Interviewing Noemi Alese, Project Manager at the Technological Institute of Informatics (ITI)
The strength of a European project such as AI-PRISM is the interdisciplinary and transversal working approach of a group of 25 entities plus an affiliated one. Social sciences and humanities permeate the innovative ecosystem to provide the most robust and complete solution to manufacturing environments where tasks are challenging to automate, and speed and versatility are essential.
To commemorate International Women’s Day, we are interviewing the women behind the team working on the most social approach of the project. Today we are honoured to meet Noemi Alese, Project Manager at the Technological Institute of Informatics (ITI) interested in social innovation and intercultural mediation.
Find below what she has told us about her experience and profession as a woman working on Horizon Europe projects such as AI-PRISM.
What is your role at AI-PRISM?
Hello, my name is Noemi Alese and I work as a project manager for the AI-PRISM project at ITI, located in Valencia, Spain. My primary responsibility is ensuring that ITI teams execute their tasks efficiently and achieve their goals in a clear and comfortable manner.
What makes you proud of working in AI-PRISM?
I enjoy working with my colleagues and the project partners. Although the project presents various technical and scientific challenges, it is exciting to witness its development and progress.
How can we attract more women to work in Horizon EU projects such as AI-PRISM?
Horizon EU funded projects typically revolve around research, development, and innovation. Unfortunately, it is undeniable that women face structural barriers in these fields, which their male colleagues do not. This trend is not limited to R&D but also common to many other areas of our work and daily lives. To tackle this issue, we must recognize that the underrepresentation of women in all sectors of society and economy stems from several underlying factors that cannot be addressed alone. We need to consider the bigger picture to combat such stigmas.
To attract more women to Horizon projects, we must normalize women occupying certain positions. While it is not an easy problem to solve, creating more inclusive workspaces and implementing more equitable recruitment processes have positive effects on the work environment.
One step we could all take starting today is to make our female colleagues more visible and work on addressing our unconscious biases, which can sometimes hinder female representation in Horizon projects.
Noemi, thank you for being with us!