Every year, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science invites reflection on who produces knowledge and how scientific work is shaped by those involved in it. Within the HIVEMIND consortium, this reflection takes a concrete form through the voices of women working across research, engineering, and innovation. Their experiences differ, yet they converge around commitment, curiosity, and a clear sense of purpose.
“Science and technology felt like a concrete way to contribute by producing knowledge and solutions with real social value.”
For İdil Gökalp Köse from HAVELSAN, the decision to work in science and technology was closely tied to responsibility. Family values played an early role, but so did a desire to contribute in a tangible way to her country. Research offered that possibility through the production of knowledge and the development of capabilities that can be translated into social value. What sustains her interest is the pace and discipline of research itself. There is no stable endpoint, only constant learning, revision, and reassessment. Within HIVEMIND, she values encounters with unfamiliar viewpoints, noting that exposure to different ways of thinking improves both technical results and personal understanding. Her advice to young women is measured and direct. Even if software and AI appear male-dominated, many women are already there, often working without visibility. Staying in the field increases that visibility and makes future participation easier for others.
“I took courses where there were only a couple of women among more than 40 students, and it never stopped me from pursuing my interests.”
A different path led Alexandra González from UPC into research. As a child, she was drawn to mathematics and science through curiosity rather than long-term planning. Questions about how things work gradually developed into an interest in data science and artificial intelligence, and eventually into doctoral research in AI applied to Software Engineering. What she values most in research is the possibility of turning abstract ideas into solutions that matter beyond academia. For her, HIVEMIND stands out as a space where multicultural collaboration and strong female representation coexist, without either being treated as exceptional. She recalls studying in classrooms where women were a small minority, particularly during her Master’s studies, yet this never deterred her. Her message to young women is rooted in experience rather than reassurance. Curiosity, she suggests, is reason enough to continue, even when numbers suggest otherwise.
“Continuous learning and building innovative solutions have always been my main sources of motivation.”
Razieh Akbari, also from UPC, speaks about motivation in terms of discovery and application. From an early interest in technology, she moved toward research as a way to combine learning with problem-solving. Within HIVEMIND, she finds particular value in working on multi-agent systems and generative AI, where ideas move rapidly from theory to practice. The short distance between research and implementation makes progress visible and concrete. When addressing young women interested in AI, she focuses on agency. Learning technical skills can shift someone from being a passive user to an active creator, capable of turning concepts into working solutions. Her reflections on women in science return to confidence and persistence. Progress does not always require certainty, but it does require taking the first step and continuing to build skills over time.
“There is still a lot of shyness and low self-belief stemming from inherited prejudice.”
For Sandra Mitrovic from SUPSI, science and technology were present early through people close to her. Influential figures in her family created an environment where technical fields felt accessible rather than distant. Years later, this familiarity translated into formal training in applied mathematics and computer science. What she values most in research is its variety. No two days are the same, and learning is constant, sometimes demanding, sometimes playful. She describes moments of experimentation that combine technical testing with curiosity and humour, alongside work on real-world projects involving hospitals and industry partners. Within HIVEMIND, she appreciates working on a fast-moving topic that requires adaptation to limited resources and emerging solutions. The diversity of the consortium, she notes, has already led to collaborations likely to continue beyond the project. Drawing on her mentoring experience in the SwissTechLadies program with young girls, she observes that hesitation and self-doubt still limit participation. Encouragement, she suggests, often begins with one person who believes in you and whose voice is worth holding on to.
“I would tell girls and young women not to set limits for themselves.”
Alba Bonet Jover from the University of Alicante arrived in science from a different discipline altogether. With a background in linguistics, she did not initially expect to work in technology. Her entry into AI research came through a doctoral opportunity that sought linguistic expertise within a technical context. That intersection became the source of motivation itself. Contributing to AI from outside engineering confirmed, for her, that scientific progress depends on dialogue between disciplines. Her research focuses on ethical and responsible AI, including work on disinformation detection and accessible language, areas where social impact is explicit. HIVEMIND, she explains, offers a framework where human expertise remains central in guiding technical development. She also points to the value of working within a diverse consortium, both academically and personally. Reflecting on her career, she acknowledges the importance of visible role models and names several women whose leadership in natural language processing and AI helped establish a path she could follow.
These voices show how work in science is often driven by persistence rather than spectacle. Within HIVEMIND, women contribute through research decisions, technical problem-solving, and collaboration that unfolds over time. Their presence is not symbolic; it is practical, continuous, and embedded in how the project develops.