Andrea Mangel Raventos
Andrea graduated in 2016 from the Faculty of Applied Sciences, MSc Sustainable Energy Technology. She is currently halfway through her PhD at the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE) where she focuses on large scale storage of renewable energy.
During her PhD, she realised that not only technical knowledge and skills are important for the development of your career, but soft skills such as leadership and communication skills are just as important.
Homeward Bound programme
Andrea decided to apply for the Homeward Bound programme. Homeward Bound is a ground breaking leadership initiative aiming to promote women into decision-making positions that are affecting policy around sustainability. Women are globally under-represented in leadership positions and Andrea wants to do something about this. "My experience in the technical field has shown me the importance of motivating and encouraging more women to play a role in science and technology," says Andrea.
The programme offers leadership and strategic skills in a strong, purposeful network. The goal is to build a global network of 1000 women in 10 consecutive years in the STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine). After a challenging selection procedure, Andrea was selected in the group of 100 women who will form the 2019 cohort. “The programme includes extensive training in topics such as collaboration, visibility, and science communication skills which are very valuable for my future career. With these skills I can also become a better supervisor for current master's and bachelor's graduates during the rest of my PhD programme. ”
Antartica
The Homeward Bound programme culminates with a 3-week expedition to Antarctica. There, the focus will be on the rapid decline of the natural habitat due to climate change. During these weeks the women also get the opportunity to put skills such as collaboration and problem solving into practice. Andrea's passion for the urgency of accelerating the energy transition and more diversity in decision-making positions, perfectly come together in this programme. “I want to stress the need for urgency regarding energy transition, and at the same time ensure that more women are represented in high positions in the academic world. The Homeward Bound programme is the perfect opportunity for this. ”
I believe that we are stronger together. That is why I hope to be able to use the Homeward Bound network to contribute to a more equal society where women are better represented and top positions in academia are more diverse.
Marina van Damme Grant
Andrea wants to use the Marina van Damme grant for the unique opportunity to participate in the Homeward Bound programme.
Everyone is welcome to support Andrea by attending the Marina van Damme Award Ceremony on 13 May 2019, Aula Conference Centre TU Delft (commissiekamer 3). Register here.