Carla Sebastiani is the Exploitation & IP Manager of the TEMPEST project. She is currently working on the TEMPEST project and Business Development Manager at Sustainable Innovations.
What is your work at the TEMPEST project about?
My work in the TEMPEST project focuses on acting as the Exploitation & IP Manager of the project, responsible for overseeing the correct identification and definition of the Key Exploitable Results, providing solid plans for the exploitation of these results after the project’s lifetime, and including ownership agreements, joint exploitation agreements, and potential IP protection schemes for the project’s technologies.
What advice would you give to young women who are considering a career in the battery industry or other STEM fields?
Do not be afraid to jump into the unknown. Historically, STEM has been a man-dominated field, but it does not mean that it must remain that way. Every year more and more women follow their dreams into STEM careers, if it’s the way you want to go, just do it, I promise you will find your way into the world.
What do you think are the biggest challenges women face in the battery industry, and how can they be addressed?
One of the main challenges we face is that there is still a long way to go to make it possible to combine having a career in STEM and also having a family. Many countries continue to move towards a positive change, implementing longer and paid maternal (and paternal) leaves among other measures, but we need to boost this at European level in order to have more women involved in all fields, and especially at high career levels.
