Meet Dalal Hanna

Dalal Hanna graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of Ottawa in 2006. She also graduated with a Master of Science in Biology from McGill University in 2014. She is currently a PhD Candidate in Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University and is also the Co-Founder and Director of Riparia.

When did your love of STEM begin?

My love of STEM started by spending time outside! As a kid, I loved playing in the beautiful lakes and rivers of Canada and this made me want to better understand these ecosystems. Science seemed like a good way to do that. Then, I studied environmental sciences at University, where I had my first taste of research, and immediately fell in love. The idea of having time to come up with cool questions about the environment and how humans related to it, and use varied scientific methods to answer those questions caught my attention. To this day, I love this process.

What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?

I love the variety of work I get to do! I spend part of the year outside on lakes and rivers doing field work to collect data, and part of the year at a computer crunching numbers and coding, teaching, learning new skills, working in the lab, working with colleagues on fun projects, giving presentations about what I do. This varied list means I never get bored and am always learning while trying to answer scientific questions I think are important, which is fun!

What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?

Give it a shot! If you like it, seek out mentors and colleagues who can support you, and support your colleagues! When we work together, we work better.