Our Stories
Our Stories
Irene Perali
Alumna of Electronic Engineering, Irene Perali is a young, brilliant and successful Systems Engineer. After obtaining the title of PhD at the Politecnico di Milano with a thesis that earned her the 2015 Resmini award from the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, she decided to put herself on the line and she chose a path that would enhance her talent and give her the opportunity to grow professionally.
Thanks to the skills acquired over years of study, Irene immediately found a job in one of the most important tech companies in the Silicon Valley and moved to California, where she still lives and where she has built a family and an exciting career in the self-driving vehicle sector. A story that – from the experience in a large company to the most recent adventure in the world of start-ups – has as its underlying theme the passion for new technologies and the desire to experiment innovative and ground-breaking solutions, which are destined to radically transform the way we travel in big cities.
Irene, tell us a little about yourself: what is your educational and professional path?
My studies took place entirely at the Politecnico di Milano. I started in 2006 by enrolling in the bachelor degree course in Biomedical Engineering, then I switched to Electronic Engineering for the master's degree and I continued on that path with the doctorate, which I completed in 2015 under the supervision of Prof. Carlo Fiorini. In my PhD I worked on radiation detectors for medical applications. More specifically, I designed and built a gamma camera for range control in the field of proton hadron therapy, a form of radiotherapy for cancer treatments.
Shortly before earning my PhD, I decided to look for a job in the United States and sent my resume to many American tech companies. After a couple of weeks, I was contacted by Apple, did an interview and was hired to work on a project that involved building cameras in the visible range. A month after discussing my thesis I started working with them, although before moving to California I had to spend five months in Zurich, working remotely while awaiting the work visa. I worked at Apple for four years, during which I mainly dealt with a special project involving autonomous systems the details of which I cannot reveal because it is still covered by trade secrets!
After working for a large company, I felt the need to experience something different in the world of start-ups, so I accepted a proposal from Zoox, a very dynamic company specialized in self-driving vehicles. I stayed there for a little more than a year and then I switched to Cruise, the company I’m still working for and which also operates in the self-driving vehicle sector with a business model that involves the development of a ride sharing service for big cities.
What are you working on right now?
I currently hold the position of Engineering Manager and lead a team of 13 people in the field of hardware development. My team defines the requirements for all modules used to enable autonomous driving (sensors, networks and computers) and infotainment (user interface, display, wireless communication systems). Our aim is to define the performance of the different sensors used (LiDAR, radar and cameras) in every possible driving scenario in the vehicle's operational domain and how the data produced is aggregated and processed before being elaborated by artificial intelligence algorithms.
What do you like most about your job?
One of the main advantages of working in R&D is dealing with new technologies without having to submit to the strict deadlines to which those who work on products are subjected.
The most exciting aspect is that the technology I work on is not yet completely defined: the reference standards are still being set, there’s still a need for people who define the system requirements, who pave the way for a future technology. We have the feeling that what we are doing now will represent an important step for all those who will come after.
This helps to create a widespread climate of collaboration and to fuel the desire to seek innovative solutions: there is always a great energy in the air and a dynamism that I personally find very stimulating!
What prompted you to look for a job in the United States and what do you think about your overall experience so far?
It was partly for emulation – many of my colleagues were taking that path – and partly because I was interested in having an experience abroad. At the time, it was relatively easy to get hired: in 2015, for example, Apple was hiring a lot in Europe too because in the United States they could not find the right people for hardware development. Furthermore, the United States offer many opportunities for an electronic engineer and the job market is extremely dynamic: in the last five years I changed jobs twice and in both cases it was the company that contacted me.
Overall, it was a beautiful and extraordinarily formative experience. From the very beginning, despite my lack of experience, I was entrusted with tasks of great responsibility. I had a great time working with both managers and colleagues, the environment has always been very collaborative and pleasant.
You recently published a novel, Followives, which tells the story of five women who follow their husbands to California to take up job opportunities they wouldn't have in Italy. Are writing and engineering two separate worlds or have your skills as an electronic engineer somehow been useful to you in this experience too?
