“Role models rethought”: Portraits of 4 female STEM graduates at Infineon Austria

Business & Financial Press

Apr 22, 2024

Villach, 22 April 2024 – When thousands of girls get a taste of working life in Austrian companies from 25 April as part of the Girls' Day initiative, Infineon Austria will of course also be there. The aim is to encourage girls to explore new professional fields in microelectronics and to conquer this area even more than before. In Graz, for example, third and fourth grade girls will discover the research and development laboratories, experience what it is like to work in a high-tech environment after completing an education in the natural sciences or technical field. The girls can look forward to playful discovery, first-hand experience and hands-on sessions, as well as demos and discussions on exciting research and development topics.

 

On days like these, the mood is optimistic that more girls will be attracted to careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the future. However, statistics show that a career in STEM is still the exception for women: their share in technical apprenticeships was only 11% in 2022. In Austria's HTLs, 17% of students are female, in university STEM degree programs 20% and in STEM subjects at universities of applied sciences just under a quarter (23%). [1]

 

"In German-speaking countries, science and technology have an image with little appeal, and quite wrongly so. Girls and women in particular do not feel addressed. The measures taken so far have not yet succeeded in bringing about a real turnaround in girls' career choices. New approaches are needed here! Studies show almost unanimously that girls are, often unconsciously, given less confidence in technical and scientific fields from an early age. This leads to them having less confidence in themselves later on. Added to this are prejudices and a socially characterized "male image" of technology. We need a new, gender-sensitive way of teaching with authentic role models, practical insights into the real world of work and we need to emphasize much more how socially relevant STEM professions are. Young people, parents and teachers often simply lack the imagination to realize what exciting and meaningful careers they can pursue after completing a STEM education," says Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria. 

 

Infineon Austria is taking this as an opportunity to introduce four young tech-power women from STEM disciplines, highlight their careers and show how diverse, attractive and relevant STEM professions are today, just in time for the start of the Girls' Day initiatives.

 

Mathematics: Anna Posch, technical mathematician
The musical mathematician who does away with clichés

 

Computer science: Chiara Janach, multimedia designer 
The creative computer scientist who enjoys helping others

 

Natural science: Susanne Reischauer, chemist
 The well-travelled chemist who has turned her passion into a profession

 

Technology: Selma Karic, electronics technician 
 The pragmatic technician with a sense of style

 

(For the short portraits, see image texts.)

 

Commitment to STEM
 Infineon Austria is committed on a broad basis to awakening and strengthening young people's interest in technology as early as possible. In the company’s day care centre, the "International Day Care Centre" in Villach, a playful approach to science and technology is encouraged. Events such as "Girls' Day" or "Girls! TECH UP", internships and co-operation with schools, technical colleges and universities, Infineon also helps to overcome young people's - and especially girls' - fear of technical disciplines. This gives young women access to the high-tech world and enables them to build up a network. In March 2024, the "Women's Award for Digitalization and Innovation" was awarded for the second time together with ORF to recognize outstanding female talent in the fields of technology and science. 

 

[1] Source - *MINT the Gap! Educational and career choice processes of young women, 2022. A study commissioned by the Austrian Fund for the Empowerment and Advancement of Women and Girls, LEA - Let's empower Austria, conducted by L&R Social Research

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies Austria AG is a subsidiary of Infineon Technologies AG, a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. Semiconductors are essential for mastering the energy-related challenges of our time and helping to shape the digital transformation. Infineon's microelectronics drive decarbonization and digitalization and enable groundbreaking solutions for green and efficient energy, clean and safe mobility as well as a smart and secure IoT.


Infineon Austria pools competencies for research and development, production as well as global business responsibility. The head office is in Villach, with further branches in Graz, Klagenfurt, Linz, Innsbruck and Vienna. With 5,886 employees (including around 2,500 in research and development) from 79 nations, the company generated revenue of EUR 5.6 billion in the 2023 fiscal year (ending 30 September). With research expenditure of 672 million euros, Infineon Austria is one of the strongest research companies in Austria.

