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An Interview With Cristina Bahamonde Castro

Cristina is currently a Technical Project Manager and Engineer working in the deployment and integration of precision hardware in the Large Hadron Collider. She has years of experience in large international scientific collaborations and has previously worked in fields such as nanotechnology or radiochemistry. Thanks to her advanced communication and fast-learning skills, she excels at leading cross-functional teams of experts at solving challenging engineering problems that can have a large impact.



"Dream big and don't give up. When I first applied to CERN finishing my first degree I never thought I'd get in among thousands of candidates. Not only I did, but it completely changed my career path. Now I get to do a job that I love, learn tons every day from top experts in different fields and inspire many others to do the same. "

What inspires you?

Projects that require technical solutions to push the frontiers of human knowledge.



What did you want to be when you were younger?

A singer :)


Which subjects did you enjoy at school?

I enjoyed scientific subjects as much as languages and literature



What would you like to tell your younger self?

Own what makes you unique



Why did you choose STEM?

I was doubting between languages and STEM since I liked them both equally, but the fact that there were more jobs in STEM fields made me choose it while I studied languages in my free time. Never thought I'd enjoy my job this much!


How important is it for you to stand out?

What's more important to me is to do what you love. When you do, you'll effortlessly be more driven at work and perform better, and standing out will come as a natural consequence of this.



What difficulties did you face in the industry, as a woman?

The lack of women in heavily industrial jobs has made hard to find role models and mentors.


What advice would you give to the next generation of female scientists?

Never settle. Find whatever drives you and follow it regardless of what people tell you or how hard it might be, it's always worth it!




"I did my studies in Chemical Engineering and specialized in Nuclear Engineering in my last year or studies. I then did an internship in both fields and found out Nuclear Engineering was more appealing to me so I did my MSc in it with specialization in radiochemistry. After defending my thesis I started my job as an engineer at CERN, designing strategies to protect sensitive equipement around the Large Hadron Collider. When the facilities started the scheduled technical stop I got the chance to finally coordinate the installations of some of the pieces of equipment I had designed during the last years, which has been an incredible experience."


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