Qin Wang - 2019 SPIE Women in Optics Planner
Senior Expert
Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), Sweden
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Country of Birth: China
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My family inspires me. When I was a little girl, I was curious about submarines since my father, a scientist, had devoted his career to submarine engineering. He lived and worked in the army, therefore, I mostly lived with my mother’s family. I listened to discussions between my mother, uncle, and grandfather regarding their jobs in chemical engineering, textile machinery, traditional Chinese medicine, and many others—I was fascinated and a seed was thus planted in my heart although I couldn’t really understand what they were saying.
There was a debate in my family in selecting my major at university. Some of them encouraged me to study physics and engineering while others wanted me to pursue medicine. Although it was a hard choice for me to study applied physics at Tianjin University, I have never regretted becoming a research scientist in nanophotonics and optoelectronics.
Currently, I am a senior expert and project manager at Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), working on nanostructure-based optoelectronics and photonics devices/components for sensing, imaging, free space optical communication, and life-science applications. I am also a supervisor for Master and PhD degree students. I enjoy my time with my students, and have learned a lot through their questions and innovative ideas. I am honored when they tell me that they are encouraged by my enthusiasm for research and science.
The biggest challenge of my career is getting my voice heard. As a female scientist, you need to be brave and proud of your expertise. I tell myself, “Believe in yourself, you can reach your dreams if you follow your heart and go for them.”
It is such a pleasure to work in STEM! It gives you an opportunity to explore space, or precise human structural cells, or beautiful nature. STEM gives you the key to open your eyes and mind, and discover an amazing universe. It also teaches fundamental logical thinking, which is useful even if you change your career in the future.