Student Stories: Dom Soltysik for International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2023
Student Dominika Soltysik discloses her role model and thoughts for International Day of Women and Girls in Science (2023)
My Journey
I graduated from University of Manchester with an MEng Electical and Electronic Engineering with Honours in 2019. I discovered the CDT via FindaPhD and was interviewed during the summer of 2022. I accepted my offer and a few months later, in October 2022, I began my PhD.
My Project
My research is focused on exploring efficient automated design choices for robust machine learning algorithms. You can find a summary of my project here.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2023
What and who inspired you to pursue a career in science?
I always loved puzzles and logic games so the way into science as a young kid was quite clear. I liked the challenges that came alongside it and the satisfying ways of getting to the answers. Later in life when it came to choosing careers and academic paths to follow, I was inspired by the example of Maria Skłodowska-Curie. As many will know, she was stopped from attending university in Poland due to her gender. Finding that ludicrous, she moved to Paris to attend university there. We now can look back on her great achievements as well as her life-saving work during WWI. I might not be working on radioactive materials, but she’s been a role model to pursue the work I want to do and to not give up at the first hurdle.
How does it feel to be a future leader in data science and work in an environment with other inspiring women in science?
I think it’s important for younger generations of women to see people have paved a way for them to join scientific communities and be able to further their careers without being hindered by external factors. If I can do it, so can they! It’s no longer a lonely place, to be a woman in science. I definitely benefit from the community being supportive towards women’s voices, and from other women’s unique perspectives in comparison to my male colleagues.
If you could give one word of advice to girls thinking about pursuing a career in science, what would it be?
I think the most important thing for any girls entering the field to keep in mind is that: if you deserve a seat at the table – it’s there for you, all you need is your wit and your skills. And it doesn’t matter that sometimes people have to be reminded of that. Reach out for help and I’m sure you will find it. So there is no need to listen to the pessimistic voices – it can be challenging but being able to pursue the career you want and excel at is worth it.
Visit the official website for the initiative.