Taking place on 11 February each year, International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrates the vital role women play in driving progress in science, technology and innovation.
This year, we chose to focus on highlighting the importance of women in leadership as well as the role women play in driving sustainable and innovative solutions to tackle global challenges like climate change.
Both gender equity in STEM and sustainability are crucial to DIANA’s mission of accelerating dual-use innovation to create a more peaceful and resilient future. As part of this mission, DIANA is working to create a diverse marketplace that can respond quickly to security challenges — but such a feat requires an equally diverse and representative community of innovators who can contribute fresh perspectives to solve these challenges.
To shine a light on how women-led innovation is shaping a safer, more sustainable and resilient future, we spoke to four remarkable women within DIANA’s ecosystem.
The gender gap in STEM
From pioneering breakthroughs in AI and renewable energy, to biotech and quantum computing, women are driving scientific progress in dual-use innovation.
“But there is no denying that women are still underrepresented in STEM,” says Luca Mezossy-Dona, co-founder of IONATE, one of the first deep tech companies to join DIANA’s accelerator programme back in 2023.
“When you don’t have representation, when you don’t have an environment where you can succeed without systemic barriers put in your way, then you will be less likely from a young age to choose that path — because why would you?”
Jyoti Hirani-Driver (COO) and Heather Desserud (Director of Communications) at DIANA echoed the sentiment — highlighting the critical need for visibility and representation to inspire future generations:
“Women in scientific leadership face a visibility gap — not just in recognition, but in opportunity. As we mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we must go beyond celebration and commit to systemic change,” says Jyoti.
“It’s vital to encourage all young people — regardless of gender or identity — to see the world as full of possibilities, and to bring new voices into every discipline,” adds Heather.
Women at the forefront of sustainability
Reflecting on the theme of sustainability, Jyoti explained why it resonates deeply with her, especially in regards to DIANA’s mission: “Sustainability is not just about climate and the environment; at DIANA, it is about ensuring that the technological advancements of the innovators we support today create long-term security, resilience, and stability in an increasingly complex and dangerous world.”
For Luca — who is using IONATE’s AI-enabled software to turn existing passive, old power grids into the smart, self-healing, decentralised energy platform needed today — the theme of sustainability is also important in both her personal life and professional journey: “To me, sustainability means coming up with clever systems that we know are going to be resilient for decades, and even centuries, to come. Systems that can keep on going for generations to come, rather than exploiting all our resources now without thinking about the future.”
“But sustainability also means approaching our own lives sustainably,” adds Heather. “You cannot run at 100% all of the time, without risking your ability to keep running in the future. Sometimes we as women try to do all things (and all things well), but rest, recovery, and leisure time are vital to one’s longer-term ability to bounce back, respond to setbacks, and maintain resilience.”
According to Melanie Nadeau, CEO of COVE, one of the 13 accelerator sites working with DIANA’s 2025 Cohort of companies, sustainability is a multifaceted concept that is essential for ensuring a better future. Melanie acknowledges the challenges of maintaining a career while also caring for a family and other personal responsibilities. She says:
“As women, we naturally think about building a future for our children. That’s a key part of sustainability. It won’t happen overnight, and we’ll continue to make mistakes as a society, but we must strive to leave the world in a better place. Sustainability can take many forms, but it’s ultimately about ensuring a better future. This is top of mind for me and, I believe, for many women. We have to accept the rocky road of balancing career, family, and personal time. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be moving in the right direction.”
Navigating leadership journeys
Thinking about her leadership journey, which as she explains, has been a winding road and not a straight path, Melanie adds: “What allowed me to reach a leadership position was stepping up along the way, which exposed me to a lot of different challenges.”
“Through that winding road, I eventually became a CEO. I started my career in the Navy on-board ships and then pursued a STEM degree in university which lead to technical roles in varying industries, and eventually I got into managerial positions. As a young female in leadership roles, navigating male-dominated industries can be challenging, it’s important to find support along the way.”
Recounting her own experience, Luca says: “I find I’m most motivated when I’m focused on big, exciting problems and, instead of waiting around for a permission, I start working on what I know I can solve. This is how we ended up founding IONATE, which is how my leadership journey started officially.”
But Luca also highlights that a new role or promotion is not what truly makes someone a leader: “Students who organise to make their schools a better place to learn are leaders; your colleague who speaks up when something unfair has happened is a leader; the scientist who makes a breakthrough when nobody else believed in her is a leader. When you give into the urge to make the difference only you can, that makes you a leader.”
The power of mentorship
Mentorship is an incredibly valuable and inspiring tool for women as they navigate some of the challenges they face every day. This is something that really helped Jyoti as she navigated her career path, and she is now giving back by acting as a mentor herself:
“Early in my career, good female role models were invisible and this impacted my ability to map my own career path in both national security and innovation. However, male leaders really helped — the encouragement, feedback and mentorship I received really gave me the confidence to give my opinion, be resilient and see myself as a leader. This was a great lesson for me: good male leadership is as important as good female leadership in paving the way for girls and women. I now mentor women in science, technology, and defence, helping them push past barriers and claim their place at the table.”
Heather was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network in 2023. Thinking about this experience and how it opened up an incredible network of inspiring and ambitious women across Canada, she says: “Feeling the support and excitement from these women as I was embarking on a pivotal career change is something I carried with me. You need cheerleaders in your life who understand the struggles you’re encountering, and who are willing to shout you across to the other side (in my case, to a new continent!). This is what a good mentor can do for you.”
Melanie adds: “As you go further on in leadership, it gets harder and harder and more complicated and complex. Sometimes you feel very alone, so you need to surround yourself with people that may know things differently and who can offer you some tips and tricks along the way to help you navigate those challenges.”
Breaking barriers and overcoming challenges
When asked to expand on some of the difficulties women face in leadership roles, Heather reflects on how women may sometimes feel out of place, but emphasises the importance of fresh perspectives: “Anyone who doesn’t fit the usual image of a leader — no matter the discipline or field — will experience some element of discomfort as they progress. But it’s important to remember that no matter what kind of ‘outsider’ you might be — a woman in a male-dominated field, a newcomer in a close-knit community, a nonbinary or trans leader in an old-fashioned team — you bring valuable experience, perspectives and knowledge to the table.”
“You can’t really change what you don’t measure, so paying attention to how biases and stereotypes in everyday situations and behaviours, calling them out, challenging them is how we can move forward and begin to change things,” adds Luca.
“And then there’s the challenge of balancing technical excellence with leadership responsibilities. Women in scientific leadership often feel pressure to prove their technical expertise at every turn, while also being expected to take on mentorship, diversity initiatives, and administrative roles. This additional burden can make it harder to focus on leading ground-breaking research and innovation,” says Jyoti.
Innovation leads to impact
When talking about the power of innovation, Luca highlights how it often equates to disruption and coming up with new ideas that break the status quo: “It all boils down to disrupting stereotypes that we have been perpetuating over and over again when it comes to driving progress in sustainability and empowering women in STEM. We know what the outcome needs to be, how we get there is a matter of innovation.”
Heather also noted that the importance of innovation, which is at the heart of DIANA’s mission, cannot be overstated: “It might come in the form of technological innovation to find less damaging ways to make use of the earth, or systems innovation to promote better equality across gender, socioeconomic background, or region. Solutions can come from the most unexpected places, and it is vital we engage a wide diversity of minds if we are going to have the best chance at finding novel ways to overcome challenges.”
“The future of security, sustainability, and science depends on who gets a seat at the table — and it’s time to make sure women are leading the way,” says Jyoti.