IQS has kicked off the new STEM4her series “Conversations that Inspire” with a very special session featuring Dr Rosa Nomen, chemical engineer, researcher, and a key figure in IQS’s institutional history. Designed in a friendly and dynamic format, the event combined a 35-minute conversation with a subsequent opportunity for discussion over refreshments, allowing students to connect with a real role model and to hear the story of her calling, perseverance, and leadership first-hand.
STEM4her launches “Conversations that inspire” with Dr Rosa Nomen, a key figure in IQS’s history
Led by Dr Magda Faijes in a warm and direct tone, the conversation highlighted Dr Nomen’s role as the first female professor hired at IQS, as well as her contribution to knowledge transfer to industry and her participation in management teams at both IQS and Ramon Llull University.
“Where are the women?”: arriving at IQS in the minority
When asked what led her to study chemistry, Dr Nomen traced the origins back to a school experience: the inspiration a chemistry teacher gave her in high school and support from her family in a context where no one at home had been able to attend university due to the impact of the Spanish Civil War. That discovery, “realizing that atoms and molecules existed,” set her on her path and ultimately brought her to IQS.
One of the most significant moments in the session came when she recalled what it was like to enter a classroom in which women were a clear minority: around 9% in a cohort of approximately 280 students. She explained that the contrast with her previous stage of education, in a largely female environment, was striking.
A career with an impact: teaching, leadership, and international cooperation
Throughout the conversation, Dr Nomen revisited key moments in her career, from the initial challenge of being able to study at IQS and later remaining at the school as a professor, to periods of intense professional and personal demand.
A particularly noteworthy moment was her explanation of how she joined the Rector’s Office as Vice-Rector for International Relations, a decision made in less than 24 hours. This stage allowed her to broaden her perspective beyond the scientific world and to engage with people and realities that left a lasting impression, such as collaboration with the “José Simeón Cañas” Central American University (UCA) in El Salvador. Within this framework, she promoted doctoral models that enabled professional women to complete a PhD without having to leave their country for four years. The result: more women with doctorates and the continuation of a line of academic cooperation sustained over time.
The challenge that helped her grow: “if you want to, you can”
When asked about the most difficult challenge she had faced, Dr Nomen recalled a very specific episode: having to teach Applied Thermodynamics immediately after defending her PhD in Organic Chemistry and realizing she could not solve the very first problem in the first chapter. Rather than dramatizing the situation, she turned it into a clear lesson: the first obstacle can block you — or it can become the starting point. “If you want to, you can,” she concluded, linking this idea to the ability to organize oneself, manage time, and grow through learning.
Closing advice: decide and move forward
Towards the end of the conversation, her message to the students was direct and warmly received: there are no superwomen; everyone has fears and doubts. What matters is making decisions and, once they are made, moving forward without getting stuck in “what if I had…” but instead embracing “I’ll work it out,” she said, turning the phrase into something of a shared motto with the audience.
The session concluded with an open Q&A in a more informal setting during the refreshment break, reinforcing the spirit of the series: creating spaces where students not only listen to role models, but also interact with them, recognize themselves in their stories, and envision their own futures.
One student’s contribution stood out in particular, as she thanked Dr Nomen and said she felt fully identified with her early experience. Dr Nomen replied: “It’s a gift I never imagined I would receive. Thank you.”
With this first event, STEM4her is reinforcing its purpose: promoting female talent in STEM fields, giving visibility to inspiring career paths, and building a strong sense of community within IQS.