Taking Diversity Further in STEM with Tarianna Stewart

Gender disparities are particularly pronounced in the STEM fields, with only 28% of the workforce in STEM professions being women. Tarianna Stewart is one of the 28%, and she’s had a wide range of experiences throughout her fruitful career, which she shares with us today.

During this episode, Tarianna explains what drew her to science in the first place, the exclusion she experienced while working at a law firm, what she learned during her time as a licensing associate at Georgia Tech (the first woman of color to hold this position at the university), and what her current role as a Core AI Licensing Executive at IBM Research entails. 

We also discuss the movement towards the inclusion of underrepresented groups that has taken place in recent years and Tarianna’s thoughts on what we can all do to enhance this further. Because of the diversity of her experiences, the advice that Tarianna shares will be relevant and valuable to a broad scope of professionals! 

In This Episode:

[01:07] Introducing Tarianna Stewart, Core AI Licensing Executive for IBM’s Research Intellectual Property Group. 

[02:18] An overview of Tarianna’s diverse educational journey.

[04:16] Why Tarianna was drawn to the science field. 

[06:01] Benefits of the Patent Pipeline Program.

[06:46] Factors that make law firms traditionally uninclusive. 

[08:31] Tarianna explains how she became a licensing associate at Georgia Tech and what her experience there was like. 

[09:50] The biggest surprise Tarianna received when she became involved in technology transfer.

[10:44] How Tarianna came to her current role at IBM Research.

[12:26] How IBM Research is structured, and what Tarianna’s role entails. 

[13:07] Differences between working in technology transfer and industry.  

[14:16] Advice for technology transfer professionals around navigating negotiations with industry 

[17:03] Why enhancing diversity in the workplace needs to start in the home.

[20:20] Tarianna’s thoughts on the progress that has been made with regard to diversity in recent years.

[20:38] How STEM leaders can create more inclusive environments and foster opportunities for underrepresented groups. 

[24:04] The importance of educating the younger generations about the opportunities that lie in STEM.

[26:35] One of Tarianna’s proudest moments as a woman of color working in STEM. 

Resources:

Tarianna Stewart on LinkedIn

Patent Pipeline Program