Aurélie Jean
MIT’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Boston, MA USA
"Ask questions and be curious, because if you’re facing a challenge, you’re certainly not the only one who’s faced that same challenge."
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Aurélie's work combines: Numbers, Technology, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Versatility is more and more relevant to any job position, do not be afraid to stretch yourself in college by combining your core disciplines with other unrelated subjects.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Physics, General
Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France
Bachelor's Degree
Engineering Mechanics
Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France
Graduate Degree
Engineering Mechanics
École normale supérieure de Cachan, France
Graduate Degree
Civil Engineering, General
École normale supérieure de Cachan, France
Doctorate
Materials Science
MINES ParisTech, Paris, France
Doctorate
Bioinformatics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
When she was a kid, she always wanted to learn; by the age of eight, she was aware of MIT and knew she wanted to go.
2.
Her family never had the money to buy a computer growing up, so she bought her first computer at age 18.
3.
Her love of learning has translated into her studying many different areas, including physics, math, mechanical engineering, and material sciences.
4.
When she was an undergraduate, her class was made up of only about 10 percent women.
5.
As a result, the women realized that they had to bond together, share their experiences, and help support each other through their classes.
6.
Because of the support she found in her female study group, she decided to co-found PATRONNÈ, a lifestyle and advice magazine and a community for professional women.
7.
Says it’s important to talk to others about their experiences in order to see what’s out there so you can see what’s out there and what’s possible.
8.
Currently uses coding to study the effects of trauma on human tissues at MIT’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You are a woman, you can't do computer science or engineering.
How I responded:
As a woman in these and related fields, you have to be strong and don't underestimate yourself. Look out for other girls like you and support each other. One day this idea of women not being able to do CS or science in general will change, but we have to be the ones who change it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I grew up in France and went to graduate school there. I came to the US when I got offered an opportunity at MIT. There is a language barrier sometimes, but the thing about science, math, and computers is that it is the same in any language.
I was the first person in my family to get a PhD and the first person to go into a science field. I didn't really have anybody to help me navigate.
Growing up, my family never had the money to buy me a computer. I wasn't able to buy my first computer until age 18. I had very little interaction with technology up until then.