Gwladys Ravon: from mathematics to digital health

Can you tell us about your career path?

After obtaining a scientific baccalaureate specialising in mathematics, I studied for a bachelor's degree in mathematics in Nantes, followed by a year of preparation for the CAPES (certificate of aptitude for secondary school teaching). I then came to Bordeaux to do a master's degree in mathematics applied to medical biology. After my master's degree, I began my three-year thesis with the Carmen project team at the Inria centre at the University of Bordeaux, followed by a postdoc at the IHU Liryc in Pessac, in cardiac electrophysiology. I then completed my career path with another postdoc as an engineer in the Memphis team.

After these experiences, I worked for six months as a data scientist in plant electrophysiology at a private company called Vegetal Signals. This start-up's mission is to develop monitoring solutions for vineyards using machine learning to track water stress, diseases and ripening. 
Finally, I took the competitive exam to become a research engineer at the Experimentation and Development Department (SED) and when a position became available, I was able to join Inria in February 2023, still in Bordeaux.

Was joining the world of research always a foregone conclusion during your career? 

For many years, I considered becoming a mathematics teacher at secondary school level. In my final year of my bachelor's degree, I realised that I was more interested in the practice of mathematics itself than in teaching per se. It took me a while to come to this conclusion, and I ended up preparing for the CAPES teaching qualification, while remaining open to other career paths.

As I wanted to apply mathematics in a practical way and had always been interested in biology and health, I decided to pursue a master's degree that would allow me to study both fields together.
I entered the world of research thanks to a series of opportunities, and I quickly discovered a stimulating environment and found great intellectual freedom. However, I did not want to do academic research; I did not want to be a lecturer or a research fellow. 

Is research a passion for you? What motivates you in this scientific endeavour?

I don't know if passion is the right word, but I love what I do, I definitely enjoy it. I particularly like the intellectual aspect of my work, as well as the fact that I'm always learning something new and regularly have new problems to solve. It's very stimulating.

Can you tell me more about your position and your work?

I am a research engineer in the experimentation and development department at the Inria centre at the University of Bordeaux, and I am immersed in the Carmen project team, which works on cardiac electrophysiology. 

I use applied mathematics to help Carmen develop their software stack (all of their Python code), either by advising them on best practices or by participating fully, for example by transforming existing code to make it more efficient, more robust and easier to use and exploit, both by team members and for teaching and mediation purposes. 

Was it a logical step for you to join a research centre such as Inria? Was it something you wanted to do, or was it an opportunity that came your way? 

It was entirely my choice to join Inria. After my PhD, I knew that I didn't want to be a professor or a research fellow, but I was very interested and motivated by the engineering side of research in the public sector. It was exactly what I wanted, and the institute offers real expertise in this field. The opening of the position was a great opportunity, which I seized.

What are you most proud of in your work? 

I am proud of the continuity within the Carmen project team. I started my thesis in 2012 and defended it in 2015, and I see that there is still a very strong bond between the different generations: I really like that. When newcomers join the team, they know the older members and feel comfortable, which is very important to me. 

Did you have any inspiration for embarking on this scientific career? A motivating figure, a trigger?

I have always loved mathematics, biology and physics, so it was logical for me to start a scientific career in secondary school. I didn't have any motivating or inspiring figures.

What are your aspirations or ambitions for the future? 

I would like to continue my career at Inria and develop links with other project teams working on simulation in the field of health. I am thinking in particular of the Monc team, which specialises in oncology, and the future NeuroDTX team, whose work, in conjunction with the Vascular Brain Health Institute (VBHI), is more focused on neurology. In general, I would be open to joining any project that is interesting from a thematic or engineering perspective.

You work in the world of research, a very male-dominated environment. Have you found it difficult to make a place for yourself? 

I have never felt that I was being sidelined because I am a woman.  I have noticed some slightly paternalistic comments towards other women, but I have been fortunate enough not to be affected by this myself.

What is your view on the representation of women in this field ? Do you have any ambitions in this regard?

The situation is improving in terms of the number of women among research directors and senior lecturers. There are more and more women in these positions, which is great, but there is still work to be done. 

On the other hand, I think there are still far too few women among engineers. For example, in my department, there are 25 of us, only 5 of whom are women. Unfortunately, this imbalance is far from unique to the Inria centre at the University of Bordeaux. During inter-team meetings of the Digital Health Experimentation and Development Services (SED), the proportion of women remains low: there are only 3 or 4 of us...

Last year, I took part in a speed meeting organised as part of MIMM (Moi informaticienne, moi mathématicienne – I am a computer scientist, I am a mathematician) week, which aims to introduce secondary school girls to the diversity of career paths leading to scientific professions. The aim of this type of initiative is to show that these careers are entirely accessible and that women have a rightful place in them. The goal is to make them aware that there are different paths to working in the scientific world, and that there are a wide variety of professions and careers. I hope that these actions have a real impact on their career choices.

Nevertheless, it seems to me that these efforts must also be taken to the political level. Since the 2020 secondary school reform, the number of young women choosing to study mathematics has fallen dramatically, even though the aim was to achieve the opposite! We can encourage pupils and students as much as we like, but if policies are not backed up by concrete action, there is a real risk that our efforts will have no real effect.

In your opinion, what could be done to reduce the gender gap in research? 

I think it is very important to start early, in secondary school and then in sixth form, to encourage vocations so that young girls do not shy away from scientific subjects. Without forcing them, we must encourage them to pursue scientific careers.

At the institutional level, we cannot promote female candidates if they do not exist. That is why it is essential to make these professions more attractive to women. To this end, gender parity in the composition of recruitment panels also plays an important role. Making women who are already present in this field visible can help female candidates to project themselves into the future.

Outside of research, do you have any hobbies or passions? 

I read a lot. My favourite author is Alexandre Dumas, and in a completely different vein, I enjoy reading crime novels, particularly the works of Maxime Chattam and Jussi Adler-Olsen. I also enjoy science fiction (which I watch a lot at the cinema). I also read comic books. Recently, I really enjoyed Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guardino, as well as Golden City, a series written by Daniel Pecqueur.

 Finally, I love following sports, especially football and more specifically FC Nantes. 

Have you managed to strike a balance between your personal and professional life? 

I always leave my work computer at the Institute; I never take it home with me. That way, when I'm not at work, I don't have access to my emails or instant messaging. So it's very easy to switch off completely. But of course, I can't stop my brain from thinking about work a little bit in my free time; that's normal.

Do you have a mantra? 

There is a quote by Albert Einstein that I really like about theory and practice. ‘Theory is when you know everything and nothing works. Practice is when everything works and nobody knows why.’ Here, we have combined theory and practice: nothing works... and nobody knows why." This quote illustrates an almost inevitable part of my development work. 

Finally, is there any advice you would like to share with the next generation, particularly schoolgirls or students who are wondering about their educational choices?

I would like to tell them not to worry about their choice of options and direction. At 15 or 17, these decisions cannot define an entire career path. There are many bridges and trajectories can always evolve over time.  It is also important to keep in mind that many jobs of the future do not yet exist today, so it is important to remain open and curious!

Finally, I would say that you shouldn't be afraid to change your mind, take a different path, and never consider it a failure.