Podcast #7: Faria Huq on Academia Beyond Competition: A Shift in Perspective

For the final episode of the first season of Science Chatter Ruhr, Nicolas and me talked to Faria Huq, a PhD student in Technical Chemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She gave an impressively open insight into her experiences as a colored women in STEM.

Here is what Faria says about her episode:

In a world where women are still navigating their way through traditionally male-dominated fields, it is crucial that women become each other’s allies and move past the societal conditioning which sometimes drives us to see each other as competitors rather than allies. Here we discuss why women supporting women can lead to more meaningful outcomes. Women are uniquely positioned to understand how biological predisposition can impact our daily life. Based on these understandings we can uplift one another. This is particularly true for women of color, who share both gender and cultural experiences that shape their journey. Furthermore, men participating in roles that are traditionally accepted as roles for females can also enable men to tap into different parts of their personality. It can enable men to develop those parts of themselves which are often suppressed due to societal conditioning.