The trailblazer.
Text: Marion Maurer
Mahnaz Parian-Scherb works at Roche, researching possible applications of artificial intelligence. She also mentors students and helps them to find their own path.
Women continue to be outnumbered in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This was often the experience of Mahnaz Parian-Scherb, who repeatedly found herself to be the only woman in a research group. “In so many situations, you become aware that you’re the minority. And so every day becomes a battle — to be heard, to be acknowledged and respected, but also to motivate yourself, to keep going despite the challenges.”
Nevertheless, she found a role model in neuroscientist Sarah Tabrizi, who has dedicated herself to researching Huntington’s disease: “She has Iranian roots, like me, and is determined and successful. I saw myself in her and that motivated me.” Parian-Scherb explains that it’s important for everyone to have a role model, particularly women in STEM, which is why she founded the “We are Computer Science” support network at the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. The network aims to encourage women and students from underrepresented groups to study subjects in the fields of IT and mathematics.
Family as support.
Parian-Scherb discovered her passion for math early on in life. Her older brother practiced with her at home, which meant she was always ahead of her classmates. “It made me feel that I was good at it. Maybe I wasn’t, but it motivated me,” she says with a grin.
Parian-Scherb grew up in Iran, in a society in which women have fewer opportunities than men. However, she was lucky to have a family that always supported and bolstered her. It was her mother above all who repeatedly emphasized that girls are not worth less because of their gender. She also inherited her mother’s “rebellious spirit”: “If I’m good at something, then I want to do it, no matter what society says.”
She decided to study electrical engineering in Tehran. She then earned a master’s in telecommunications with a focus on signal and image processing. Yet while the STEM subjects attract a relatively large number of female students in Iran, it remains difficult for them to launch a career. “Society doesn’t accept women in technical professions. The working environment is often unsafe for them and there are major inequalities.”
Doctoral supervisor as a mentor.
Mahnaz Parian-Scherb therefore found herself wondering where she could develop her career. She decided to pursue a doctorate abroad. France wasn’t an option because of the language, and she didn’t want to go to Switzerland because her brother was studying there: “Maybe I just wanted to be as independent as possible.”
Ultimately, she found a fascinating doctoral position in the then up-and-coming field of artificial intelligence — which required her to spend the first two years at the French-language Université de Mons in Belgium, before moving on to the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. “So I had to face the challenge of a new language anyway,” she says, laughing.
In Basel, Parian-Scherb was part of Heiko Schuldt’s Databases and Information Systems group. He turned out to be her ideal supervisor: “Naturally, things don’t always go smoothly during a doctorate. Even I was close to giving up on a few occasions. But Professor Schuldt kept me motivated and helped me to find my way again. For me, he is everything you could want in a doctoral supervisor.”
After completing her doctorate, Parian-Scherb secured a postdoc position with the pharmaceutical company Roche. She’s still there today, researching the application of artificial intelligence. At the moment, she’s focusing on ophthalmology. The aim is to use data analyses and machine learning to predict disease progression and evaluate therapeutic options. This Basel alumna has risen to the ranks of lead scientist.
In her team, she places great value on asking everyone for their opinion: “As women, we learn that we should be quiet and reserved. We tend to listen rather than speak up.” However, there are also lots of reserved men, she points out. Seeing every person being listened to benefits the whole group.
She also loves to share her personal experiences with early career researchers and supports students as they begin their careers. She finds the to be an important source of support and guidance for students — not only, but especially women in the IT field.
More articles in this issue of UNI NOVA (May 2025).