International Women's Day 2025: Testimonials from female engineers at Saft
To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2025, we invite you to discover the inspiring testimonies of Célia Perou and Laura Coustan, two passionate engineers at Saft.
Through their unique professional journeys and experiences, they share their challenges, successes and advice to encourage women to pursue technical careers. Immerse yourself in their stories and be inspired by their determination and passion for innovation and science.
"Although scientific research in companies is somewhat different from academic research, my job allows me to cultivate my curiosity, my desire to understand things, and to expand my open-mindedness. It is a job that also opens the door to a certain amount of imagination, to question our beliefs, to explore our daily lives, etc. I like contact and sharing with others, passing on knowledge and human values, and also seeking the well-being of the people I work with.
I feel very fortunate to be able to contribute to the development of tomorrow's technologies, as part of a team and with pleasure".
.jpg)
Education and career:
"I studied in Montpellier. I have always loved science, for its logic, but also for the abstraction it can present. I was naturally drawn to the physics and chemistry of materials, and then the desire to go further led me to do a PhD on supercapacitors.
I then studied electrochemistry during my first postdoc in Canada, focusing on concentrated electrolytes for batteries, and then polymer-ceramic hybrid electrolytes for batteries and fuel cells during my second postdoc at the Collège de France in Paris. These four years of postdoctoral work allowed me to meet some very nice, kind people, with whom I obviously appreciated the scientific exchange, but also the human values."
My missions:
"I joined Saft in 2019 and I now work in the research department as a research engineer. In my team, the studies focus on battery safety, research and development of more stable technologies, and technical support for other R&D teams. My position at Saft is very stimulating. The studies are not set in stone and evolve as our knowledge grows. But beyond the science, it also allows me to get involved in other topics such as HSE and cross-functional activities to contribute to the life of the Bordeaux site, for example by running the Safety Dojo."
"What I find fascinating about this job is having an overview of the product, because it involves a lot of knowledge. I wanted to share my experience today because there are still too few women in industrial jobs, especially in engineering. It all starts with your choice of studies. If you feel like it and are attracted to technical fields, go for it! There are lots of exciting jobs, great challenges and wonderful careers!"
Education and career:
"In 2016, I graduated with a degree in industrial systems engineering. I have been working in the field of batteries for 8 years now, specifically in the development of lithium-ion battery systems."
My role:
"I first joined Saft as an IVV (Integration, Verification and Validation) engineer. I had the opportunity to organize verification and validation campaigns on batteries ranging from a few kilograms for a few hundred watt hours to one ton batteries for several tens of kilowatt hours. Each project is unique.
On a daily basis, I interface internally with all the technical development professions: software, hardware, mechanical, thermal, testing, operational safety and industrialization. My role is to supervise and organize the technical development of the product in all phases of the project until its qualification".