Joana Santos, showcasing the Micro and Nanofabrication Facility

We continue to shine a spotlight on women in STEM with this new interview series with Women working in/with Science at INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory. It is important to celebrate the amazing contributions women make to science.

Joana Santos is a Cleanroom Research Engineer in Micro and Nanofabrication Facility at INL International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory. She holds a BSc in Electronics Engineering and an MSc in Bioengineering and Nanosystems from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST).

She has worked in micro and nanotechnology research at Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN), Lisbon, where she completed her master's thesis on “Methodologies for monolithic integration and 3D TSV microfabrication for chip integration with CMOS”.

Could you take us through your professional life and the different roles you have played throughout your career?

I started my path on micro and nanotechnology research at Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN), in Lisbon, during my master thesis, where I researched different methodologies for monolithic integration and 3D TSV microfabrication for chip integration with CMOS.

After my master’s, I joined INESC-MN for two years as a junior research fellow to continue the work I had developed. During this time, I had the opportunity to learn and acquire a lot of hands-on experience in the nanotechnology field, not only in research but also in tool operation and maintenance, as well as in several microfabrication processes and techniques. In addition, I had the opportunity to train other young researchers and students, and support them during their thesis work.

I joined INL International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in 2018 as a research engineer, where I took up responsibility for the operation, maintenance and training of multiple equipment and processes, most importantly the lithography systems. You can find me most of the time inside the cleanroom in the lithography bay.

How would you explain the importance of your research to a non-scientific person?

I would say that I work with different materials and microfabrication processes and techniques to explore new sensors and devices that have the potential to evolve into innovative products for many different areas.

I may be working on the development of a new biosensor, a new optical element that can be incorporated into your phone or watch or even more in your car to let it drive by itself.

Of course, I do not have the sole responsibility to make all these huge steps in the micro and nanotechnology field but I like to think that I am taking part in the advance of the field every day.

In your opinion, which changes, if any, are needed in the scientific systems to be more attractive to women in science and possible future scientists?

From my perspective and personal experience, most of the time, young women are already hardly considered capable of doing more engineering or scientific work.

It starts from the unequal opportunities and motivation that are given at the beginning of education, as a young person. If our teachers emphasize that following an engineering career or even something more technical is only for men, we will likely shape our future accordingly.

At a young age, you need to choose what path you want to follow for the rest of your working life, you tend to follow what people around you tell you to. So, we must encourage young girls throughout their lives and more particularly when they start to make their first choices for their career path. It can be by promoting the work of women in science, giving direct examples, keeping them inspiring to young girls and removing the gatekeepers that discourage girls from pursuing technical careers.

I think that we have already many good examples of women in science and there should be no need to prove what women can or cannot do. Equal recognition based on merit should be given regardless of gender.

I’ll do my part, as many of my colleagues already do, sharing our path and our breakthroughs, with all the community, women, and men.