When Maria el Bacha is passionate about something, nothing can stop her! She proved it one month ago when she won the 2021 Public’s Prize for the Université Côte d’Azur contest “Ma thèse en 180 secondes.” Some may ask: “How did this young Lebanese student manage to take part in this famous competition?” Well, let’s take a glance at her path: after getting her high school diploma (Bac S) from Nazareth Kferzeina, the young student decided to enroll at Antonine University (UA), Mejdlaya-Zgharta Campus, to carry out a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer and Communications Engineering. Maria then pursued an internship in France in order to complete her Master’s degree, at the Laboratoire d’Électronique, Antennes et Télécommunications, Université Côte d’Azur to be precise, and discovered the infinite possibilities of her field of research. Her time in France fundamentally changed everything for her; Maria got hooked on antennas and decided to enroll in a PhD. Let’s have a look back at her French experience.
The day you enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering at UA, did you have a specific goal?
I had ambitions, of course, and a lot of dreams, but I was not at all planning to pursue a PhD or to work in the research field. After my graduation project, everything changed: I did not want to drop what I was doing. Unfortunately, in Lebanon, there are very few opportunities in the field of antenna engineering. I had no other choice but to travel abroad, and this is how I settled in France.
A girl in this industry is still uncommon... Has this ever held you back?
Being a girl has never been a barrier for me. My family has always supported me; they have always believed in me and encouraged me to pursue the academic path that I had chosen. It is true that the number of male representatives is significant in this field, but that certainly did not prevent me from embracing the career that I wanted!
How would you describe your French experience, whether academic or personal?
It is definitely a new adventure! I must admit that it was not easy to adapt at first. Nothing was familiar to me in this country; the French system is completely different from the one we have in Lebanon and I was far from my family and friends, but I eventually fit in quite quickly. This experience made me much stronger, more independent, and I learned to trust myself on all levels.
What would you say to students who, just like you, would like to pursue their PhD abroad, but give up the idea of applying out of fear?
I would like to tell them, “Go for it! I really encourage you to do it! This is your chance to shine. You just have to believe in yourself and be determined.” Let me tell you a small story which shows to what extent my tenacity, on the one hand, and UA’s academic framework and supervision, on the other hand, have played a key role in my academic path. During the last year of my program, our instructor, Dr. Remi Sarkis, encouraged us to register in a 5-day seminar in Beirut in which he was participating. There were a lot of constraints — It is probably the reason why I was the only one from Mejdlaya Campus who attended the seminar. It was intense for a week; I would have 12-hour workdays during the seminar and then I would have to make up for a whole week of classes, not to forget the miscellaneous expenses. Nevertheless, I registered because I was passionate about the field of antenna. And my efforts paid off since I was able to show what I was capable of during the workshops and start building my own academic network thanks notably to Dr. Sarkis who had put me forward. This is how a professor from Université Côte d’Azur noticed me and I got my training in France. Every encounter counts! Most importantly, I encourage you to pick the field of your preference because a PhD is time-consuming. You embark on, at least, three years of challenge, fatigue, and even times where you feel down… but if you like what you do, you will eventually meet success. Just have the courage to pursue your dreams and enough determination to make them come true... because nothing is impossible. And most importantly: pick the field of your preference because a PhD is time-consuming. You embark on, at least, three years of challenge, fatigue, and even periods of depression… but if you like what you do, you will eventually meet success. Just have the courage to pursue your dreams and enough determination to make them come true... because nothing is impossible.
Your PhD research is about a sensor-loaded t-shirt that detects heart attacks as early as possible. How did you come up with this brilliant idea?
In fact, my research subject is linked to my internship work. When I succeeded in incorporating sensors into fabric during my internship, we immediately thought of applying this discovery to the medical field to save human lives. We knew that older people weren’t the only ones suffering from heart attacks; young people die of it too. This is the reason why we have worked in this direction. I have high hope. This type of technology is very recent and is not yet present in the market. My goal as a researcher is to be able to offer it for sale within a few years.
Last but not least: is your flying ticket a round trip or did you leave Lebanon for good?
At first, I intended to get back to Lebanon once my thesis done, but now because of the economic crisis, going back looks difficult... if not impossible. But at the end of the day, we never know...