Have you ever thought of famous engineers? If you were asked to name a famous female engineer off the top of your head, could you do it? Maybe not.

Engineering traditionally has been and is still thought of as a largely male-dominated industry. However, with the growing demand for the profession, there are many powerful female engineers today who are leading large multinational corporations, creating and introducing innovative and cutting-edge tech to the world.

Here is a list of inspiring female engineers who are role-models for women interested in a future in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM), leading technology powerhouses on the back of an engineering qualification and turning the tide in the field of engineering.

1. Meredith Westafer
Senior Industrial Engineer – Tesla

A Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Management System Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering Management, Meredith is a Senior Industrial Engineer at Tesla, where she manages the design and layout of the company’s Gigafactory, which is going to be the world’s largest factory by footprint.

The factory manufactures the essential lithium-ion batteries that run Tesla vehicles. She developed the models that gauged the factory space required and the supply chain of the factory. She designed an automated material delivery system that uses a fleet of autonomous mobile robots to deliver goods to and from the production line.

2. Noël Mojgan Bakhtian
Director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies – Idaho National Laboratory

Noël joined the Office for International Affairs, managing projects with China, Israel, Brazil, the UAE and the EU that involved water and energy policy.

Bakhtian has had leadership roles on several boards throughout her career, primarily focusing on the development of innovative energy systems, energy-water nexus, advanced manufacturing, nuclear energy and cybersecurity.

With an M. Phil in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics, she undertakes projects that tackle the energy crisis and focuses on building alternatives to non-renewable energy sources.

3. Caitlin Kalinowski
Director, Hardware – Oculus

Caitlin Kalinowski is the Head of Hardware at Oculus, a division of Facebook’s virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift.

Kalinowski has spearheaded the design team of the Oculus Rift, Touch and Gear VR and is in charge of solving critical engineering and design challenges, like incorporating large technologies into a small headset.

A Bachelor of Science holder in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, Caitlin has also worked and led design teams at OQO and Apple, and heads the advisory board of Wogrammer, an outreach project focused on women engineers.

4. Justyna Zander
Senior Automotive Product Manager – NVIDIA

Justyna Zander is a Senior Automotive Product Manager at NVIDIA, one of the leading companies building the fundamental technologies for self-driving cars.

She has been working on self-driving cars for more than a decade and is an expert in deep learning, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

She leads diverse teams managing the wide range of technologies used in self-driving cars: hardware, sensors, computer vision, machine learning training and more.

A PhD holder in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, she holds six patents and has won the Society of Women Engineers Emerging Leaders Award in 2017.

5. Sophia Velastegui,
General Manager, AI Product Unit – Microsoft

With a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Sophia has portrayed her skills and expertise in tech giants like Apple and Google and is currently leading the charge for Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence Unit.

She is currently managing Microsoft’s product development and innovation for AI technologies and bringing Microsoft AI to daily apps like MS Office, Bing and more.

An integral member of the Global Future Council on Production, she provides thought leadership in production, bringing a diverse lens for innovative solutions on emerging technology and products, consumers, and enterprises.

6. Reshma Shetty,
Co-founder, Ginkgo Bioworks

Reshma Shetty is the Co-founder and COO of Ginkgo Bioworks, a cutting-edge biotech startup that designs synthetic DNA. She founded Ginkgo after receiving a PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT.

The company is creating inroads into the world of biotechnology and has even gotten the attention of Bill Gates, whose asset management fund invested  $275 million, valuing the company at $1.4 billion.

Shetty has been one of the foremost minds in the industry, helping to launch the first international conference in the field of synthetic biology in 2008.

7. Priya Balasubramanian
Vice President, Operations – Apple

Priya Balasubramanian is the Vice President of Apple’s iPhone Operations and manages Apple’s massive supply chain for manufacturing iPhones. She also supervises quality and repair operations for the iPhone and its core components.

She has been with Apple since 2001, working her way up from a behind-the-scenes engineer to the VP post.

In 2017, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Michigan State University, where she earned her MBA in Supply Chain Management in 2001.

8. Ayanna Howard
Founder and CTO – Zyrobotics

Ayanna has a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a PhD holder in Electrical Engineering, Robotics and Computer Science. She founded Zyrobotics in 2013, an award-winning educational technology company that makes STEM learning accessible to all children worldwide.

She has been a Professor of Robotics and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology for 14 years and is the Director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab. Her lab focuses on research that addresses issues in designing intelligent machines that interact with and learn from humans and the surrounding environment.

9. Gwynne Shotwell
COO – SpaceX

She is the President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX, an American space transportation company, where she is responsible for day-to-day operations and company growth. She is listed as the 59th most powerful woman by Forbes.

Shotwell originally planned to work in the automotive industry and was enrolled in Chrysler Corporation’s management training program but desired a more technical and hands-on engineering role.

Her qualifications in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics allowed her to take up roles in military research where she worked in thermal analysis, including conceptual small spacecraft design, infrared signature target modeling, space shuttle integration and reentry vehicle operational risks.

Under her leadership, SpaceX was the first private company to send a satellite into geostationary orbit. Setting new standards and achieving unique milestones, Gwynne is a role-model to all aspiring female engineers.

About the Author

Waqas Yamin is a Marketing Executive at UK College of Business and Computing (UKCBC) Dubai, creating content for their website, blogs and other creative media. He contributes educational and motivational content to the UKCBC newsletter and manages communications with all stakeholders. He enjoys research and contributes with engaging, informative content that highlights the importance of education and success stories that inspire and motivate. For feedback and suggestions, connect with him on LinkedIn.

About UKCBC

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