
Dr. Vincent said, “Education is key towards achieving equality and inclusion in society. Pursuing graduate studies equips individuals with the skill set and growth mindset that facilitates the advancement of equality and inclusion in the academic community.”
The panelists reiterated that the most important element in ensuring success for young graduates is communication and collaboration and ensuring equal opportunities. They also spoke about the work they are doing today, as well as the challenges face and the support they get in the workplace.
Texas A&M at Qatar will continue to host sessions to help the youth maximize their opportunities in the engineering field Qatar and the region. The next session will be held in Spring 2023.