In this episode, you can step into the shoes of Susana Isabel Pinheiro Cardoso de Freitas, one of the leading voices in nanoelectronics and magnetic sensors, recognised among the 100 Women in Science and a Corresponding Member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.

Susana grew up in a home where curiosity had no gender — learning car mechanics, woodcraft, physics, and traditional skills side by side. This open upbringing shaped her path into engineering and her belief that people should choose careers based on joy, not expectation.

A mother of five children (and a dog!), Susana shares her honest reflections on balancing family with an intense scientific career, why she never sought leadership yet grew into it, and how she now works to keep her team inspired, supported, and equipped including through her involvement in major initiatives like the MultispiAI project.

Tune in to hear Susana’s perspective on
• gender dynamics in high-tech fields
• leadership driven by purpose, not power
• the importance of contributing actively to your environment
• and finding the path that truly fits who you are

This episode was produced by AMIRES, the consulting company for research, development and innovation projects. "In Her Shoes" podcast, uncovers the journey and life of women in science 👩‍🔬 and is hosted by @Jana Mwangi

In this episode, you can take a walk in the shoes of Prof. Cecilia Sahlgren, whose curiosity led her to the fascinating world of cell communication and Notch signalling, even asking: “Can we repair a broken heart with Notch?”. She never envisioned becoming a scientist - yet today, she says it’s the best job in the world.

From Finland to Sweden and the Netherlands, now Cecilia Sahlgren is a part-time Associate Professor at the TU/e Department of Biomechanical Engineering (Soft Tissue Engineering & Mechanobiology group) and Professor of Cell Biology at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland.

Her research explores how cells make decisions, how their microenvironment shapes tissue formation, and how this knowledge can be used to tackle diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders. She is also pioneering micro-tissue development, creating models that mimic real human tissues and conditions. Prof. Sahlgren also leads the EU-funded Nap4DIVE project, developing non-animal models for studying nanoparticle drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier.

🎧 Tune in to hear Prof. Sahlgren’s views on cultural diversity and leadership in international teams, what she looks for in postdocs, and her reflections on bias and inequality in academia. Though she recognizes the barriers many women face in science, she has never allowed them to disturb her path and now leads with awareness, empathy, and example.

This episode was produced by AMIRES, the consulting company for research, development and innovation projects. "In Her Shoes" podcast, uncovers the journey and life of women in science 👩‍🔬 and is hosted by @Jana Mwangi

In this episode, you can take a walk in the shoes of Prof. Vicenzina Barbera, a professor in the courses of Chemistry and of Environmental Chemistry at Politecnico Milan. Her research topics range from synthetic organic chemistry to catalysis, materials for tires, and sustainable flexible electronics, funded by Italian, European, and company grants.

We will explore her journey and interesting work on projects like ECOTRON, which aims to transform electronics with recyclable, flexible materials, and discuss why circular thinking is key to our future.

🎧 Tune in to hear how science, creativity, and sustainability come together to tackle some of the challenges we have.

This episode was produced by AMIRES, the consulting company for research, development and innovation projects. "In Her Shoes" podcast, uncovers the journey and life of women in science 👩‍🔬 and is hosted by @Jana Mwangi