Celebrating Women in Extended Reality
To celebrate International Women’s Day, SERMAS was part of a special webinar, hosted on 19 March, featuring female voices in Extended Reality (XR). The panel discussion's main objective was to empower the next generation of female innovators by highlighting the continued underrepresentation of women in all Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Seven women from different EU-funded projects Megha Quamara from SERMAS (that’s us!), Leesa Joyce and Moonisa Ahsan from VOX Reality, Georgia Papaioannou from HECOF, Maria Madarieta MASTER XR, Marievi Xezonaki CORTEX2, and Grace Dinan from TRANSMIXR, got together to showcase their journeys. Regina Van Tongeren, from Women in Immersive Tech, was the incredible moderator guiding the discussion where participants shared their insights, navigated the challenges they've encountered, and recounted their inspiring experiences within this fast-growing sector.
"Representation matters. We need diverse voices in boardrooms and beyond." – Regina van Tongeren
"You don’t have to fit the mould—you have to break it. Challenge yourself." – Georgia Papaioannou
"Opportunities in XR are endless. Focus on what you’re good at—it will be your superpower." – Moonisa Ahsan
"Diversity and inclusion should be a priority from the very beginning of every project." – Grace Dinan
"Trust yourself and the pace you’re progressing—don’t compare yourself to anyone else." – Marievi Xezonaki
“The references are very important, the women reference for example teachers at the school. To let them know that is possible. We should raise awareness, we are mentors, look “I’m doing this, it’s possible”. This way we can break the barriers and inspire”. - Maria Madarieta Elordi
“We talked about hard skills, as we can be as talented as the other genders but talking about the other side we can bring another world of perspective. We can give a different perspective from the man that’s already there. “- Leesa Joyce
“I think programmes and XR initiatives could have dedicated spaces to women entrepreneurs, offering training, technical guidance, how to apply for funding and tech related contributions. Additionally, introducing small changes and flexibility to help on the family side would be great to support careers.” - Megha Quamara
These are just some of the key takeaways from the webinar, which engaged over 70 participants with a fantastic Q&A session. It's encouraging to see so many people actively making efforts in changing the narrative.
Let's amplify the power of women in XR and pave the way for a more equitable and innovative future.
