Three questions for Sonia Belaid, cryptography engineer of the year
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Sonia Belaid is a cryptography engineer in a Thales research laboratory, and this week she was named research engineer of the year in the Engineers of the Future awards organised by the French trade journal L鈥橴sine Nouvelle. We asked her how she got where she is today.
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- How did you become a cryptography engineer at Thales?
Ever since I began studying to be an engineer, I've been fascinated by cryptography and I chose to specialise in this field during my master's degree. At my first job with Oberthur Technologies, I met people who were closely involved in research, and they persuaded me to carry on with my studies and continue my research at the same time as working in industry. That's when I decided to do a PhD at the Thales cryptography lab, where I had already done several internships. Being a cryptology engineer and preparing my thesis at Thales is a great experience. It's a chance to meet new people who share my passion for cryptography, and I have a great 3-day/2-day schedule that lets me alternate between short-term operational projects and my long-term research work.
- What's so fascinating about being a cryptography engineer?
As a student, I always had a passion for maths and computing, and becoming a cryptography engineer was a way to combine both fields professionally. I love having to solve puzzles. I find it fascinating to look for mistakes in algorithms and then devise ways to fix them. It's a real challenge and that's what motivates me to develop even better cryptographic solutions for Thales products.
- What's it like being a woman in a field like this?
It might seem difficult or intimidating at first, but ultimately we all share the same passion and fascination for what we do. I've had plenty of time to get used to being part of a minority of women in this field. When I was an undergraduate, there were only two women out of a total of 30 students in my class. But things are changing in academic circles as well as industry, and we can make a difference. There are already three women researchers at the Thales cryptography lab, for example, and another is due to start her doctorate here at the beginning of 2017.