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Chiara Di Ponzio
PhD student at Charité Ospital
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STEM requires diversity and new points of view.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I do lab experiments and computational modelling on pancreatic cancer cells. I am studying how resistance to chemotherapy works in this kind of cancer and how we can overcome this issue to improve treatment of patients.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS FIELD?
I studied biomedical engineering because I was interested in the human body and the application of technologies and machines to improve the well-being of people. In my Master's I moved to bioinformatics and decided to work on cancer because I come from an italian city where cancer is a big issue due to the presence of a polluting factory. My goal is to help understand this disease.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK AT & THINK, "I WISH YOUNGER ME WOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS WAS POSSIBLE?"
I successfully completed my studies and switched to a new research field. I also moved to another country for my PhD and I am proud of the way I am facing all the difficulties this carries along. I wish younger me knew how flexibility and versatility are skills to be confident in.
WHY DO YOU LOVE WORKING IN STEM?
I love working in STEM because I can understand how the world and nature work. It is really an exciting environment. I love that STEM collects beautiful minds to share knowledge with and learn from. I am always excited to see what I will learn every day.
BEST ADVICE FOR NEXT GENERATION?
STEM requires diversity and new points of view. We need forward-thinking women who understand their value and contribute to investigating science. STEM is never boring, so go for it! Give yourself a chance and don't be scared to try and fail. You will learn from it and you will always create new opportunities for yourself.
INSPO / FUN FACT
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not, then it's not the end.”