Jordina Torrents Barrena, born 26 years ago in Constantí (Tarragonès), is a computer engineer from Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). She is currently doing a PhD at the Department of information and Communication Technologies (DTIC-UPF), with a thesis supervised by Miguel Ángel González, ICREA-UPF research professor and head of the Simulation, Imaging and Modelling for Biomedical Systems research group (SIMBIOsys).

She was recently awarded the prestigious ”Google Women’s Techmakers” prize, becoming the only representative from Spain among the twenty women selected this 2017 edition from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This programme aims to give visibility, resources and access to an extensive global network of contacts to the best women in the field of technology. We interviewed her a few days before travelling to the Google headquarters in London to participate in a meeting, along with the other winners.

—What do you feel about winning the Google Women Techmakers prize?

Although it is an important step in my career, for me it has been a great personal satisfaction. Such acknowledgement always helps you forge ahead with more strength. It mustn’t be forgotten, though, that to achieve such a major distinction there must be the constant groundwork that has been put in over a long time. Knowledge is not generated in a couple of days. Years are needed to develop everything that we learn and to come up with innovative ideas and answers to problems of greater difficulty. So I think, and I am very grateful, that these years of effort and dedication have borne their fruit.

—Do you think that this recognition might affect your career as a researcher?

Yes, I truly believe that this recognition granted to me by Google will have a major impact on my professional career. An award of this magnitude really enriches your CV, enhances your research at international level and opens the doors to an extensive network of contacts. Nowadays, the world of research is a highly competitive environment with regard to curricula: having scientific publications, an excellent academic record and several stages abroad is not enough to stand out. Many selection processes increasingly value uniqueness and having been awarded a prize on a large scale. This distinction, among other things, often ends up significantly favouring one candidate over another.

—What expectations you have for your forthcoming visit to the Google headquarters in London? 

I have high expectations for my professional and personal improvement. I hope to be able to take advantage of my stay so that in the future I might enjoy an extensive network of contacts, learn about new work methodologies that have been carefully studied by the multinational company, and acquire a broader knowledge in terms of lines of technological development. Many of these concerns will be covered by the Google Women Techmakers programme, which includes mentorship, leadership and team management programmes, group communication activities, and a presentation of new Google devices and technologies that have not yet been presented publicly to the market.

—What are the research lines you are carrying out within the DTIC-UPF SIMBIOsys group?

Currently, my main line of research within the SIMBIOsys group focuses on the construction of specific computational models and tools for minimally invasive foetal surgery. I work in the areas of image processing, computer vision, artificial intelligence, computational geometry, machine learning and the development of computer systems for surgical planning and navigation. We are currently collaborating with the foetal surgery team of Dr Eduard Gratacós of Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona, within the framework of a project funded by the CELLEX Foundation.

—What does your doctoral thesis deal with?

My PhD, which I started in October 2016, is part of the project mentioned above: FIRST by CELLEX. The main goal is the creation of a three-dimensional (3D) computational model of the structure of the placenta and its vascular system (network) from magnetic resonance imaging and 3D ultrasound. This 3D reconstruction will be used to improve the planning of the surgery to be performed once the “twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome” (TTTS) has been detected in an identical twin pregnancy. This condition affects the foetus directly, since it presents an anomaly of continuous blood transfusion from one foetus to the other via the placenta’s communicating vessels. If these connections are not intervened rapidly via a laser procedure, both foetuses may die within a very short time (days). For this reason, a 3D model of the placenta would help tremendously in the prior study of the critical vascular connections with the aim of alerting the surgeon as to the difficulties that might arise during the operation. In addition to providing a considerable advance in the preoperative stage, my doctoral thesis also focuses on the real-time navigation and guidance aspects of this surgery during the intra-operative stage.

—How can the computational tools on which you are working benefit the patients? Are they being applied yet?

The ultimate goal of the research in which I am involved is to create new software for surgery planning and navigation capable of improving the current medical procedure that is used in TTTS surgery. This syndrome affects a 10-15% of the population with identical twin pregnancies that share the same placenta. One of the most critical points of TTTS surgery is the frequency with which it is carried out for a single pregnancy, since if it is carried out more than once, the risk of breaking the amniotic sac and losing both foetuses grows exponentially. For this reason, it is very important to plan the pre- and intra-operative stages thoroughly, given the wide natural diversity of every pregnancy, which makes it even more difficult to obtain good results. Although we are only half way through the project, we already have a preliminary version of the prototype that we will begin to validate clinically in the operating room during the coming months.

—In what environment would you like to pursue your career?

I like both academia and the world of enterprise, although I lack perspective to decide which area appeals to me more. In any case, the working environment should be mixed. It has been demonstrated that mixed sex groups work better than groups formed by members of a single gender.

—Why is there a minority of women in the fields of computer science and engineering? What can be done to increase their presence?

Women’s representation in the world of science, engineering or ICTs is really scarce. According to several renowned studies, this imbalance between the sexes is due to the “stereotypes maintained from secondary education, where boys are associated with technology and girls with the social sciences”. In addition, the difficulty of studying engineering is one of the factors that causes many girls insecurity when choosing it as a future career. Today, we are living in a knowledge society, in which technology and science can make significant contributions. However, there are huge barriers for women who want to build their future profession in this field. In order to increase the presence of women in the field of engineering, initiatives need carrying out right from the youngest school levels, like giving talks involving technology, robotics, etc. for secondary students, as well as the participation of model women who can explain their experiences first-hand.

—Can women may make contributions with a difference in these areas?

It’s not that I think that women have notable differential features in relation to men, it is rather that our skills in the field of technologies have not been allowed to develop historically and have been kept under wraps. I think it is important that today these skills are put on the table and should be conveyed to encourage women who are already in this field and awaken interest among young people. Female talent has always existed, now is the time to show it off. On a personal level, yes, it is true that women manage emotions slightly better (what we call empathy), and these things, when it comes to managing groups of people, also count, and they count a lot.

—What are the traits you need to have to be a leader in research?

Even though there are people that innately seem to be leadership material, it is something that you also learn over time. We all have references, people who exercise their leadership, on whom mirror ourselves. A leader in research not only needs to be an excellent scientist but also has to have social skills. The figure of the isolated scientist no longer makes sense today. Science today is highly cross-cutting, with multiple connections between research groups around the world. Fortunately, leadership in the workplace is not at odds with the family and friends. It is perfectly compatible, you must just understand that every place has its role.