Hasti Hayati, (@HytHasti) University of Technology Sydney, will be taking part in Soapbox Science Sydney on 10th August with the talk: “Dynamics of running dogs.”
Soapbox Science: How did you get to your current position?
I simply applied! I used to be an international student back in 2015. I am originally from Iran. I applied for master by research degree at UTS, and I got a position. Halfway through my candidature, I upgraded my degree to PhD.
SS: What, or who inspired you to get a career in STEMM?
My mom was, indeed, a big inspiration. She is a pharmacist who loves her profession. I love the way she handles her business and a great work-life balance she managed to make when we I was a kid.
My dad also helped me a lot in choosing my degree. He is a mechanical engineer as well. When I was about to choose a Uni degree, I remember he helped me a lot in choosing mechanical engineering. He told me that don’t be daunted by its name. At the end of the degree, you will learn how to engineer your world. It’s worth the hard work. And he was so right!
Finally, I always loved to become an academic. I love teaching no matter what the subject is. I now realise how lucky I am that can use my teaching passion in an engineering subject, which can inspire more girls to come on board.
SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?
It’s always different. I don’t get to do the same thing for more than a month. It keeps changing as you deal with the cutting edge science all the time. I also love the academic environment. People with the same values are around you. Academic life is so colourful. You can teach, lead, supervise and go to free conferences paid by the Uni!
SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?
When I came to Australia for the first time, I was shocked by the low number of girls in engineering. I remember having a class with 60 students, and I only got three girls in total! I thought about how this could be changed? Apart from talking to my girls after the class and encouraging them to pursue the postgrad degree, I was looking for an opportunity where we can promote this topic. Soapbox can be helpful as it has targeted even the younger generation who can change the culture in positive ways.
SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day
Passion.
SS: If you could change one thing about the academic/research culture right now, what would it be?
Not to judge peoples work by the number of citations they have. Fields are different, and there are sneaky ways to increase the citation. The best way to assess one person’s work is to read their work, not counting the number of articles and citations they got.
SS: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in academia?
I want to remind them that having more women in leading roles can make the world a better place.