Dawn Bonfield

Engineer, engineering advocate and educator

Dawn Bonfield MBE FREng FICE FIStructE FIMMM FWES [1] is a materials engineer and founder and director of Towards Vision,[2] a company which aims to work towards a vision of diversity and inclusion in engineering. She is past president and former chief executive of the Women's Engineering Society (WES),[3][4] and in 2018 was an ambassador for the Year of Engineering,[5][6] promoting engineering careers through a roadshow aimed at meeting parents.

Career

A materials engineer by profession, training and experience - having studied materials science at Bath University - Bonfield has worked at AERE Harwell, Citroen Research Centre (Paris), British Aerospace (Bristol), MBDA (Stevenage), and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (London).[3]

In 2017, Bonfield was appointed a Visiting Professor of Inclusive Engineers at Aston University,[7] developing undergraduate content on inclusive engineering to equip the next generation of engineers with the skills and competencies they need to be inclusive. She also co-founded IncEng in 2017,[8] a platform to bring together under-represented groups in engineering.

Activism

Bonfield joined the council of the Women's Engineering Society in 2011 and was elected president in 2014.[9] She then became CEO in 2015.[3] Bonfield was the founder of National Women in Engineering Day in 2014 and in 2015 established the inaugural 50 Women in Engineering List with the Daily Telegraph.[3][10] She established and still runs the "Magnificent Women" schools outreach project and website,[11] and the Sparxx project to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students.[12] She is a STEM ambassador who regularly promotes engineering and materials in schools.

Awards

In 2015 Bonfield won a WISE Award[13] and an Association Congress Award for the INWED campaign,[6] and in 2016 she won the SEMTA Skills Diversity Award.[14] In 2016 she was a Finalist in the Airbus GEDC Diversity Award,[15] and in 2017 she won the Women's Business Council STEM 'Starting Out' award.[16]

She was made MBE in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours list[17][18] for 'Services to the promotion of diversity in engineering'.

Membership of groups

Bonfield has been a member of the following groups:

References

  1. ^ "New Fellows 2022". Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Towards Vision Home Page. Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering". Towards Vision. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Dawn Bonfield MBE | Women's Engineering Society". www.wes.org.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Women in Engineering Day prompts gender debate", CIBSE Journal, June 2016
  5. ^ "2018 will be the year of engineering". GOV.UK. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Dawn Bonfield". Aston University. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Visiting Professor of Inclusive Engineering Appointed". Aston University. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. ^ Administrator. "IncEng: strengthening the voice of diversity and inclusion in engineering | International Fire Professional Latest News". Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Presidents Past and Present". Women's Engineering Society. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Engineering Heroes – The 2021 Top 50 Women in Engineering #WE50". Women's Engineering Society. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Magnificent Women". Magnificent Women. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Unlocking engineering's appeal to girls". The Engineer. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  13. ^ "WISE Awards 2015 - Welcome to the WISE Campaign". Welcome to the WISE Campaign. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Diversity award for inspirational Dawn". semta.org.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Airbus GEDC Diversity Award". airbusgroup. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  16. ^ "WBC Awards 2017 – Women's Business Council". www.womensbusinesscouncil.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  17. ^ Martin Ford (10 June 2016), "Inspiring Codicote and Stevenage engineer Dawn Bonfield receives MBE in Queen's honours", Hertfordshire Mercury
  18. ^ "Order of the British Empire: Jacqueline Dawn Bonfield". The Gazette. 11 June 2016.
  19. ^ "Membership of T level panels for 2020 and 2021 delivery" (PDF). November 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  20. ^ "Engineering diversity and inclusion - toolkit and survey launch event". Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Increasing diversity and inclusion in engineering". Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Royal Academy of Engineering diversity and inclusion leadership group (DILG) - measurement". Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  23. ^ "University of Bath Court MoM January 2018" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  24. ^ "Patrons of Alton School". Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  25. ^ "City University Gender Equality Advisory Group". Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  26. ^ "Visiting Professors Management Group". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Womens Business Council 2016 Progress Report" (PDF). Women's Business Council. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  28. ^ "IOM3 Women in materials group". Retrieved 19 August 2018.