Rebecca Newson gave a talk to students and researchers at the University of Bath on 10ᵗʰ February 2020 as part of the University's Week of Women in Science. The week was jointly hosted by the Network of Women in Physics (NWP) and the student chapter of the Optical Society.
Quintessa has a long history of providing placements to University of Bath students and to date, two placement students have gone on to become permanent employees following completion of their studies: Neil Chittenden and Rebecca Newson. As co-founder of the NWP, Rebecca Newson was recently invited to be a guest speaker on the first day of the University's Week of Women in Science, which ran from 10ᵗʰ-15ᵗʰ February. The NWP was set up with the aims of providing a supportive network for female students and staff in the Physics department, providing a platform for female researchers to promote their work, and inspiring women and girls to pursue careers in science.
The Week of Women in Science was designed to highlight successful women in a range of STEM careers, with speakers from Quintessa, UKAEA, and the universities of Southampton, Cambridge and Imperial College London. Rebecca spoke about her career path, the work she has been involved with at Quintessa, and initiatives to increase diversity in the nuclear industry.
The event was timed to coincide with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11ᵗʰ February 2020. Women are historically under-represented in STEM industries; for example, in the UK nuclear industry, 22% of the workforce is female. The UK Nuclear Sector Deal aims to increase this to 40% of the total workforce by 2030. Quintessa is committed to the principles of equality of opportunity and respect for all individuals (see our Equal Opportunities Policy for more details) and already over 40% of its permanent employees are female.
Lead Image: Photo courtesy of NWP, University of Bath