Women in Science at Precisa – Monika Roth

To celebrate International Women’s Day we take time to catch-up with Monika Roth, our Applications Scientist. Here she reveals what a typical day looks like for her (whilst working in lockdown) running samples on our moisture analyser from her home. She tells us what she likes most about her job and offers advice to other females looking to kick start their career in science and technology.

What or who inspired you to pursue a scientific lead career?

Throughout my time in school I had a general interest in nature and science. My class mates had different interests, none of them were particularly interested in Biology and Chemistry which gave me an advantage of achieving good marks. From this I developed my first love of Archaeology.

Can you describe a typical day?

I only work part time and have the opportunity to do most of my work from home, which is perfect when juggling work and family. The majority of my work is to support customers and dealers in pre and after sales questions, as long as I have a laptop and internet access. Many of our customers are overseas which means on a daily basis I am sending emails that cover several time zones.

I run samples on our moisture analysers from my kitchen. Since prepASH is too big for a flat, these samples are done at Precisa in Dietikon. I propose the method, Pascal runs the samples and then I go through the results and forward them with an interpretation to our customers.

What do you like most about your job?

The flexibility, the team and the contact I have with people from all over the world.

As a woman in science, have you come across any barriers?

Only as a young girl, in my time in mandatory school girls and boys didn’t have the same timetable. Incredibly, girls did not have the same amount of MINT lessons!

What is the one piece of advice you would give to a woman considering science as a career and how can we encourage more women in science?

The same I would give to every young person. Study what you are interested in, you will be successful in the areas where you are strong. If you are rejected, keep an open mind and the knowledge and experience you have will help with whatever career you end up in.

At University I didn’t see any barriers for women. To start a career it might still be more difficult for women since we are not socialising the same as men. With more and more women in science today networking will become easier for women.

What would we most likely find you doing at the weekend?

At the weekend you will find me with my family in the mountains, hiking or skiing. In my spare time I play the violin in an orchestra. Also, I live near the border so you will find me having a short swim in the lake almost every evening during the summertime.

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