School of Engineering » Equality and Diversity News & Events

Empowering Future Engineers

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:37:00 GMT

Have you ever thought about how teaching can transform the next generation of engineers?

In a recent episode of the Women In Industry Podcast, host Kirsty Davies-Chinnock engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Bethany Haynes (pictured), a process and product technologist in the School of Engineering.

With a wealth of experience in engineering, Beth shares her journey of transitioning from a technician role to a teaching-focused position, emphasizing the importance of accessibility and sustainability in engineering education. Beth's journey from an engineering technician to a process and production technologist marks a significant shift in responsibilities.

Unlike her previous role, where she primarily created solutions for others, Beth now focuses on empowering students and faculty members by teaching them how to create solutions themselves. See below link for the full YouTube podcast.

Series Four, Episode Three: Empowering Future Engineering

Congratulations to Professor Georgia Kremmyda, ��ɫ��Ƶ's new Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching)

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:02:00 GMT

Professor Georgia Kremmyda has been selected as the University's new Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching). This role is to provide strategic academic leadership across the University on learning, teaching, curriculum, assessment, and educational innovation to drive forward educational excellence across the University.

She will remain affiliated to the School and intends to support module-level teaching activities.

School of Engineering receives Athena Swan Gold Award!

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We were delighted to announce recently that the School of Engineering has been awarded the prestigious Athena Swan Gold Award, the highest honour for exceptional and sustained commitment to gender equality in higher education and research. (email 04/06 08:29)

The award, which is valid for five years, recognises the School’s long-term strategic efforts to embed inclusive practices, support underrepresented groups, and build a diverse, equitable academic environment.

This milestone makes the School of Engineering one of only two departments at the University of ��ɫ��Ƶ to hold the Gold Award, alongside ��ɫ��Ƶ Business School (WBS). It is one of a handful of Engineering departments in the UK to hold Gold.

Thank you to everyone, staff and students alike, who has supported the School of Engineering on this journey to Gold over the past decade!

Press Release

The School marked International Women in Engineering Day 2025 with ‘Together We Engineer’ Celebration

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The School proudly hosted a special event on Wednesday 18th June to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day (INWED2025).

Held under this year’s global theme, ‘Together We Engineer’, the event brought together students, staff, and industry professionals to reflect on collaboration, inclusion, and allyship within the engineering sector.

A highlight of the morning was the Student Voice Panel, chaired by Dr Bisola Mutingwende,

Assistant Professor in Electromechanical Degree Apprenticeships. Student panellists Sharayu Sonavane, Araf Saad, and Melisha Barboza shared their personal journeys, research experiences, and reflections on how the principle of engineering together shapes both education and future professional landscapes.

This was followed by a presentation before moving into the Staff Panel Discussion: ‘Together We Engineer in the Workplace’, chaired by Professor Joanna Collingwood, Associate Head of School (People).

The panel featured distinguished members of the ��ɫ��Ƶ engineering community including Professor Wanda Lewis, Professor David Towers, Dr Freeha Azmat, and Dr Mathias Foo.

Together, they explored themes of collaboration, allyship, and leadership within academic and industrial engineering environments.

A lively Q&A session invited attendees to join the conversation before closing remarks wrapped up what had been a very inspiring event.

Speaking about the event, Dr Modupe Jimoh said:

"International Women in Engineering Day gives us a valuable opportunity to pause, celebrate the contributions of women in the field, and to collectively reflect on how we can engineer a more inclusive and collaborative profession for everyone."

The School of Engineering’s INWED2025 event reaffirmed ��ɫ��Ƶ’s dedication to cultivating an environment where diversity is valued and where engineering together - across roles, disciplines, and experiences - is at the heart of innovation.

The Butterfly Effect: Transforming Africa by Unleashing the Power of Brilliant Young African Women Scientists

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Africa’s breakthrough over the next 25 years will come through unleashing the exceptional ability of gifted young women scientists and technologists from across the continent. This bold vision motivated Tom Ilube to create a unique institution, the Ghana-based African Science Academy (ASA), the only school in the world designed specifically for academically gifted young women to study STEM subjects in half the time that any other school does and still achieve brilliant results.

Unlocking Potential and Embracing Excellence: Advancing Progress of Girls and Women in STEM education- A Preeminent Condition for Transformative and Sustainable Development in Africa, 14:00-15:30, a panel discussion.

Modupe Jimoh, from the School, participated as a panel member at this event at the University of ��ɫ��Ƶ, Oculus 0.03.

