What first sparked your interest in space and science? Was there a particular moment or experience that stands out for you?

I consider both topics to have a distinct place in my heart: on the one hand science, in particular physics and applied mechanics, and on the other their application to space. The former has always been an inherent part of my being, so much that I can’t recall the moment when this vocation became obvious to me. It was as simple as having a favourite colour. Whereas the latter came much later in life, when the Philae lander of the Rosetta mission appeared on my family TV screen for the first time, the 17-year-old me was so intrigued and curious that I decided with a friend to take the train to CNES Toulouse and meet with the project manager of the mission to get answers. Leaving this encounter with more fascination than when I entered it, I knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Your passion for space and science has brought you to ESA, where you're currently completing a graduate traineeship. Can you share a bit more about your work and what excites you about it?

My official job description at ESA is ‘ESA Graduate Trainee for Thermal Analysis and Verification’, which, if I’m being honest, sounds very vague as such. In my case, what it truly means is that I have:

• Participated in Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) studies for early-stage thermal control and analysis development of constellation navigation satellites,
• Performed thermal tests in the Mechanical Systems Laboratory to correlate a thermo-electric cooler set-up for Envision,
• Developed a script within the thermal analysis software, ESATAN-TMS, to understand the impact of the martian environment for future human and robotic explorations,
• Investigated lunar thermal models for surface, topography and regolith analysis, descent and landing phases of Argonaut,
• Studied test predictions on Smile through thermal analysis tools, before performing the test in the Large Space Simulator facility at ESA ESTEC.

All the topics above have allowed me to take part in various projects, at different stages of development, while gaining very specific technical expertise. I am continuously excited to go onto the next one knowing that it will be a novel way of looking at thermal analysis and verification.

On the side, being part of ESA as an EGT also offers me the opportunity to work within the Young Professionals Satellite 2 (YPSat2). I am the lead of the structural and thermal subsystem and am working with an amazing team of passionate young engineers to put two scientific payloads in space. Starting from preliminary design phases we are working our way toward manufacturing, qualifying and testing the payload, so that further down the road Space Rider can carry us on its future journey around Earth.

Given the significance of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, do you have any final thoughts or messages you’d like to share?

It becomes clearer every day that the battle for equality in the scientific field is still very much in progress and no conquest should be taken for granted. This day reminds us to take action now and in the future, and to leave no space to prevarication and biases. Everyone is capable of greatness, therefore including each individual without regard for stereotypes, preconception and convention should stay a priority. The complexity of this century’s scientific and technological debates requires an extensive range of minds with different backgrounds, convictions and ideas. Let us start the fight at its root, so that equality and diversity remain our great strength when facing real critical challenges. Together, let’s leverage on our diversity to bring the STEM sector forward and set an example for the values we stand for.