Stefanie aims to reclaim STEM-professional women’s space

At the time of publiction Dr Stefanie Ruel, worked as a Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour, previously working as Mission Manager at the Canadian Space Agency, leading more than 10 life sciences missions into space before moving to academia.

She has recently given a high-profile talk about her research centred on STEM-professional women’s exclusion in the Canadian space industry. This was as part of the International Astronautical Federation’s Global Networking Forum (IAF GNF) Space Conversations Series, celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science day in February.

Stefanie (pictured on a simulated surface of Mars) spoke to the ‘how’ of women’s exclusion in management and executive positions in this industry. Her research aims to create awareness surrounding women’s systemic discriminatory experiences and to help ‘reclaim their space’ in this sector.

This live event, which included a question and answer session, was recorded and is available here. She was introduced by Prof Pascale Ehrenfreund (the IAF’s President) and moderated by Dr Deganit Paikowsky (IAF Vice President in Diversity Initiatives and Science and Academic Relations).

Stefanie was also part of the Canadian-based Creative Science Shop online event, ‘There’s a woman in my past’, which celebrated STEM women’s contributions to a variety of sciences (glaciology, physics, space sciences, and engineering). To complete a notable hat-trick, she was interviewed by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Television the following day with a focus on women in the space industry, including her own past work.