Celebrate Her Story: A Spotlight on Vanessa Biggers, Senior Director of Engineering, Scientific Technologies at Strateos
At Strateos, we recognize the importance of diversity and representation in STEM fields, and we are proud to celebrate and recognize the talented women who have made a lasting impact.
We are proud to say that our company has a number of women in leadership positions and key technical roles, such as software engineering and robotics.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’d like to take the opportunity to shine a light on one of our own standout women employees: Vanessa Biggers, Senior Director of Engineering, Scientific Technologies. Vanessa is a prime example of the impact that women have made in the world of STEM. We’ll get to know more about her journey in this article, as we explore where it all began and how she got to where she is today.
Finding a Passion for Software: How Vanessa's Diverse Background Led Her to Strateos
Vanessa studied physics at UC Santa Cruz and gained a wealth of experience in her early career from working in biotech startups. Her journey into developing software professionally began when she joined Transcriptic (now Strateos). She fell in love with software development and has been working in the field ever since.
Leading the Charge: How Vanessa is Helping Scientists Through Software and Automation
In her day-to-day work life, Vanessa leads several teams in developing software tools and the Strateos software platform. This platform enables scientists to advance their research through better access to hardware/software and data. She works with a diverse and multidisciplinary group of scientists and engineers in highly cross-functional teams, which creates an environment where she can always learn new things from experts in their field. The best part of her job is solving challenging and interesting problems with great colleagues.
Breaking Barriers: How Vanessa Overcame Obstacles as a Woman in STEM
It’s no secret that women face unique challenges when it comes to succeeding in a predominantly male-dominated field like engineering. Fortunately for Vanessa, she has always had strong mentors who sparked her passion for science and encouraged her to strive for excellence, follow her interests, and always be learning. Vanessa has always focused on merit when overcoming challenges and is grateful to be working in a decade where this has been effective. She acknowledges the women pioneers in STEM going back to Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie who have paved the way forward for women like herself.
Starting Strong: Essential Tips for Women Entering STEM Field
Vanessa advises anyone starting out in a new field or career to seek out mentors -- “it's one of the best things you can do for your long-term success.”
She also has advice for companies and organizations to better support and empower women in STEM careers. Creating opportunities for training and development will support growth and advancement for women in the field. In particular, programs that provide mentorship and leadership training are especially beneficial.
The Future of Women in STEM: A Hopeful Outlook
The recognition of contributions by women within the field is increasing more and more, which is a good thing, and will encourage and inspire future generations. Vanessa anticipates more women in leadership roles, and hopefully, continued progress toward closing the gap on pay and opportunity inequalities in the future.
Vanessa’s is a true inspiration to women in the STEM field and there are so many lessons learned throughout her journey. Strateos is proud to be part of this celebration of women in STEM and continues to strive to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace for women and other underrepresented groups.