I always knew I would do something around science or engineering, but my love of physics was really sparked by my high-school physics teacher, Dr. Barkovitz. He was such a great teacher that he made all the topics stand out, but the unit on light and optics was my particular favorite. When I started learning more about optics at university, I was really inspired and certain that this was something I could use to make a difference in people’s lives.

My current work aims to develop imaging tools that can be translated into a medical clinic — something that doctors can actually use. A lot of my work is about developing new image-processing techniques; it also includes making changes to imaging systems to get more information out of images that doctors then can use to better understand and diagnose disease. I also work a lot with students: having the opportunity to watch them grow is definitely a highlight of working in a university setting.

My proudest moment so far was when my first paper was published. It was a culmination of so much hard work and frustration. Seeing it in print was amazing! I felt really accomplished.

My biggest obstacle in my career has been myself and my self-confidence. I knew that I liked doing research, but, before I did my PhD, I always worried that I wasn’t committed enough or didn’t have good enough grades to get into a PhD program. I was incredibly fortunate to find some great mentors who saw that I could do it and helped me believe that I could.

Don’t be afraid to email professors and researchers whom you haven’t met to ask questions. They are just people, people who love what they do and would more than likely be very excited to talk to you about it. There is no reason to be nervous or intimidated.

If you’re thinking of pursuing a career in STEM, go for it! Working in STEM can be tough sometimes, but the successes are always worth it. We need more women in STEM because having a diverse workplace will lead to the best creativity and inventiveness.

Gavrielle Untracht
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark
Born in United States / Resides in Denmark
Educational Background: BS and MS, Cornell University, United States; PhD, the University of Western Australia, Australia