Women @ Energy: Dr. Alida Gerritsen

Alida Gerritsen completed a doctorate in biology from the University of Oregon in 2014. From there, she worked as a genomics data scientist for the University of Idaho. Her work involved analyzing large amounts of DNA sequence data and designing statistical tests to validate biological experiments. She started working at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the summer of 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher. Now she is a researcher in the Computational Sciences Center, where she works in the Data Analysis and Visualization group.

I always wanted to be a scientist. When I was growing up, I would hear news stories starting with “scientists have discovered that….” and I would always think that it would be so exciting to be a person who was always discovering new things about the world. I was always drawn to biology. Studying the vast diversity of organisms and the way they evolve to solve certain problems in their environments became a leading interest of mine. From there, I realized that I could use my interest in biological solutions to expand into solving some of the difficulties that humans face with the help of high-performance computing.

I believe that alternative fuels are the solution to many issues, and that the energy revolution has started. Future energy needs should draw from many alternatives, so I enjoy the diversity of projects that I get to work on at NREL. I like that many of the projects are multifaceted, involving experimental data in the lab or in the field, and computational modeling to help validate and predict the experiment. I am always learning about new techniques. A well-rounded and well-thought out approach is the standard here at NREL, and I am excited to be a part of such rigorous science.

I think that there has been a shift in recent years with more women entering STEM fields, and that’s because they believe that what they are doing can make a difference. Appealing to the need to help change the world for the better is inspiring for many young people. I sought out women as mentors throughout my education, and I’ve seen a generational shift in representation even during my short career. Having more women and underrepresented groups at all levels of education and management shows others that their presence is normalized and encouraged, so fostering and encouraging those mentorships is critical to recruiting diversity.

My advice for anyone looking to be at the intersection of any kind of science and computational analysis that they shouldn’t discount the need for basic knowledge in that science. To be specific to myself, biology is an incredibly complex field with few concrete “knowns,” and I always like to joke that there are more exceptions than rules in biology. Data analysis requires one to know their data, and a researcher has to be able to understand the organism from which the data originated as well as what the experimental conditions are creating.

I love spending time in the mountains of Colorado hiking and backpacking to remote lakes. I also enjoy foraging for wild foods, mushrooms being a particular favorite. I have been known to take a week of vacation to chase the morel mushroom harvest on the west coast. I also enjoy fantasy books and video games. I’m always on the lookout for my next epic saga to read or play.

Learn more about our programs & resources for women and girls in STEM at /women