STEMinism ‘speed networking’ event hailed a success 

The event, organised by the University of Bradford’s STEMinism Society and supported by the University’s Alumni Relations Team, enabled students to speak to a number of female experts.

Varaidzo (Vee) Mapunde graduated in 2003 with a BSc (Hons) in Technology and Management Sciences and is now Co-Director at National Institute for Health and Care Research HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care, helping mentor health-tech start-ups. 

Above: from left: Saskia and Vee at last year's STEMinism event

Vee, who also attended last year’s inaugural STEMinism event, said: “Getting more females into STEM subjects is something I fully support, so events like this are vital to promote awareness and give female students the opportunity to explore subjects and build their networks. 

“Over and above that, we need greater female representation in STEM, which are traditionally male dominated. My work in the healthcare sector has shown me there’s a need to develop a better understanding of healthcare as it relates to women, a good example being heart attack symptoms, which are different for women. From a health-tech perspective, there are opportunities there to develop products and services, to satisfy a need.” 

Asked what advice she would give to women interested in STEM, she said: “Keep your options open and find out who can help you get to where you want to be. 

Fellow graduate Zara Iqbal, Principal Data Management Professional for HM Revenue & Customs, graduated with a BSc in Accounting and Finance in 2017. 

She said: “Women are underrepresented in many roles in the workplace, which is why I think events like this are good for empowering women and showing they can achieve their goals. To anyone who wants to enter STEM, I would say think about the competition, keep going, don’t settle for something you don’t want, and remember there are always people who can help you get to where you want to be.” 

Other participants included Saskia Lear, who graduated in 1997 and is also a guest lecturer and member of the university’s Court. She is principal engineer for JBA Consulting and works on a range of engineering projects for the Environment Agency. 

She said: “I remember being a student at Bradford and having so many questions about what a career as a female in STEM would be like – and Bradford University helped me get some of those answers - so I’m always happy to attend events like this to pay it back to the University and hopefully help those in the same position as I was.” 

Different is what we do

The University of Bradford is proud to be different in its approach to improving the life chances of our students. This is, in part, why we have been ranked first on the Higher Education Policy Institute's Social Mobility Index for the last four years (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024). It is also why we won an Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Times Higher Education Awards 2024. We were also named University of the Year at last year's Social Mobility Awards.

We have developed a 'whole systems approach' to social mobility and inclusion, which means 'social mobility' is considered first in everything we do.

STEMinism Society 

The STEMinism society runs a number of events and activities, including raising money for charity (such as for Victims of Conflict), organising girls' nights out and trips out - a recent careers trip to Manchester attracted an audience of over 30 students across STEM courses. 

STEMinism founder and president Alex Troup said: “The idea behind STEMinism was to create a support network for women in STEM subjects, partly because there are so few of us but also to combat any kind of subconscious bias young girls and women may have encountered during their education.”