During the different stages of my career - from being a physics student to being a researcher in materials science - diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility have taken different meaning, increasing importance and growing attention. Through personal experiences and through learning the experiences of others, I have come to realize the significant impact of DEIA on our career paths and on our lives; the major influence of role models in our choices; the importance of mentoring; and the power of making time and space for difficult conversations.
While investigating radiation-matter interactions and the world of materials and how we can improve them, I have learnt that open-mindedness and lifelong learning are necessary not only in our research but also in how we create fertile environments for meaningful education, impactful research and groundbreaking innovation. In this seminar I will talk about my career path in radiation effects and about ways and activities to improve the DEIA culture in STEM education and research.
Work was supported by the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

Bio
Eva Zarkadoula is R&D Staff in the Center for Nanophase Materials Science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She moved to Tennessee in 2014 to join the ORNL Materials Science and Technology Division as a Postdoctoral Associate, and she was then hired as research staff at the same division. Eva pursued her PhD in Physics at the Queen Mary University of London in UK following her bachelor’s degree in Physics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
Her research interests include the materials' behavior in extreme conditions, the interactions of radiation with matter, microstructure alterations and evolution, material modification and functionalization, nuclear energy materials, behavior of disordered systems such as liquids and glasses.
Eva is a member of the Early Career Editorial Board of the Nuclear Materials and Energy journal published by Elsevier, and Advisor for the JOM Journal, the journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), by Springer.
She is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of her life, including her workplace and STEM.