21st-century women shaping the future of STEM

This article originally appeared in the Nov'23 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES's Magazine Archives for more featured publications.

Recognising the need for change, Electronic Specifier would like to pause to honour and celebrate the remarkable women who are actively working in STEM, using their voice, and forging new pathways through what can be a challenging terrain. These are women who are dedicated to ensuring that future generations of women in STEM won't encounter the same hurdles they have faced.

And it seems only fitting that in the 21st-century, we should pay homage to 21 women who are tirelessly advocating for gender equality and diverse perspectives within STEM – because engineering, as a field focused on progress and evolution, should exemplify these principles in every aspect.

You can’t be what you can’t see – and these women are making STEM seen:

• Lauren Neal, Founder and Chief Programme Creator of Valued at Work: Lauren holds a Master’s Degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, she is the Founder and Chief Programme Creator of Valued at Work where she has authored the #1 bestseller: ‘Valued at Work – Shining a Spotlight on Bias to Engage, Enable, and Retain Women in STEM’
• Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO at Stemettes: Anne-Marie is making diversity in STEM seen. She was one of the youngest people to ever receive a Master’s Degree in mathematics and computer science from Oxford University, and is leading the way for equal representation in STEM.
• Ilya Espino de Marotta, Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal: Ilya is an engineer who led the Panama Canal Expansion Project. She also made the pink hard hat famous, and is quoted as saying: “I wear a pink hard-hat to make a statement that a woman can do this job.”
• Bolor-Erdene Battsengel, Research Fellow at the University of Oxford: Bolor was the youngest woman to hold the position of Chairwoman of the Government of Mongolia’s Communication and Information Technology Authority. She is actively championing young girls in areas where there is a digital skills gap with her Girls Code Programme
• Dragica Kostic Perovic, Chief Engineer at Ricardo: Women in Construction and Engineering Awards (WICE) winner, Dragica is using her award-winning platform as a tool to raise awareness about the opportunities for women in STEM.
• Dr Sarah Peers, Head of Academic Skills at NMITE’s and newly appointed President of INWES: INWES is a global network that is supported by UNESCO and has links to the UN and is dedicated to advancing gender equality in STEM.
• Dawn Bonfield, Founder of Towards Vision: Towards Vision is a company which aims to promote diversity and inclusion in engineering. Dawn has implemented many initiatives to help promote inclusivity including founding the National Women in Engineering Day, and establishing the ‘50 Women in Engineering.’
• Helen Greiner, Co-Founder of iRobort: Helen was inducted into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 2007, and named Wentworth’s Institute of Technology ‘Woman of the Year’ in 2018. In 2020, Helen was the only female speaker at GoFlys’s Final Fly Over.
• Dina Katabi, Professor at MIT and Co-Founder of Emerald Innovations: a pioneer in innovative research for her work on wireless networks, Dina has bridged computer science with electrical engineering to improve Wi-Fi and cellular systems.
• Helen Duncan, Marketing and Business Manager for Blueshift Memory: Helen has in-depth technical knowledge of semiconductor technology and RF and wireless content writing. Helen has written may articles for trade journals and has carved a path the industry – a path which allows other women to follow suit.
• Lisa Su, Chair and CEO at AMD: Lisa is an electrical engineer, and a Fortune 500 technology leader. Known for developing silicon-on-insulator semiconductor manufacturing technologies, Lisa has held positions at many leading companies, and was named as one of the ‘Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business’ amongst many other accolades.
• Ama Frimpong, Head of Product Development at 52 North Health: IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year in 2022 and one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2022, Ama is passionate about diversity in STEM, and understands that people need to see successful representations of themselves to know that they can do it too.
• Jackie Mattox, Founder, President, and CEO of Women in Electronics: Jackie is dedicated to DEI in STEM, taking WE Electronics from the US to the UK and encouraging regional groups to get together to support each other in navigating the industry, whilst asking ‘what can we do to make this better?’
• Natalia Adamson, Lead Project Engineer at Ricardo: Natalia holds a first-class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering, is the Lead Project Engineer at Ricardo, and a member of Ricardo’s DEI team. She regularly meets with colleagues to discuss what can be done to increase DEI efforts to create a culture that fosters inclusion, awareness, and growth – not just at Ricardo, but industry-wide.
• Maria Heriz, Chief Marketing Officer and Sales Executive at Tektronix: Maria is proud of the inclusive culture they hold at Tektronix, and she advocates the importance of pushing yourself forwards and not letting mental barriers stand in the way of doing what you love.
• Molly Bakewell Chamberlin, Founder, President, and Principal Consultant of Embassy Global, LLC: a 100% woman owned, award-winning business, Molly advocates for diversity in tech – not just for the younger generations, but also for those looking for a change in career.
• Sarah Mlundira, Head of Engineering Change at XP Power: Sarah has first-hand experience of the micro-biases that can unconsciously occur in the industry. She is passionate about advocating for change and inclusion in STEM, and understands the importance of having accessible role models.
• Susan Roache, Geneal Manager at SolutionsPT: Susan comes from a long line of engineers, and though it wasn't her choice of subject as a child, she saw the value in it. It is this value that she believes needs to be imparted to young children so they can see the benefit engineering offers society.
• Susan Scurlock MBE, Chief Executive and Founder of Primary Engineers: Primary Engineers aims to enable children to reach their full potential through engagement with engineering. Not a engineer herself, after being told that it wasn’t for girls, Susan has gone on to achieve massive recognition for her work in engineering education and helping raise awareness about the industry from a young age.
• Carrie Sundra, Chief Engineer and Owner of Carrie Sundra Electronics Consulting, and Alpenglow Industries: “Irreverent electronics and frivolous circuits with a feminist bent. We want everyone to enjoy learning about electronics!” An engineer by training, Carrie creates beautiful circuit boards and is passionate about having more women in electrical engineering.
• Holly Maxwell, Lead Reliability Engineer at Sellafield: with a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with Project Management, Holly has set up a mentoring programme for female engineers at Sellafield, to enable strong networks to build and grow.