Miriam Fernández Calleja

I am currently pursuing a PhD and collaborating with a company to develop hybrid barley varieties adapted to the conditions of the Iberian region. We focus on exploring, understanding and exploiting adaptive traits for hybrid barley breeding for southern Europe.

What attracts me most to science is creating new knowledge and being able to share it. I would love to become a reference for girls who like the field and science.

Up to this point in my short career, I do not feel that I have faced more challenges than anyone else pursuing a scientific career. However, I can see those challenges experienced by female colleagues in advanced positions. Probably, the most difficult challenge we women scientists face is being forced to choose between reaching a leading position and our private lives. My role model is Daniela Bustos Korts, because she is a talented young researcher with a great ability to teach and transmit passion for what she does. In addition to her successful professional career, she is able to look beyond science.

I myself have not yet experienced any gender bias up to this point in my career. We have so many talented, young women doing great work at the PhD level. However, few women become leaders of a research group.  One of the main reasons for promising women to leave an academic career are decisions they are forced to make in private life. We need institutional policies that support these brilliant young women not to have to choose between science and private life.