21st Century Women in Technology: Raquel Román

As part of our 21st Century Women in Technology series, we interview some of the young women working here at Gradiant to find out who or what inspired their vocation, as well as the projects they are working on at the present moment. We hope that future female tech workers might see themselves reflected in, and be motivated by, their stories; while also giving visibility to the women who research the technologies that make Gradiant one of the leading centres in Spain.

In the case of Raquel Román, a telecommunications engineer and researcher with a master’s degree in Computer Vision, it was her early interest in technology that led her down the path to a career in technology. However, among the professions that caught her attention as a child and as a teenager was that of a criminologist, and the work she does at Gradiant has something of a detective aspect to it, as she investigates for fraud and counterfeiting, specifically in images in the joint unit GICTEL. Raquel is very conscious of the social and economic implications that deepfakes can have, and finds her work on this project very rewarding.

 

What did you want to do when you were little? 

I was never sure what I wanted to do when I grew up; I went through several phases where I wanted to be a teacher, a criminologist or a doctor. In the end, over the years you discover what you like and what you don’t like, until you find what you want to do.

 

Why did you choose technology? 

I’ve always had an interest in everything related to technology, it’s something that caught my attention even as a kid. At school I always chose subjects within the science branch that were related to technology, although for my taste there were too few of them. It wasn’t until I finished my Baccalaureate that I decided to study Telecommunications Engineering. 

 

Where did you plan to study? Why? 

After ruling out other technological careers that did not interest me as much, I decided to study Telecommunications Engineering in Vigo, mainly because of it was close to home.

 

What are you currently working on? 

I am currently working within the GICTEL group on a project for the detection of deepfakes in videoconferences, focusing on the video detection part using deep learning. Deepfakes are becoming increasingly popular and it is getting to the point where it is difficult to distinguish whether the video you are watching is real or not. Generation techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so I think it’s also important that detection techniques become more sophisticated in order to avoid fraud or misinformation.

 

What do you like most about your work?

As I am researching and dealing with current technologies, I like that I learn something new on every project. I would also highlight the freedom to propose ideas and the good working atmosphere at Gradiant.

 

Who is your female role model or reference in the world of technology? 

To be honest, I have never had a role model in the world of technology. It’s also true that men have always taken the limelight in the field of technology, with the names of many women who have contributed great discoveries to society ultimately ignored.

 

What is your reading of the situation regarding women in the technological field? 

Although some progress has been made in recent years, I believe that there is still a long way to go before the role of women in technology is recognised as it should be. From my experience I had never been aware of the gender gap, I never considered technology careers to be “for men”. So when I arrived at the university, I was quite surprised to see the big difference between the number of men and women in the class, there were only 10 girls out of 60 students.

 

What would you say to the tech workers of the future? 

I would tell them that if they have an interest in technology, don’t hesitate and study what they want to study without being influenced by pressure or prejudice. After all, work takes up a large part of our lives and it is worthwhile to be able to work at something you enjoy. Besides, it is very gratifying to see that what you do can make a contribution to society.