Women @ Energy: Shadya Maldonado Rosado

Shadya Maldonado joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Nuclear Engineering and Analysis Group in 2015, bringing with her experience in national security analysis and operations. Her interests in deciphering and mitigating challenges within the evolving security threat landscape have led her to transition into a cyber analyst role in the Computing and Analytics Division. She concurrently serves as a line manager for the Secure Systems Research and Engineering Team, under the Cyber Security Research Technical Group. Shadya’s current technical project efforts support computer network defense situational awareness and multi-domain threat assessments. Her research and external outreach activities include engaging data scientists and engineers to develop analytic tools to support transitioning emerging technologies from research to operations. Shadya is passionate about merging the fields of digital information and national security to solve over-the-horizon problems. Shadya is a first-generation college graduate and combat veteran, with notable service as a paratrooper in the Army 82nd Airborne Division. She earned her degree from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.

My path to working in STEM was not traditional. I was born in Puerto Rico, a beautiful island and U.S. Commonwealth where culture, family values, and religion are everything. My foundational worldview was shaped through my experience with tropical sounds of nature, food, music, deep thinkers, and empathetic partiers. While I was extremely grateful to always have a reason to celebrate, we also had a reason to bring honor to our family and always be hardworking citizens. Although one of my parents passed away early in my life, my success can be attributed to this opportunity to grow up in a single-parent household, where hard work and dedication is a way of life. As much as I defined myself as a life-long learner, STEM did not come up in conversation until I learned about the Department of Energy (DOE) mission, about six months before college graduation. Prior to college, I reflected on this idea of being healthy and fit enough to join the military. I was curious about the world and serving our great country in that capacity. My family was definitely onboard, especially after mentioning my service could pay for a college education. I enjoyed the work I was doing as an analyst in the service, so I continued my studies in national security and policy analysis.

The variety and impact of what we do might make anyone excited to work for this organization. It’s possible to be working on a cyber risk management effort one day, responding to an incident the next, then working on a capability alignment strategy to address future DOE cyber needs. Cybersecurity is a complex domain that has applications across all areas of our lives. For example, one cannot have a holistic conversation about security within nuclear energy, biodiversity, or food sciences without weighing the implications of cyberspace. When I am not working on technical problems, I get excited about helping others connect and achieve their goals. I have realized over time that success in this area begins with prioritizing the building of trust and engagement with others outside of your area of influence. Our work environment is unique, in the sense that everyone has the opportunity help their neighbor in a meaningful and creative way.

One might ask, how is this related to STEM topics? We are on the forefront of creating ways for humans and machines to work as a team. The next generation of Human-Machine Teams are treating these interactions as a diverse sets of interconnections, less as one-to-one individual exchange. In addition, the DOE enterprise, including cases where we have supported the Department of Defense Cyber Mission Force, has been much more effective when we look at how different tools and people are integrated across a particular domain, despite having siloed departments, organizational expertise, or discrete tasks.

We need to think critically and hold leaders accountable at the micro-level regarding how we form the next generation of subject matter expert (SME) teams. For example, we need to consider forming an environment where women, girls, and other underrepresented groups can engage and cross-train with folks who traditionally work in the STEM community. People with execution and communication skills, for example, are not always looked at as SMEs or key technical contributors. To that end, we (staff members and leaders) should make an attempt to individualize and emphasize the value each member of the team can bring to the table. It is my belief we have allocated resources to extend our outreach and engagement with specific audiences, but we need to continue to actively promote associated efforts, specifically grassroots activities, in order for us to build upon and sustain progress.

Tip #1: Do not focus on entering a field of work. Focus on developing an understanding of your passion areas and how your knowledge, skills, and abilities translate to a particular field of interest or career opportunity.

Tip #2: Embrace your curiosity. If you do not know something, go learn about it. In other words, Google that Stuff (GTS). You might only have less than 120 seconds to lose.

Tip #3: Remain humble, dedicated, and take risks. There are many times in my personal and professional life when I could have been overwhelmed with circumstances and events, but I accepted those things as challenges and opportunities. It is okay to have reservations or feel a sense of uncertainty as you go about your day-to-day activities. It is your level of commitment, dedication, longevity, and your ability to work with mentors and champions that will lead you to forward progress.

Hobbies or activities related but not limited to: Having fun, being outdoors, eating great food, learning, surfing the web, Google Dorking, coaching, thinking about hard questions, reading about strategy and leadership, having philosophical conversations over wine.

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