Press Photos

Anna Posch

Anna Posch

Mathematics: Anna Posch, technical mathematician. The musical mathematician who does away with clichés: Anna Posch does not look like what you would imagine a female mathematician to look like. And therein lies the problem: the common image of a male professor with a chequered jacket is completely outdated, if it ever was. "In my degree program in technical mathematics at the University of Klagenfurt, there was a fairly balanced ratio between female and male students, including in the doctoral program and among the professors." The second cliché that Anna can dispel: Math is only taught. "Most people who find out that I'm a mathematician ask what school I teach at," laughs the 29-year-old. Anna already realized how much fun math is at secondary school. "I had a great professor who was also able to teach us the importance and possible applications of math." Today, Anna works as a Senior Data Scientist at Infineon in Villach and experiences the beauty of math every day in her work. Her personal to-do list includes data analysis and modelling, projects on the use of artificial intelligence in chip production and projects that deal with the omnipresent topic of "large language models" (better known to many as "chat GPT"). What does that look like in concrete terms? She does a lot of programming, in between meetings, and thanks to digitalization, she can also do some of her work from home. The sporty Klagenfurt native is also active in a music band, where she plays the flute. What advice would she give to young girls and women in the career orientation phase? "The most important thing is: you can do anything. Just try it out, find something you enjoy. Don't set yourself any hurdles and explore the whole range of training programs and professions. The Matura is a good basis and you can study something technical, even if you haven't done anything like that before!"

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Chiara Janach

Chiara Janach

Computer science: Chiara Janach, multimedia designer. The creative computer scientist who enjoys helping others: Chiara Janach, 23, has achieved something in her career that many aspire to: combining several of her passions. In Chiara's case, this means creativity, technology and the good feeling of helping people. Shortly before her A-levels at a fashion school, when Chiara was still aiming for a career in the creative industries, the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences introduced itself at career orientation days. The young woman from Villach was immediately enthusiastic about the "Multimedia Technology" degree program, which was quite new at the time. 3D modelling, audio and video technology appealed to her creative spirit. She had an interest in technology, but no technical skills such as programming. No problem: thanks to the preparatory course on offer and the training program, she quickly acquired the technical skills she needed to become a computer scientist. "It's important to me to pass on my knowledge to young people: Please have the courage! You can also learn programming at university - and it's okay to take a different path than others. This results in refreshing new perspectives, which will be highly valued in the job later on." As a service desk employee at Infineon Technologies IT-Services GmbH, based in Klagenfurt's Lakeside Science & Technology Park, Chiara now helps her Infineon colleagues around the world when they face IT difficulties - in personal dialogue, but also by "helping them to help themselves" with good instructions that she and her colleagues develop for the more than 58,000 Infineon employees worldwide. Her creative and communication skills benefit her just as much as her technical expertise. The respectful interaction, the feeling of really making someone's life easier and the fun in the team make the job complete for her. The opportunity to spend part of her working time in the home office saves time and creates space for her hobby as a book blogger, where she writes book reviews on digital platforms. Incidentally, Chiara reads almost exclusively in analogue. "The feel of the paper, the smell and the sight of a full bookshelf are irreplaceable for me - especially because I work so much with digital media!"

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Susanne Reischauer

Susanne Reischauer

Naturwissenschaft: Susanne Reischauer, Chemikerin: Die weit gereiste Chemikerin, die ihre Leidenschaft zum Beruf gemacht hat. Die gebürtige Oberösterreicherin (29) hat bereits viel von der Welt gesehen: Studium in Graz, Doktorarbeit in Berlin (mit summa cum laude!), Forschung am Max-Planck-Institut in Potsdam, Studienaufenthalte in New York und Tschechien, Post-Doc in Chicago. Die Liebe zur Chemie entfachte ihr erster Chemiebaukasten, mit dem sie erst im elterlichen Wohnzimmer und später – aus Sicherheitsgründen – im Gartenhaus experimentieren durfte. Ein Tag der offenen Tür in einer Chemie-HTL tat sein Übriges: Die spannende Welt der Chemie und Materialwissenschaft ließ Susanne Reischauer nicht mehr los, führte sie einmal um die Welt und dann zurück nach Österreich. Seit März 2024 ist sie bei Infineon in Villach als Senior Project Leader in der Technologieentwicklung. Dabei begleitet sie die Entwicklung neuer, noch energieeffizienterer Chips von den Kinderschuhen bis zur Marktreife und ihrem Einsatz z.B. in Solaranlagen. Technisches Verständnis ist dabei wichtig, genauso wie Projektmanagementfähigkeiten und ein Gespür für Menschen, denn Kommunikation ist beim Koordinieren von Projekten essenziell. „Wenn Leute das Wort „Chemie“ hören, denken sie sofort an rauchende Schornsteine. Dabei ist Chemie so viel mehr, betrifft alle Lebensbereiche. Die Berufsmöglichkeiten reichen vom Krankenhaus bis zur Halbleiterindustrie, wo wir jeden Tag dazu beitragen, die Klimawende zu ermöglichen.“ Welchen Tipp sie jungen Menschen in der Phase der Berufsorientierung gibt? „Sich möglichst viel anzuschauen, Praktika machen, sich nicht abschrecken lassen und seine Leidenschaft finden. Jeder Job lässt einen wachsen und bringt Erfahrung. Ich habe von Kellnern bis zum Apothekenjob vieles gesehen und jeder Job hat mich dabei weitergebracht, meinen Weg zu finden.“

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Selma Karic

Selma Karic

Technik: Selma Karic, Elektrotechnikerin: Die pragmatische Technikerin mit Sinn für Stil. Selma Karic, 29, ist Technikerin, genau gesagt hat sie ihren Bachelor und Master in Elektrotechnik in Graz gemacht. Sie plädiert für mehr Pragmatismus in der Berufswahl. Gebürtig aus Bosnien-Herzegowina kam sie zum Studium nach Österreich und stieg bald über ein Industriepraktikum bei Infineon ein. „Wo ich herkomme, läuft die Berufswahl viel pragmatischer ab und ist weniger von Stereotypen geprägt. Wenn du dich für naturwissenschaftliche Themen begeistern kannst, dann steht dir das Tor zur Technik offen – egal ob Mädchen oder Bub.“ Selma: "Ich stand vor der Wahl zwischen Medizin oder Elektrotechnik – und ich habe mich ganz bewusst gegen den Arztberuf mit all seinen emotionalen Herausforderungen entschieden“. Das Elektrotechnikstudium ist herausfordernd, daraus macht sie keinen Hehl. „Aber wie immer, wenn du ein Ziel hast: dranbleiben, konsequent sein und nicht gleich hinschmeißen. Danach wirst du dafür mit einem abwechslungsreichen, spannenden Berufsfeld belohnt, in dem du dich deinen Talenten und Vorlieben entsprechend weiterentwickeln kannst.“ Im Moment arbeitet Selma als System Verification Engineer und Verification Manager im Infineon Entwicklungszentrum in Graz. „Wir schauen uns an, ob die Mikrochips, in unserem Fall jene, die in Bankomatkarten, Reisepässen, E-Cards und die dazugehörige Software funktionieren, bzw. ob sie das machen, was unsere Kollegen in einer früheren Phase der Entwicklung, sich vorgestellt und designed haben.“ Ein abwechslungsreicher Job, halb im Labor, halb im Büro oder im Home Office. Mit welchen Stereotypen sie aufräumen will: „Wir sind nicht die Nerds hinter dem Rechner, wie sich das viele vorstellen! Man kann unterschiedliche Aufgaben erledigen: Die einen wollen programmieren, die anderen lieber testen, die dritten lieber planen und managen. Man kann seinen Job auf den eigenen Stärken aufbauen. Und man kann aussehen, wie man will. Ich zum Beispiel gehe gerne gestylt ins Büro. Solange man authentisch ist, wird man auch ernstgenommen.“ Genau das versucht Selma auch aktiv den vielen jungen Mädchen weiterzugeben, die sie nebenbei im Rahmen der Berufsorientierung bei Infineon in Graz betreut, z.B. im Rahmen des Girls‘ Day oder der „Girls! TECH UP“-Erlebnistage.

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