QNS Women in Science Group

Goals

  • Advance gender equality in science, in physics through research
  • Provide women-represented environment without barriers of genders
  • Create a network between female students, researchers, and professors
  • Encourage and support students and researchers for their career development
  • Share information and knowledge on world-wide efforts to advance gender equality and related projects/events

Who

  • Female researchers and undergraduate and graduate students in natural science (especially in physics) and engineering.

Purpose

Women, on average, are more likely to endure additional and potentially long-lasting career setbacks. In addition, women who belong to an under-represented group or minority community are more likely to face discrimination on the basis of their gender. In STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), especially in physics, the under-representation of women is particularly acute. We aim to create a more gender-balanced research environment and encourage female students and researchers to be more represented. Also, many key findings of gender equality programs are often not widely shared. We exchange information and knowledge on world-wide efforts to advance gender equity through research and inform related projects and events.

Event

October 31, 2023

QNS Women in Science – ICQNS 2023 Panel Discussion

September 15, 2023

QNS Women in Science – Getting to know each other

July 21, 2023

QNS Women in Science – 6th Gathering at Han River Park

QNS enjoys a good gender mix among all of our teams (Female 55%, Male 45%), especially the research team – where it is exceptional.
All students receiving a degree from Ewha are female. We have the responsibility to grow the skills and abilities of all our scientists and to support the start of their careers, no matter where they chose to make their next step.

Additional ways we encourage gender diversity at QNS:
Parental leaves:
○ Director states his openness to parental leaves regularly and personally
○ In 5 years: 6 parental leaves with an average duration of 10.8 months
○ We have welcomed 8 QNS babies since 2017, which is far above the national fertility rate

Role models:
Career Coffees are held when senior female scientists come to visit QNS. Questions from the students have included:
○ Career development
○ The possibility of having a family or work-life balance
○ Establishing themselves in a male-dominated field

 

Meet Our Member (Click below to see)

Hong Bui (Graduate student)

Hong Bui, Center for Quantum Nanoscience
Hong Bui is a graduate student from Vietnam. She joined QNS in 2018 and works on Quantum Properties of Individual Spin System on Surfaces using one of our ESR-STM systems.

Q: What are some highlights of working at QNS for you?
A: I think it is a harmonious combination of Western and Eastern working styles. The second is that full equipment and machines allow us to operate and study new ideas ourselves. There are many events (such as seminars, workshops... and parties) with the participation of leading experts, opening opportunities to exchange and learn more knowledge.

Q: What have you learned at QNS?
A: I have learned a lot about physics and specialized knowledge related to the Atomic World such as quantum physics, quantum computing, and so on. I have been trained and practiced many soft skills, presentation skills, how to work in groups, and how to build relationships with colleagues and teachers. And last but not least, our center has a lot of people from different countries, as well as myself as an international student, it is very interesting to exchange and learn about different cultures.

Q: What has been the hardest for you at QNS?
A: When I first started working at QNS, which is one of the “World-class” centers with difficult research topics. It requires people to have not only a solid knowledge base but also a quick acquisition and great effort. This is really a challenge for new graduate students like me. However, I believe challenges always go hand in hand with opportunities.

Q: What has made you the happiest at QNS?
A: Discussion for a deeper understanding of physics, I think. I love those moments when I find something and show it to everyone. It makes me feel more interested and curious about physics. In addition, BBQ at our Hub or parties are happy times for me, we joke, sing, and cook together. It’s like something special that makes me feel like I’m at home, like I don’t live far from my family.

Q: What have you found most surprising?
A: I used to think that high-level scientists like Andreas would be very serious, dry, and be difficult to talk to until I worked here. They are professional in the work, but very sociable, funny and extremely enthusiastic at parties.

Jiyoon Hwang (Graduate student)

Jiyoon Hwang, Center for Quantum Nanoscience
Jiyoon is a graduate student who joined QNS in our very first year and works on magnetic and electric properties of single atoms. She was instrumental in helping to construct one of our home-built STMs combined with electron spin resonance. We asked her a few questions about her experience at QNS, here are her responses.

Q: What are some highlights of working at QNS for you?
A: First, our small team took about 2 years for building an ESR-STM system with Joule-Thomson refrigerator. Finally in June, we got the first data from our machine, Eve! I couldn’t forget the first time when we saw a nice herringbone structure of gold surface at 4 K. Second, when we got the first ESR signals by applying microwaves to the tip and antenna. For getting ESR, we measured IETS steps on Fe atoms and population difference by spin-polarized tip.



Q: What have you learned at QNS?
A: Nothing can be done alone. Making one machine needs a lot of specialists in STM or engineering or others. But the most important thing is to respect everyone’s opinions and harmonize them as much as possible. And I learned how to communicate with them and the best way to filter and combine the necessary parts of everyone’s input.

Q: What has been the hardest for you at QNS?
A: For building the machine, we did more than 10 times cool tests of inner structures for better performance with liquid Helium. Sometimes, we realized something is totally wrong right after filling the liquid Helium to the Dewar. We had to blow all the Helium and warm up again. Not long after I joined to the construction team, I had to strongly argue my opinions to senior members of the team. At that time, I was the only student, and the others are all postdocs. I had to gather a lot of courage to say my opinion.

Q: What has made you the happiest at QNS?
A: I couldn’t forget the time when the piezo stacks works that I soldered all cables and sticked on the plate. Whenever I check what I design and assemble works properly, I feel satisfied with myself.

Q: What have you found most surprising?
A: No one gives up easily. We all know that everything cannot be perfect every day. However, even if tip is broken or something is wrong, they just take a break and start over. Sometimes I feel depressed and disappointed about results, but thanks to such an environment, I can cheer up again and move forward.

Q: What would you like to make sure that people know about QNS?
A: All members never hesitate to share what they know already and are always ready to hear others’ opinions whenever. QNS generously supports new projects regardless of your position. This is how I could complete a new machine without any experience in STM, machining, or electronics.


Contact person

Yujeong Bae

Yujeong Bae, Principal Investigator

Research professor in department of physics, Ewha Womans University and group leader in QNS

Yujeong Bae received her Ph.D. from Ewha Womans University in 2016. After that, she worked at the Institute of Basic Science Center for Quantum Nanoscience and IBM Almaden Research Center as a postdoc for 3 years. She is currently a research professor at the Institute of Basic Science and Ewha Womans University. Her research interests include coherent control of spins on surfaces and spin-dependent transport in spintronic devices.

Email: bae.yujeong@qns.science
Office: Room 364, Research cooperation building, Ewha Womans University