Natercia Rodrigues Lopes

She was born in a small town in the middle of Portugal in 1992 to a working class family. She attended state school and her parents received both income and child support as her brother were growing up. When she spoke to her parents about wanting to study abroad, her’s Parents immediate reaction was to dismiss the possibility due to fears of not being able to support. She was not deterred, however, and worked summer jobs to build up her savings in preparation for the jump. In 2010, aged 18 and fresh out of school, she left for the UK to start her chemistry degree at the University of Leicester. And worked part-time throughout the whole degree (apart from 3rd year, she was being paid to do a placement) to pay for her own bills and expenses. Naterica graduated in June 2014and she is currently a scholarship postgraduate student at the University of Warwick studying physical chemistry until March 2018, and then intend to carry on towards a career in teaching in higher education and academia. Her humble contribution to the WEF 2017 meeting will consist of a short talk on her experiences, thoughts and perspectives regarding women in science, higher education and academia.