We want to put our members in the spotlight! For the Meet the WISE series, we interview WISE members in different stages of their career across the university. We hope that their stories, experiences and career paths can be an inspiration to other women at TU/e.
Could you please start by introducing yourself and your work here at the TU/e?
My name is Beril Korkmaz Erdural, and I'm a chemical engineer currently working in the Applied Physics and Science Education Department as a postdoc researcher. There, I'm working in the collaborative, Erasmus+ project, called FEMST (Empowering girls with knowledge and confidence in STEM to become future STEM leaders) with Assistant Professor Dr. Dury Bayram. It was because of this project that I first found the WISE community and I became a member.
Before starting my postdoc here, I had already been living in The Netherlands for five years. Before that, I was living in Turkey, where I finished my chemical engineering PhD in thin film coatings on glass and fabric surfaces to improve photocatalytic activity and make the surfaces antibacterial and self-cleaning. I then worked in different research laboratories and then I switched my career to project management officer in the funding agency of Turkey. However, then we came to The Netherlands because my husband found a position at ASML as an engineer. At the time, I had a little kid and it was a really hard period for me to balance the new living conditions and my career. I didn't know how I could continue my engineering career in the Netherlands.
Around that time, I also joined another women-for-women community called the Expats Spouses Initiative. They try to build a network to connect local ambassadors with international talents. So I joined their community and in that community, I met with a woman who was working at Philips. I met with her and explained how I didn't know what I could do or where I should start. She ended up inviting me for an interview in her department and I worked there for 1,5 years. I then found a position at the Maastricht University as a funding advisor. However, my daughter needed extra support at home so unfortunately, I quit there. Finally, I found this position (at the TU/e) and so as a result, even though I'm an engineer, I'm now working in a different field.
I'm now a postdoc, but focusing on the education part, and generally, I'm responsible for the more administrative tasks of the project as a project manager. To be honest, I wanted to continue as an engineer in my field, but because of different concerns and conditions, I switched directions and now it's really hard to continue as a chemical engineer in my field.
I do have to say that I also find it meaningful to be here and working on this kind of project (women and girls in STEM). Also, I'm really happy since because of that I met with the WISE network.
Yeah, that's my story.
So you moved together with your family?
Yes, exactly. In the beginning, my husband came here alone, and after a few months -- I think four or five -- I came with my two kids.
Do you think it was more difficult for you as a woman to make this transition?
Yeah, it is. It was also hard for my husband of course, but it was a bit harder for me when I compared with him because I took responsibility for my kids and also, I left my career, my comfort zone. I was at home at that time and it was really hard to understand what I was doing, why I was here (in The Netherlands), and whether it was meaningful. So yeah, actually it was a fluctuation period for me. It was not easy.
So, more recently, you mentioned that you were introduced to this WISE Network while working on the Erasmus + project. Have you participated in many of the WISE organized events?
Actually, yes, I have participated in many WISE activities – lunch lectures, the annual event, and the Global Goals Jam. I found the annual event this year very informative and also inspiring. Erika Darics, a professor from Groningen University who is working on applied linguistics gave insight into the current situation of gender representation (for women in academia) in the Netherlands and globally. It shows how important it is for women across many sectors to have role models so they can not only be inspired by them but also so that they can have expectations of what a career might be like.
Speaking of inspiration, where do you find inspiration? Do you have a personal role model?
Yes, I have. Rosi Braidotti. She is a contemporary philosopher and feminist theoretician. Her question has always been to try to figure out what forms of knowledge are being produced around us, and how they connect to power relations. I read her book The Posthuman during the research period of my project. She is not a Silicon Valley transhumanist who believes that we are going to be able to load our consciousness into the computer and become superhuman. According to her “Universities and arts and culture centers are at the heart of new ways of thinking about what we are becoming, what is becoming possible for us today with all the amazing innovations that we have developed and discovered, we are always subjects in the process always becoming something, we should be brave to discuss what we want to become what we are capable of becoming”. It was inspiring for me.
As a researcher focusing on STEM education for women and girls, what are you most concerned about for the future? Or that you particularly focus on?
Yeah, actually, during my research, I realized that the representation of women is really low, especially in the energy sector and the artificial intelligence sector, as well as the IT sector, and data sector. This is a big issue, I think. For example, in AI, we see that developer teams are generally male-dominated, and we see many AI's have unconscious gender bias.
Since 2020 there have been some rules and checks in place (regarding gender bias in AI) that are used by tech companies, but still, there is a big gap. AI is beginning to shape our future -- I mean humanity is trying to find solutions to all issues by using AI and it impacts our lives. This is why equal representation is really important in the sector. It is also the reason that I am preparing an online training module and toolkit to address this issue in my research.
Another key area is climate change. The energy transition is the key to the solution, and it's also the STEM sector. According to reports of OECD and UN report it's clear that if you put a woman in the decision maker position, many results become more efficient and more meaningful. This is why looking at problems through a gender lens is important, since there is insufficient representation now.
Representation and increasing awareness help you to reject the gender codes that you have. When you look at the history of humanity you can say that we have only been talking about women’s rights for a relatively short period. So it's needed for all of us, and I believe, well I'm sure, I also have gender codes that I follow and for many women, it's the same. So there should be awareness and there should be rejection again through the awareness process I believe. It's also why I think your community [WISE] is really meaningful because you're also trying to improve this. Thank you.
Thank YOU. Looking forward, are there things that you hope that WISE will do or that they will support more in the future?
Yeah, maybe WISE can do networking events for female students. You could invite women from different sectors who are in decision-making positions and connect them with the students who want to grow their careers in those sectors. I think it would be really useful for them because you can build a connection between role models and talents.
Yes, at WISE we also think that it's an important thing to see women as role models and in decision making positions. As our final questions, what are your next steps in your career?
Well, I have applied to another postdoc position. I can feel, in my heart, that my engineering side is my powerful side, so I want to turn back in that direction.
It's really brave to step back in. We're really happy to hear that you are going for it. Good luck!
Information on the Expat Spouses Initiative and the OECD and UN rapports regarding gender and the environment that Beril mentions, can be found here: