Ilaria Anna Lauriola
International Women in Engineering Day 2022
Hi, I am Ilaria and I work as a Data Extraction Specialist in the international team of the BU Life Sciences.
I obtained my Master’s degree in Computer and Automation Engineering at the Università Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona.
Immediately after my Master’s degree, I moved to Bari and started working for Dedalus in February 2021. My role within the company gravitates around data, I am in charge of the ETL process of data from medical records, data interoperability and dashboarding for the Trial4Care (T4C) product.
What attracted you to a career at Dedalus? What do you like about working for Dedalus?
I have always been passionate about the world of Big Data and extracting value from data. Health data, in particular, is very rich in information, and it is very interesting to analyse this type of data. I like to think that even my small contribution can help research improve patients’ lives.
Why is it important for you to have diversity within your team?
Working in an international team has allowed me not only to improve my English language skills, but also to be able to compare myself with many experts, colleagues from my team and others, and to learn a lot from them and also to understand and make my own the different approaches to work in other countries.
What advice do you give to females wanting to join a career in Engineering/STEM?
When I was younger and while I was studying at university, I was also the victim of preconceptions, people who often told me that programming is not a “young lady’s” job yet I never gave up, knowing that it was what I wanted to do with my life, and I eventually succeeded. I would like to say to all girls who dream or study for a career in Engineering/STEM, that although the preconceptions are still there today, in 2022, we must never let ourselves be defined by what others think about us. In fact, although it should be given for granted, competence is not defined by gender. Passion and daily commitment always win out over any kind of prejudice. Always believe in what you do!
