Anna O’Dowd, Design Engineer at Vector Photonics, will be taking part in the Careers Hive at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, this week. Careers Hive is an Edinburgh Science initiative, from the organisers of the Edinburgh Science Festival. It is designed to inspire and challenge 11–14-year-old students studying STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and maths) and encourage them into technology careers.
Anna said, “As a Design Engineer at the forefront of semiconductor laser development, I can share my story of how I ended up being part of a team developing a new class of laser known as a PCSEL. The PCSEL is expected to vastly increase performance in datacentre, co-packaged optic (CPO), telecoms, and quantum applications. My current role involves developing a modelling package to allow different elements of the laser to be designed concurrently, accelerating time to market.
“Careers Hive is a brilliant opportunity to encourage young students of all backgrounds into STEM careers by exposing them to a range of different career paths that they may not have been aware of. My recent TechWomen100 award has also given me a platform to show girls, who are currently underrepresented in STEM, that technology can offer an exceptional career route.”
Careers Hive takes place at the National Museum of Scotland from 7th –12th November with Anna attending on Friday 11th.
