As part of International Women’s Day which took place on 8 March we reached out to our community to gather thoughts on how we can #AccelerateAction in the photonics sector.

As we take the time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women in this field, it’s vital we continue to champion inclusivity, support diversity, and ensure equal opportunities for all.

Check out what part one of what our community shared with us below.

Alexandra Lee, Physicist
Wideblue

“Highlighting positive experiences across the photonics sector to help reduce apprehension into entering this area.”

Anna O’Dowd, Engineer
Vector Photonics

“Hiring people at all levels of education. By requiring the highest level of education, you remove a host of people with differing views and backgrounds that don’t have the capacity to do PhDs. This would allow for more inclusion in hiring which would have a cascade effects of showing different individuals that this is a career path that anyone can do.”

Grace Parker, Algorithms Engineer
Thales

“Resources and networking opportunities should be readily available for anyone who is interested in Photonics. Toolkits for presenting and networking should also be available for those in industry who want to volunteer in sharing their experience. “

Michelle Murtagh, Staff Laser Development Engineer
Coherent

“Resources and networking opportunities should be readily available for anyone who is interested in Photonics. Toolkits for presenting and networking should also be available for those in industry who want to volunteer in sharing their experience. “