As engineers, we want to solve problems that make the world a better place for everyone around us. That challenge, my love of maths and physics, and wanting to be in a setting where I can use both disciplines is what led me into engineering and ultimately intellectual property law.

The love of a subject at school is important if you are looking at undertaking any career, but it is natural that we look for inspiration, be that people we can identify with, a school teacher or someone whose work is exceptional. Whilst I feel very lucky to have had my parents nurture my love of maths and physics, the work of Hedy Lamarr beautifully demonstrates that women have played more than a bit part in developing technology we still use today.

Born in Austria, Lamarr was an actress, working with the likes of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Along with being a starlet, she was also an inventor, with a questioning mind. She devised a method of encrypting signals to prevent enemy spies from listening to sensitive information, and this “frequency hopping” technique played a significant role in the development of Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi. Although dismissed for a while, without her, there would be no wireless communication in our modern world.

Whilst the number of female engineering students has risen since my time at university, women are still underrepresented in the sector. A degree is just one way to start a career in engineering, there are others, such as an apprenticeship. The key is to find a route that works for you.

My role at Secerna enables me to combine engineering and law, which I love, and to work with a wide variety of different technologies. In my role I have opportunities all the time to see and learn about up-and-coming tech, which is very exciting. I’m excited about the future, and would always encourage young women to seriously look at a career in engineering. It is such an interesting and rewarding area to work in.