Celebrating International Women’s day
In honor of the international women’s day we wanted to acknowledge one of our female employees. Meet Stina Starborg who has worked within the battery chemistry field since 2001!
What do you find most enjoyable with your job?
It’s very multidisciplinary, a lot of competence is required, one day is never like the other.
What can a work week look like?
I run several chemistry-related development projects. In my job, it is of great importance that we learn deeply about the chemistry to be able to develop it further. The project that I’m currently working on involves everything from planning to testing, with questions varying in scientific understanding.
What are the changes in your field you experienced since the beginning of your career?
You can see the overall greater interest for the industry from the surrounding world. When I started my career, it was somewhat uncommon seeing women in general. I see that this is changing but I feel like there is still room for improvement in the academic world, especially within electronics, technical systems, programming and mechanics, which are typically male-dominated fields. An even division of gender will favor the group dynamics within a company overall. You will see a big demand for competence within the battery industry in all of Sweden but also within Europe. Competence will be requested to keep up with Asia that is dominating the market today, especially within production technique, not only when it comes to lithium-ion batteries but also in mass production of other types of batteries.
How do you wish that the battery industry develops?
Today, in Sweden, the focus is primarily on certain chemistries, e.g. lithium-ion is spotlighted. There are other types of techniques and chemistries with weaknesses and strengths that deserves more exposure.
How do you think you can attract more people to apply to your field of industry?
To increase the interest of my field, I believe that a lot is about the way you present a subject in school. You have to find a way to introduce science in schools in a manner that makes people feel that it’s relatable to their interests. I believe you have to focus more on the problems that can be helped with technical tools when it comes to the environmental aspect. You usually talk about problems related to the climate issues but not so much about how those problems actually can be solved. With the help of technical tools, you can solve a lot of the issues we have today. It is possible to create more environmentally friendly tools and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Did you have any female role models in your career?
Female role models for me have been managers that I’ve had; Eva Fontes and Annika Ahlberg Tidblad. Within the battery industry, another female role model have been Kristina Edström, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Uppsala University.