Women in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, we're proud to showcase just a few of Oritain's women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Meet our women in STEM below or jump to an area:
Research and Development
Jessie Trotter - Trace Element Chemist
Jessie has been with Oritain for 2 years, having previously studied trace elements, isotopes, chemistry and psychology.
Her role involves routine preparation and analysis of Strontium isotopes in cotton samples using acid digestion, column chemistry, ICPMS and MC-ICP-MS. She is also involved in research and development into methods of trace element analysis and other isotope ratio analysis in new products.
Jessie's favorite part of her role is operating large scientific instruments. She's driven by the challenge of her work and setting a good example for her daughter. Jessie is a firm believer that women are capable of anything and tries to embody that message in everything she does.
Dr. Samanali Garagoda Arachchige - R&D Spectroscopist
Samanali has a PhD in Chemistry (Physical-Analytical Chemistry & Chemometrics) and a BSc. (Hons) in Food Science & Tech.
She has a passion for learning about science and exchanging knowledge with others, which she's done for the last 2 years at Oritain.
Facing new challenges everyday is the most rewarding part of her job, and her advice to other women and girls looking to get into STEM is to "Dream big, be brave, and shine." She believes the world of science is beautiful and full of opportunities to grow.
Platform and Software Engineering
Dr. Anjali Gupta - Senior Statistician
Anjali has been with Oritain for just over 7 months, working on the application of data and statistical (and Machine Learning) models to help Oritain address the origin of commodities more efficiently. She completed her PhD in Statistics and has an MSc in Applied Statistics and BSc (Hons.) Statistics.
The use of data to associate or disassociate suspects from crime scenes fascinated Anjali, so working at Oritain where forensic science and data are used together is the ideal workplace for her. She thrives on helping colleagues from different areas of the business make critical decisions through data.
Anjali is passionate about more women working in STEM, especially in mathematics, computer science and engineering. She encourages women to believe in their capabilities, persevere through hard work, and never give up.
Justine Waterson - Junior Software Developer
Justine has been with Oritain for a year and holds a BSc and PGDip in Plant Science and Biology, and a Masters in Information Technology. It's the ideal background for working to develop software that helps advance our understanding of biology and the environment.
While her daily work focuses on developing the code to improve Oritain's internal workflow software, what she loves most is helping other people by finding out what they need and then making that happen.
She acknowledges that it can be difficult for women and girls to know where to start with pursuing a career in STEM, but encourages them to start growing their skills in the disciplines that interest them. There's a place for everyone.
Science Product Development
Dr. Kate Jones - Senior Science Advisor
Kate is one of the longest-serving members of Oritain, having spent almost 9 years with the company. She has a PhD in Chemistry (Chemical Oceanography) and an Hons BSc in Environmental Sciences.
As well as being the Lead Scientist behind our cotton, wool, mohair, and cashmere products, Kate provides scientific expertise throughout Oritain and to prospective clients, partners, and other external stakeholders.
Kate’s passionate about applying forensic science to support sustainability and ethical sourcing in consumer products – two areas close to her heart. She believes the best qualities anyone can bring into a STEM career are curiosity, passion, and a willingness to learn and solve problems.
Mitra Mohammadi Darestani - Research Scientist
Mitra’s background is in the field of Zoology. She’s been with Oritain for a year, where she works on creating, developing and maintaining the company’s science products.
Driven by an interest in continually learning, Mitra loves that her role allows her to learn new things every day and challenge herself in different areas.
She’s justly proud of the support provided by her mother while she was growing up, who encouraged her to pursue her goals and make a difference in the world, and is keen to pass that onto women looking to enter STEM today.
Rachael Sinclair - Research Program Coordinator
Rachael has been with Oritain for nearly 3 years and has a background in Plant Biotechnology. She project manages all the ongoing research projects at Oritain, as well as handling technical work to ensure our quality controls are robust.
A career in STEM beckoned to Rachael because she enjoys organization and "putting the puzzle together". Working in an environment where every day is different is what drives her, and she’s excited for the growth opportunities provided at Oritain.
Delivery Operations
Kirstin Donaldson - Agile Coach
Kirstin’s extensive tech career spans 24 years, the last 13 of which has been coaching software teams. For the last 6 months she’s been coaching the Oritain science and software teams, helping them to become more effective through teaching, facilitation, and coaching.
Kirstin works with a variety of teams to improve their processes, support their development, and positively impact their productivity and success. A passionate advocate of diversity, it’s the different people she works with and the collaboration to achieve shared success that she finds most rewarding.
Nicoline Nielsen - Data Interpretation Technician
Nicoline has been with Oritain for 6 months and holds a MSc in biology. In her role she’s responsible for the statistical analysis, interpretation, and reporting of chemical data.
Driven by a love of data, Nicoline is a firm believer in the power of data as a force for good in our world. She thrives on problem-solving and finds the reward of solving questions, riddles, and issues in the data one of the most satisfying parts of her job.
She believes women bring a unique perspective, knowledge, and power to any field in STEM and encourages any woman considering joining the field to take the leap into a powerful and rewarding career.
Inspired to join our team of STEM superstars? See more about working at Oritain and explore all our current vacancies on our Careers page.
