Episode 125: Dr. Sue Black on Defying the Odds to Succeed in Tech
In this SWE Diverse episode, Heather Doty, FY21 President of SWE, speaks with Dr. Sue Black, OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire). Sue is a 2021 WE Local Europe keynote speaker and a passionate advocate for women in tech. Listen as Sue talks about her unconventional and inspiring educational journey to obtain her Ph.D. in software engineering, and where her career has taken her since then.
Professor Sue Black, OBE
Named in the list of top 50 women in tech in Europe, and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lovie Awards 2018, Sue is one of the leading tech personalities in the UK today. An award-winning computer scientist, radical thinker, and social entrepreneur Sue is well known for founding the high profile campaign to save Bletchley Park, capitalising upon social media as a fitting continuation of Bletchley’s technological legacy.
Sue is a passionate advocate for women in tech, and has spent the last 20 years campaigning for more recognition and support for women in computing. This led to her founding #techmums, a social enterprise which empowers mums and their families through technology. Sue is an academic with 20+ years’ experience with over 40 publications and a PhD in software engineering to her name.
In 2017 she received the Social Impact ABIE Award at the Grace Hopper Celebration, was made an OBE in the New Year Honours list 2016 and sits on the Government’s new advisory board for improving digital services.
Sue was interviewed by Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs covering all things tech and how to “be your best self on social media” and appeared as a guest panellist in the special edition of Woman’s Hour recorded live at the British Science Festival in Brighton. She has featured in a video as part of the BBC Ideas online platform in which she tells her story and shares her advice for being successful and finding the superhero in yourself. Sue has explored her Life Scientific for the long running series on BBC Radio 4.
If this isn’t enough, Sue has joined the vibrant computer science department at Durham University as a Professor in Computer Science and Technology Evangelist. The role will combine her research interests, with the opportunity to inspire and motivate others in the field.
Listen to more SWE podcasts:
- Sheenam Ohrie on Increasing D&I in the Tech Industry
- Susan Ferguson on Helping Solve Global Gender Issues
- SWE Research – The State of Women in Engineering 2021
- Shwetambari Shetty on Staying Healthy While ‘Stuck’ at Home
- Louvere Walker-Hannon on Getting More Black Women Involved in STEM
- TIME‘s 2020 Kid of the Year, Gitanjali Rao
- Empowering Black Professionals in STEM with Kanika Tolver
- Revolutionizing Femtech With Amanda French
