The Watson Forum is a series of (informal) interviews that seek to highlight contributions of women in the areas of numerical modelling, simulation, and programming in the context of STEM, in particular Maths, Physics, Earth Sciences and Engineering.
The Watson Forum is aimed at motivating young ladies to embark in numerical and modelling topics, and to project STEM role models to the world! Many of the interviewees have hybrid careers that combine modelling with other activities, such as experimental and field work. The videos are collected, edited, and uploaded onto a youtube channel: YouTube Channel: Watson Forum Project.
During the interview the modellers are asked a variation of these three questions:
- Describe your work as a modeller / Why are models important in your work / Why is modelling a useful tool in your work?
- What are the advantages of modelling / pursuing a modelling career / what does a model/modelling allow you to do?
- If you could send yourself a message to your teenage self, what career advice would you give yourself?
In the context of the Watson Forum, modelling is any activity that pertains to building any type of models (mathematical, geometric, computational, numerical, geological) to understand natural or manmade processes. This may include quantification, interpretation, prediction, simulation, visualisation, imitation, inspection, simplification, and many other activities related to understanding the world around us.
By highlighting the work of women in the simulation arena (in both industry and academia) we hope to increase the impact of their work, while encouraging others to pursue such careers. The Watson Forum is a project driven by Dr Adriana Paluszny (apaluszn@imperial.ac.uk). PhD student Haifa Al Salmi is a volunteer of the project and is currently the current guest editor. The 8th season of the Watson Forum is now available.
Season 1 - "I made it"
Dr Sunshine Abbott (ICL Earth)
Dr Chandra Amber Taposeea (ICL Earth)
Dr Laura Petrescu (ICL Earth)
Dr Philippa Mason (ICL Earth)
Dr Rebecca Bell (ICL Earth)
Dr Maartje Boon (ICL, now Stanford)
Season 2 - "I am changing the world"
Dr Veerle Vandeginste (ICL, now Nottingham)
Dr Eva-Maria Graefe (ICL Math)
Dr Cleo Kontoravdi (ICL Bio Eng)
Dr Janice Kenney (ICL, now Birmingham)
Dr Hannah Bentham (Leeds)
Prof Ann Muggeridge (ICL Earth)
Season 3 - "This could be me"
Dr Ghazal Izadi (PennState, BakerHughes)
Dr Chloe Arson (ENPC, GATech)
Dr Paula Gago (UNLP, ICL Earth)
Jennifer Quye Sawyer (ICL Earth)
Haifa Al Salmi (Oklahoma State U, ICL)
Dr Shubhangi Gupta (GeoMar)
Dr Silvia De Simone (UPC, ICL Earth)
Season 4 - "This is me"
Dr Alina Yapparova (ETHZ)
Rona Ronen (Technion)
Sofia Roucan (ParisENSTA)
Dr Eren Ucar (KIT, Bergen)
Prof Laura Pyrak-Nolte (Purdue University)
Dr Susannah Maidment (Natural History Museum)
Jemimah-Sandra Samuel (ICL Earth)
Season 5 - "Trust yourself"
Prof Joanna Haigh (Grantham Institute, ICL Physics)
Victoria Fernandes (ICL Earth)
Dr Hannah Williams (ICL Physics)
Irdawati Lokman (ICL Earth)
Maryam Abdulkarim (ICL Earth)
Dr Antje van der Net (Wintershall)
Dr Laura Margheri (ICL)
Season 6 - "My future in my hands"
Dr Jess Wade (ICL Physics)
Dr Vasia Tsaparli (ICL Civil, Orsted)
Dr Daphe Tuncer (ICL Comp Sci)
Dr Imogen Gingell (ICL Aero)
Dr Minerva Singh (Grantham Institute, ICL)
Season 7 - "I am STEM"
Dr Betul Yildirim (ICL Earth)
Dr Isobel Mackay (ICL Earth)
Dr Stamatia Giannarou (ICL Medicine)
Dr Sophie Pan (ICL Earth)
Season 8
Dr Isobel Mackay (UCL Chemical Engineering)
Dr Stamatia Giannarou (ICL Medicine)
