Women in Crystallography - Dr Julia Contreras-García interview

This interview with Dr Julia Contreras-García, President of the "Women in High Pressure" organisation, is part of the "Women in Crystallography - A Video Series", a project of the GIG03 (General Interest Group on Education in Crystallography of the ECA) and funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry within the framework of the "Inclusion and Diversity Fund". Dr Contreras-García discusses her research on electron density and its applications in understanding chemical bonds and predicting properties like superconductivity.

She shares the origins of the "Women in High Pressure" group, which was founded in response to the lack of female representation in the European High-Pressure Committee. The group began by creating an online database to ensure visibility for women in the field. Over time, the initiative grew through events at conferences and the creation of "Women in Crystallography" t-shirts that you can see at conferences today. This initiative has already started funding its first recipients.

Dr Contreras-García encourages students and postdocs to sign up for the "Women in High Pressure" database, emphasising the importance of building awareness of gender biases and becoming part of a supportive community for women in science.