Meet #Dr Ciara Blaauw, a senior radar systems and signal analyst/engineer in the CSIR Defence and Security cluster

Dr Ciara Blaauw is a senior radar systems and signal analyst/engineer in the CSIR Defence and Security cluster. She obtained a doctoral degree in electronic engineering with a focus on electromagnetism in 2018 from the University of Pretoria. She is also a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Ciara’s journey in science started at a very young age, with her parents playing an instrumental role. “My parents always motivated me to be curious and to ask questions – with one of my first words being “why?” and first sentences being “what is this?”. Her parents always explained things to her and if they did not know, they would research to find out. This set a great example for Ciara and sparked her interest in research, as she continued to ask questions and push boundaries to test out theories. From a young age, she and her twin sister, Dr Monique Potgieter, conducted many experiments with their father, such as making batteries out of lemons, growing cobalt crystals and measuring signals. This enthusiasm for science continued into primary and high school where the two sisters participated in many science expositions (expos) together. It was at a science expo that Ciara first learnt about the CSIR and the great work being done there.

Dr Blaauw joined the CSIR as a young wide-eyed bursary student in 2011, starting with her first vacation work. She was fortunate to join the Radar and Electronic Warfare (REW) team, where she collaborated with incredibly talented and intelligent individuals who influenced her science journey. Since then, she has worked on numerous radar projects.

Currently, Ciara serves as the technical lead of an airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) facility developed by the radar team. This facility serves as a national testbed for SAR technology and application research, development, and innovation. Under her leadership, Ciara and her team have organised and executed several successful airborne SAR measurement campaigns. She also plays a key role in the system engineering team tasked with developing South Africa’s first spaceborne SAR payload. “This is an exciting time to be involved in SAR and to be part of the CSIR team that positions South Africa to compete in the new space race and contribute to the fourth industrial revolution,” Ciara remarked.

Ciara has been fortunate to benefit from several influential mentors and coaches who played pivotal roles in her career and development. She is committed to paying this forward by making a positive impact on others through her mentoring and coaching efforts.

Dr Blaauw is passionate about advocating for the development and inclusion of youth and women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In addition to her technical work, she served in leadership roles within the REW Youth Forum for several years; focusing on human capital development within the impact area.

Together with other incredible women at the CSIR with support from the Executive Committee, Ciara co-founded the CSIR Women’s Forum in 2021 and has served as Co‑chair since its inception. This forum is dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing women in STEM and support roles. Dr Blaauw enjoys engaging with others to identify, strategise and overcome barriers faced by women in STEM.