With the necessary premise that for me writing is just a hobby, I must say that my training as an engineer was also very useful in this situation.
Often there is this romantic idea that writing simply means putting yourself in front of a computer and letting the inspiration flow, but in reality it is mostly a matter of method. You have to define a project, organize the plot in all its details, conceive a coherent story… These things require great organizational skills and a sufficiently analytical spirit to read up on the subject, even if in my case – since the book talks a lot about Silicon Valley tech companies – I was lucky enough to be able to draw directly from my personal experience!
Lately in Italy there has been much discussion on the issue of the under-representation of women in STEM degree courses and, more generally, in professions related to science and technology. What is your experience from this point of view? Did you face obstacles to make your way in a world traditionally male-dominated like that of engineering? And what is the situation in the United States like from this point of view?
My experience as a woman in electronic engineering has always been comparable to that of my male colleagues, both in college and in the companies I worked for. I think I've always been judged fairly and, in my personal experience, being a woman has never been an obstacle. Of course, I don't think women are less suited to engineering. The fact that there are only a few of them is the result of a cultural heritage coupled with the fact that high school students don’t know exactly what the courses consist of.
In the United States, particularly in the Silicon Valley, there is a growing attention towards women in tech and the percentages are gradually increasing. According to some data, women occupy about 25% of the job positions available. Companies promote various initiatives both to increase women's interest in engineering starting from college and to eliminate all kinds of unconscious bias, first in the hiring process and then in everyday life.
As for me, the assignment to lead a team was given to me when I was six months pregnant, knowing that I would be absent for almost five months. My company also offers the same parental leave to fathers – and they actually take it! – which, in my opinion, is a big step for women's careers. That said, the Silicon Valley is a world unto itself and I know the situation is not quite as rosy in other parts of the United States. However, I see a positive trend that can only lead to a complete equality in the coming years.
What did studying at the Politecnico di Milano mean for you? How important was this experience for your career and what is the most valuable thing you have learned during your DEIB years?
I will always be grateful to the Politecnico and to the Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria in particular for having passed on to me knowledge and skills that have nothing to envy to the most prestigious American technological universities. For me it was a wonderful experience and it also has been very useful for my work.
For example, when I was studying for my master's degree, I learned an intuitive approach to circuit analysis which not many universities teach but which is essential to work fast. Another experience that has been important for my career is certainly the PhD, which gave me the opportunity to develop a project from start to finish: I started from the requirements, I designed the project, I built the camera, I tested it and analyzed the data. In short, I was able to personally experience all the phases of the realization of a prototype. This was very useful to me when I had to do the same thing with another type of camera for another type of application, albeit in a more collaborative context which gave me the chance to work on more complex projects.
During my PhD I also had the opportunity to interact with the sensor and software market: an experience with many points of contact with what I did in my early years at Apple and which was therefore very useful to me in this regard. After all, if they hired me despite the lack of experience it is because at the Politecnico I had acquired all the necessary skills to work in that sector.
Are there any memories of your "polytechnic years" that you are particularly fond of?
My best memories are those of the international conferences I attended together with my PhD colleagues. The first one was near Los Angeles, the second in Seoul and the third in Seattle. It was very gratifying to present our work, to meet scholars and researchers from all over the world and, of course, to visit the cities that hosted us. I also remember with great pleasure the lunches with colleagues, which for me have always been a moment of joy and sharing, a chance to "disconnect" from work and chat freely about anything.
What advice would you give to a student or a recent graduate in Electronic Engineering who would like to work in your field or who perhaps would like to pursue a career in the United States?
My advice is not to neglect communication and to practice the art of presentations right away. The Americans are very good at this, while we Italians often tend to belittle our work or to talk about it in a “wordy” and ineffective way. A good way to develop this skill is to participate in as many conferences as possible but also to regularly present your work to colleagues.
Another advice, especially for those who want to work in an American tech company, is to insist, not to be discouraged and above all to write a nice résumé in which the skills required for the position you are applying for stand out: companies do not hire "generalists" but people who have proven to be very qualified in a given field. In summary: get noticed and highlight your skills!
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