Interview Victoria Fernandez

Victoria Fernández: “Fortunately, I see more and more female agricultural engineers working as specialists in international companies, which was unusual when I started out in my career”.

17 Mar News

We spoke to Victoria Fernández, Professor at the School of Forestry of the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

We asked her about the role of women and girls in science and how the situation has changed over the years. These were her answers:

1.- Can you briefly describe the line of work you are involved in at your university?

My line of work since I started my doctoral studies about 20 years ago has been related to the study of the permeability and physico-chemical properties of the leaf surfaces of plants.

2.- How would you encourage women and girls to pursue a career in science and why do you think girls don’t choose scientific and technical degrees?

I believe that women are as capable as men of tackling any scientific and technical task. In fact, most of my students are girls, and they generally get the best marks. I think the mindset of young women is changing. To me, they seem to be more confident and will probably be able to achieve more than the women of previous generations.

3.- How has the nature of your profession changed since you were a student? 

Fortunately, I see more and more female agricultural engineers working as specialists in international companies, which was unusual when I started out in my career.

4.- Do you take part in any educational or social activities that encourage girls to choose STEM careers?

Unfortunately, I have no role in promoting the involvement of women in scientific and technical work, but I would be happy to do so and I support it 100%.

5.- Have you come across any hurdles in your professional career because you are a woman?

Obviously, I have encountered and continue to encounter obstacles in a male-dominated environment such as the world of fertilisers. I would sum it up as having to say things more often, louder and more forcefully than any man, and I often have to put up with disrespect and put-downs that I doubt would be shown to a male researcher.

6.- Do you think that the female vision adds value to science?

I believe that the female vision is often more detail-oriented and has extra emotional intelligence which is crucial for any task. I also think that, on average, women in scientific and technical jobs are more tenacious and persevering about getting the job done.

Brief CV

Victoria Fernández has a BAgrSc (Hons) degree in Horticulture from University College Dublin (Ireland) and a PhD in Agriculture from Humboldt University in Berlin (Germany).
She has over 20 years’ experience and expertise in plant nutrition and the absorption of foliar fertilizers.
Victoria is the author of over 70 scientific texts including 2 books, 56 articles in JCR journals and 3 book chapters. During her career, she has conducted basic and applied research studies to characterize the physico-chemical properties and permeability of vegetables grown above ground, with special emphasis on the properties of foliar fertilizers.
Victoria has given guest lectures at numerous international congresses and technical conferences and also works with various agrochemical companies and international experts from different scientific disciplines.

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