Double portraits of women engineers at Onet Technologies
Discover the portraits of Audrey Alimi and Justine Estanislao, respectively Director of Engineering and Reactor Services and Project Engineer.
They tell us about their career paths and offer advice to young women students who, like them, would like to work in engineering and nuclear power.
- - Onet Technologies
3 questions for Audrey Alimi,
Director of DISR (Reactor Engineering and Services Division)
Who are you and what do you do at Onet Technologies?
After obtaining an engineering degree from Centrale Marseille, I joined Comex Nucléaire, a subsidiary ofOnet Technologies, as a project engineer 17 years ago. I was responsible for choosing the first calculation software, Systus, which is still in use today, and for recruiting the first staff for the Calculation Unit, which I took over in 2006.
Between 2008 and 2017, I successively held the positions of product line manager, activity manager and then assistant to the Complex Systems Department (project management) at Onet Technologies.
Since September1, I have been Director ofReactor Engineering and Services, a department that brings together project management, engineering and operations to better serve our customers in their reactor improvement, maintenance and construction projects.
Apart from that, I'm married and the mother of a little boy who has just turned 6.
Why did you choose the engineering and nuclear professions?
Designing new systems, adapting to new regulations, justifying the seemingly unjustifiable by developing new methodologies, taking on new technical and human challenges every day - all this is what led me to choose engineering.
My2nd year internship with EDF DIPDE's Maintenance Department on Steam Generator Replacement gave me a better understanding of the nuclear industry. All the prospects linked to modifications to existing plants, maintenance and dismantling, as well as new construction, confirmed my decision to work in this sector.
Dare to give your best, there's no reason why women can't succeed in the nuclear industry.
What advice would you give to female students about working in the industry ?
Dare to give your best, there's no reason why women can't succeed in the nuclear industry.
On the other hand, don't rush things, and don't forget that the men and women you will meet throughout your career are a source of wealth on which to build your career.
For me, the engineering profession is like a toolbox, with a 12-gauge wrench and a screwdriver, with which we can adapt to any situation.
3 questions to
Justine Estanislao,
Design Engineer
Who are you and what do you do at Onet Technologies?
I'm in charge of monitoring manufacturing on the EASU batch 1 project. We are producing emergency heat exchangers for the 900 MWE stages of EDF power plants.
To sum up, I'm in charge of overseeing the manufacture of these exchangers at our boilermaker's. I'm also in charge of coordinating the ESPN Digital (EDF's Switch Program) with Onet Technologies. At the same time, and this is fairly recent, I'm in charge of coordination between ESPN Digital (EDF's Switch Program) and Onet Technologies.
Why did you choose the engineering and nuclear professions?
My background is in mechanical engineering. For me, the engineering profession is like a toolbox, with a wrench of 12 and a screwdriver, with which we can adapt to any situation.
This profession opens doors in all fields (automotive, steel, aeronautics, nuclear, agri-food, etc.); but also with different functions (R&D, pre-project, development, industrialization, operations...) and for different positions (design engineer, project or production unit manager, project manager, etc.).
It's really a multidisciplinary job that has enabled me to develop personally, my curiosity, my critical thinking and initiative, my autonomy, my team spirit, my working methods, and to meet a lot of people.
As far as the nuclear sector is concerned, I kind of stumbled into it by chance. In France, we have one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world, and many of the French manufacturers in this sector are international players. It's a buoyant field with a lot at stake.
It's also a sector with exciting, large-scale projects that can bring together a number of French and/or foreign companies.
What advice would you give to female students about working in the industry?
Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, because this is a profession that challenges you both professionally and personally. On the contrary, there are countless things to do in the nuclear sector.
One of the best ways to find out if this is the right job for you is to take part in a work placement, which will give you an insight into the sector and immerse you in the workings of a project.