Engineering the future: Professor Xueyu Geng helps pave the way to a sustainable world

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:00:00 GMT

From LEGO to railway infrastructure, Professor Xueyu Geng is helping to engineer a more sustainable world.
Xueyu’s career journey has taken her around the world, but engineering wasn’t always her career goal.

“When I was growing up, I really wanted to go to medical school” she says. “But despite my interest in medicine, my parents were very keen for me to pursue engineering.”  
Then, whilst she was staying at a relative’s house as a teenager, her parents submitted an application for her to study engineering at university.
Although this derailed her plans for medicine, she now realises it was the right career track for her. “When I look back, I think my parents understood me a bit better than I thought they did!” she reminisces. “I can't stand blood - but I’m good at assembling things. Even as a child, I enjoyed assembling things like Lego and similar toys. I think my parents made the right choice.” 

You can read her story that was part of the University's Infinitely Curious, 'Meet the People Behind the Research' feature, via the link below.

Xueyu's story

In 10 years has anything changed for Women and Girls in Science?

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT

It’s been 10 years since the UN announced the first International Day of Women and Girls in Science to highlight the gender gap in Stem-related fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the slow progress of women into senior positions.

As of 2023, the number of women graduates in Stem had increase by 5% to just 35% since 2014, when the Awareness Day launched.

There remain barriers entry with the UN reporting only 12% of members in national science academies are women. And for women and girls marginalised by culture, disabilities, rural deprivation and those who identify as LGBTQ+ – the barriers to entry and progression are even higher.

Undergraduates and researchers from the University of ��ɫ��Ƶ share their experiences of nurturing talent in girls and women in stem in this Press Release, including third year Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student, Madeleine Pomroy (pictured below)

"I joined ��ɫ��Ƶ to study mechanical engineering partly because of ��ɫ��Ƶ Racing, and due to the facilities and reputation. ��ɫ��Ƶ Racing is our universities extra-curricular, student run Formula student team, for which I’ve now been voted to be Team Principal. Every year we design, build and test a new car and compete against other universities at the annual competition at Silverstone in July."

Madeleine's Full article

Georgia Kremmyda has been recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA)!

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Principal Fellowship is reserved for highly experienced leaders who demonstrate an outstanding and sustained record of strategic impact and leadership in enhancing learning and teaching.

Georgia's exceptional contributions have advanced education not only within the School of Engineering and ��ɫ��Ƶ but also across the wider academic community, making a profound and lasting difference to the discipline and profession.

Congratulations to Dr Sophie Pain, who has been awarded a prestigious five-year Research Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 11:00:00 GMT

The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced the latest recipients of its highly competitive Research Fellowships, with Dr. Sophie Pain from the University of ��ɫ��Ƶ's School of Engineering among those honoured. Dr. Pain's groundbreaking research, titled "Achieving Sustainable Solar: Atomic Manufacturing for Recyclable Photovoltaics," focuses on improving the recyclability of solar panels—a critical issue as the world shifts towards renewable energy.

Solar power plays a vital role in meeting global energy demands while supporting net-zero carbon goals, contributing over £25 billion to the UK economy. In the UK alone, photovoltaic installations have surged over the past decade. Although solar modules are designed to last more than 25 years, a looming challenge awaits as hundreds of thousands of modules will need recycling each year by 2026. While many of the materials in solar modules, such as glass, metals, and silicon, can be recycled, the polymeric adhesives and encapsulants currently used make recovering valuable materials difficult.

Dr. Pain’s fellowship aims to address this challenge by developing alternative encapsulants for silicon photovoltaic modules. These new materials will be easier to remove than conventional polymers, enhancing the recyclability of solar panels and offering a sustainable solution to this growing waste stream.

The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Research Fellowships support innovative engineering research addressing diverse societal challenges, including early-stage cancer diagnosis, more efficient recycling, reducing energy consumption in internet infrastructure, and cost-effective drug discovery. The fellowships are designed to empower outstanding early-career researchers to become future leaders in engineering, offering up to £625,000 over five years to support fundamental research across any engineering discipline.

Dr Sophie Pains's award also comes off the back of winning two internal awards: the SEM Faculty Thesis prize for her PhD (2019-2023), and Early Career Researcher of the Year (2024).

Once again, congratulations to Dr Sophie Pain.

To read more about the fellowship and Dr Pains award, please click here

Women Engineers at WUSAT Satellite Engineering Missions - since 2006

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 11:00:00 GMT

A presentation of Women Engineers who have worked on WUSAT Satellite Engineering Missions
at the University of ��ɫ��Ƶ since 2006