IWS Montreal Leaders (City leaders)
Betty Kassa - City Leader
I was Born in Ethiopia and raised in the Netherlands. After finishing my BSc at the VU University in Amsterdam, I was yearning to do a MSc abroad. I received a scholarship to study at the biotechnology campus INRS-Institut, Armand Frappier where I completed my MSc in experimental health sciences in 2019. The campus was intimate and small, but remarkably diverse. There, I learned to communicate and collaborate with people from different backgrounds. After graduating, I held different jobs in customer service and inventory control. These jobs enhanced my skills in communication and administration. Currently, I am working as a research assistant at McGill university’s civil engineering department. I am passionate about uniting international and immigrant women in STEM. I aspire to contribute in ways that will connect the individual members and the leaders of IWS even more, where they can empower each other the best way possible.
Sumedha Sachar - City Leader
I started my career in science by chasing Microbes (Bsc in Microbiology), exploiting them (MSc in Biotechnology) and going after them (Ph.D. in Nanobiotechnology), before coming to Canada in 2014, to expand the horizon of my research, at first as a Postdoc at University of Montreal and later at CHU-St Justine. As much as I like working on the bench, I believe Science without communication is trivial. Currently, with science at heart and a pen in hand, as a science writer, I am trying to connect the dots and learn every day. I am also involved in a number of local policy initiatives and working at an interface of Science and Policy.
Born and raised in the heart of India (New Delhi), I am proud of the vibrant and diverse culture I belong to and while Canada welcomed me with open arms, I had my share of struggles in the foreign land, like many immigrant women, before finding my niche. My utmost desire to connect with my peers, not only to exchange ideas but to hear different perspectives and experiences, brought me to IWS and I stand with its mission to support Women in Science across Canada.