Tell us about your work.
I'm a 3rd year PhD student working in computational bioacoustics. Bioacoustics studies topics related to animal vocal communication and natural sounds. Nowadays, computational bioacoustics is a very active research field that directly feeds into animal behaviour, Ecology and conservation, animal welfare, etc. Having an EECS background, I came here a little by accident when, for the final project of a master's program at QMUL, I proposed to analyse a beehive's health state based on the sound bees produce. I've always been fascinated by animal behaviour, so this was an excellent opportunity to apply my background to animal-related areas.
In my PhD, I'm working towards developing algorithms that can distinguish between individual animals based on their vocalisations alone. What motivates me the most about this is the fresh perspective it takes when considering animals as individual beings with specific characteristics and personalities. Also, it greatly inspires me to think about the potential positive impact this research can have on various important areas like automatic monitoring of animal populations for conservation or unveiling certain aspects of animal communication.
What inspired you to choose EECS?
I never had a clear ambition or idea of what I wanted to study. Having been more inclined towards pure science and physics, studying EECS would be a good area that gives you a good understanding of the world around you without being too narrow and specific.
In all honesty, I believe I started enjoying studying EECS after I started on my masters and when I got around to making very cool things from robots to electronics and machine learning.
What are the challenges and opportunities of being a woman in EECS?
When I first started my undergraduate studies (2007 in Portugal), we were less than 5% girls. This meant that we stuck together, which taught me much about sorority and gave me a sense of belonging. However, this fact also created some challenges. Thinking back, I can recognise how the lack of representation from other women in more advanced positions in the career (teachers, alums, etc.) created in me the sense that I'm somewhat an imposter in this field and that I always need to disprove that.
Why would you say women should consider a career in engineering or computer science?
Studying EECS is a great way to get a holistic and broad understanding of the world; because of that, people studying in this field are generally very good at adapting to different roles and problem-solving. Particularly for women, things have changed a lot, and there is much more awareness of biases and everyday discrimination. It also helps that there are spaces and proper channels in place where we can discuss and raise issues.
What's the best thing about your work?
The best thing is the fascinating people I've met along the way. I like that in research, the standard is one of openness and collaboration, which makes the whole difference compared to an industry job.
When not at EECS, what are your interests?
I love London, and I feel thrilled to be here and be able to experience lots of what this city has to offer: Friends, Food, Cinema and Hiking, among others.