"There's still the image of an engingeer around the construction site in boots and a helmet"

Annick Hubin is a professor in Engineering Sciences and head of the research group Sustainable Materials Engineering. On October 1, she will retire after 42 years at VUB. In light of Gender Equality Week, she will share her insights on the link between academia and industry during a TechTransfer Talk. In this conversation, she shares her experiences as a powerful woman in a STEM field: 'My competencies are more important than the fact that I am a woman.'"

Check out the full programme of Gender Equality Week

Annick Hubin's VUB career began in 1978, when she was one of the few female students to start the Engineering Sciences programme.

Annick Hubin: "At that time, there were three or four of us out of a total of 100. Even though I was a good student in the former Latin-Mathematics track at secondary school, many people questioned whether I, as a woman, should pursue that course of study. That triggered me, and I've never regretted it."

"After my Master's, I began as a PhD student on a research project in collaboration with a company. My idea was to then look for a job in the industry, but due to a combination of circumstances, there was an opportunity for me to take on the position of professor at quite a young age. Since then, I've been deeply involved in everything related to the Faculty of Engineering."

In 2012, you became the first female dean at a Flemish Faculty of Engineering. How do you feel about that?

"Very positively and a little proud. I've never experienced a negative attitude towards female colleagues in the faculty. Not as a professor, nor towards my leadership style. My colleagues, both female and male, have always valued me for my worth. However, we still face a problem in engineering sciences when it comes to recruiting female students. We’re not at the 50/50 balance seen in other faculties."

And why is that?

"Often, it's the parents who are suspicious. During information days, I had to convince the parents that an engineering degree is absolutely suitable for women, more than the students themselves. Of course, you need to have the right secondary school background to start this course: STEM. And girls tend to doubt themselves more than boys in that area. It also depends on the specialisation. In the Civil Engineering-Architecture programme, the gender balance is better. In our Industrial Engineering programme, it's very poor. In Engineering Sciences, we have 25% female students, and that’s too few."

"A second reason: there is still the image of an engineer walking around on a construction site with boots and a helmet. Some do that, including female engineers, but the profession is much broader and richer than that."

"If I ever feel like a token woman, I won't participate anymore"

So, essentially, girls are told very early in life that this field isn't for them?

"I’m not sure if it's still that extreme. I have two daughters myself, and they chose other fields of study. But at the time, I didn't have the impression that girls who wanted to pursue engineering were discouraged. I also hear from colleagues that it's a fascinating but challenging degree, and research shows that girls have less self-confidence than boys, especially at that age. But what’s so fantastic is that, as a woman, you can bring attention to certain sensitivities. And then you see that your male colleagues want to participate in that too."

"The only thing I find a bit tricky for all the female professors in the faculty is that, due to all the gender rules in committees and such, we are heavily questioned about that part of the job. There are still more male than female professors, especially in higher positions. So we are often asked to participate in PhD juries and committees, and that can sometimes be a burden. I do it all gladly and certainly want to contribute. But if I feel like a token woman, I won’t participate anymore. If they ask me because of my competence and because I’m also a woman: fine. But if they only ask me because I'm a woman, I don't find that positive. Other than that, I have no negative feelings about it."

During Gender Equality Week, you will share your insights on connecting academia and industry during a TechTransfer Talk, along with your colleague Anneke Hunninck. Could you explain more about that?

"At the Faculty of Engineering, the link with industry is quite obvious. We also do a lot of bilateral research directly with companies. My colleagues and I are in touch with the industry, and at conferences and study days, we highlight the applicability of our research. But when you want to convince a company at some point, you need someone who can also look at it from a business perspective. I’m not in an ivory tower, but I wasn't trained for that. So, a few years ago, in the context of the IOF (Industrial Research Fund) projects, we brought in a business developer for the group, specifically choosing someone with extensive experience in industry. She's a woman, but that wasn't a requirement."

It’s about her competencies.

"It’s really about her competencies. She worked as an engineer in industry for twenty years, in various roles and aspects of the job. I knew her as an alumna and had nominated her as a fellow of the faculty because of her position in the industry. That’s how we got to know each other better and realised we are very complementary. A company won’t fund research just to please us, they want to see the added value. As a researcher, I see that in the long term, but she translates that into the short term and knows the criteria in the industry. She also has a very broad network and can open new doors. That’s a competency I don’t have as a researcher."

Can you give an example of that?

"One of the things I’ve quite systematically started implementing as dean is the timing of meetings. When I first started as a junior professor at the faculty, faculty meetings usually began at 5 or 6 PM and often lasted until 7 or 8 PM. At that time, I had young children, first in daycare and later in school, and it was always a nightmare in terms of organisation. Now, we aim to schedule meetings during ‘normal’ working hours as much as possible."

"Today, the male colleagues are also very happy with this, as they also want to pick up their children from school. I also see that young male colleagues are now much more engaged with this, and when they become fathers, they also want parental leave. For me, that’s obvious – you need a balanced work-life balance. I’ve always given a lot to the VUB, but I’ve never wanted to live only for the VUB. And I find that it’s much more accepted now."

So, these things can coexist?

"It’s not easy, it’s definitely difficult to combine when you have young children, but it should be possible as far as I’m concerned. My daughters have moved out by now, but that doesn’t mean I only do VUB-related things. I can’t perform well if I only work; I have other interests as well. After a weekend, you should feel rested. That doesn’t mean I never want to work on weekends, but not constantly."

"We’re dealing with an issue of burnout, not just at VUB but in society as a whole. It’s partly driven by the pressure to perform. For me, you can only keep that under control if you also have a rich private life alongside your professional life. In any way, really. You shouldn’t just think of your private life in terms of taking care of your children, you also need to take care of yourself."

Soon, your time at VUB will officially be over. Are you really going to stop working?

"No, but I don’t want to continue as I am now. I want to make space for someone to take over, and that person needs to feel 'in charge.' I could have continued for another two years and would have done so gladly, but I would have felt too much like the mother-in-law, and I don’t want to be that in this context."

"I’ll definitely continue to supervise the PhDs I’m involved in as a co-supervisor and teach a limited number of courses, and maybe still do something for the faculty. But I won’t be the spokesperson for the research group anymore, I won’t introduce new projects or supervise new PhDs. I’ll always be there for a bit of wise advice (laughs). The pace also has to slow down a bit, because I do feel that it’s heavy at times."

Aren’t you afraid of the 'black hole' after retirement?

"Actually, no, because that’s what I was just about to say: I have a rich and interesting private life and already have plans. I’ve wanted to learn Italian for a long time, and I’m finally going to do that. I’ll probably also take up a new hobby, and maybe do some volunteer work, but something where I can add value. Who knows, I might teach maths at a primary or secondary school. Or read to children at a library. Plus, I became a grandmother for the first time at the end of last year. No time for the black hole!"*

Enjoy!

*This is a machine translation. We apologise for any inaccuracies.