List of female fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering

The page lists female fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), elected by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK.

The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), founded in 1976, is the youngest of the five national academies in the UK. It represents the nation's best practising engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs, who are very often in leading roles in industry, business, and academia.[1] Fellowship of the RAEng is a national honour, bringing prestige to both the individual and any organisation the Fellow is associated with. In recent years between 50 and 60 new fellows have been chosen each year by peer review from nominations made by the current fellowship;.[2] Those proposed for fellowship must come “from among eminent engineers regarded by virtue of their personal achievements in the field of engineering as being of exceptional merit and distinction”.[3]

All 130 of the founding fellows in 1976 were men. Four women were elected in the first 20 years, the first in 1982. In all, 13 female fellows pre-date 2000, with a further 20 elected before 2010 and 65 in the decade before 2020. In 2010 the Council determined a policy that over time 10–20% of newly elected fellows should be women.[4]

The Academy published a diversity and inclusion action plan for the five years from 2020 [5] but does not regularly publish the proportion of female engineers in the current fellowship, estimated in 2019 to be less than 7%.[6] In July 2020 it launched a campaign aimed at delivering a 'Fellowship that is Fit for the Future' by the time it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026 and set an aspiration that at least half of all candidates elected each year will be from under-represented target groups.[7] In 2023 six of the 60 new Fellows were female.[8]

As of 2023, 137 women have been elected to Fellowship, plus twelve international fellows, twelve honorary fellows, and one royal fellow.

Fellows

List of female fellows
Year of election Image Fellow Field(s) of work; academia/industry RAEng appointments/awards and notes Refs.
1982 Elizabeth Killick Electronic engineering, marine technology; industry Died 2019 [9]
1987 Beryl Platt Aeronautical engineering; industry Died 2015 [10][11][12]
1992 Agnes Kaposi Electrical engineering; academia and industry [13]
1995 Patricia Foster Electrical engineering; industry
1996 Ann Dowling Mechanical engineering, aeroacoustics; academia First woman President of the RAEng, 2014–2019 [14][15]
Sue Ion Nuclear engineering; industry A vice-president of RAEng, 2002–2008; first woman to be awarded RAEng President's medal 2014 [16][17][18]
Rachel Spooncer Chemical engineering; industry First woman to win MacRobert Award, (with ICI, 1993) [19][20]
1997 Joanna Kennedy Civil engineering; industry [12][21][22]
Julia King Fracture mechanics; academia Led RAEng working party on ‘Educating Engineers for the 21st Century’ 2007 [12][23][24]
Susan Lyons Manufacturing engineering; industry and academia
1999 Yvonne Barton Geotechnical engineering; industry and academia
Julia Higgins Chemical engineering; academia A vice-president of RAEng, 2008–2011
Pamela Liversidge Mechanical engineering; industry
2000 Wendy Hall Computer science; academia First woman to be RAEng Senior Vice-President 2005–2008 [12][25]
2001 Stephanie Shirley Information technology; industry and philanthropy
2002 Polina Bayvel Optical networking; industry and academia [26]
Amanda Chessell Computer science; industry and academia First woman to be awarded the RAEng Silver Medal 2001 [27]
Helen Stone Civil engineering; industry [28]
2003 Lynn Gladden Chemical engineering; academia [29]
Faith Wainwright Structural engineering; industry Editorial Board member of RAEng magazine Ingenia [30]
2004 Maria Petrou Signal processing; academia Died 2012 [31]
2005 Amanda Petford-Long Materials science; academia [32]
2006 (Kathleen) Elizabeth Tanner Biomedical engineering; academia Editorial Board member of RAEng magazine Ingenia; RAEng Trustee Board 2017- [33][34]
Jean Venables Civil engineering; industry and academia [35]
2007 Helen Atkinson Materials engineering; academia A vice-president of RAEng, 2012–2014; RAEng Trustee Board 2014–2016 [36]
Dervilla Mitchell Civil engineering; industry A vice-president of RAEng, 2011–2014 [37]
2008 Jo da Silva Civil engineering; industry and international development [38]
Alison Noble Biomedical engineering; industry and academia [39][40]
Sarah Spurgeon Control engineering; industry and academia [39][41]
2009 Sarah Springman Geotechnical engineering; industry and academia [42]
Nina Thornhill Chemical engineering; industry and academia [42]
Jane Wernick Structural engineering; industry and academia [42][43]
Sophie Wilson Computer science; industry and academia [42]
2010 Jane Atkinson Chemical engineering; industry [44]
Jayne Bryant Chemical engineering; industry [44][45]
Carol Burke Manufacturing engineering; industry [44][46]
Carole Goble Computer science; academia [44]
Judith Hackitt Chemical engineering; industry [44]
Anne Neville (engineer) Mechanical engineering; academia Died 2022; RAEng chair in Emerging technologies, University of Leeds [44]
2011 (Sarah Regina) Ginny Clarke Civil engineering, highway engineering; industry Editorial Board member of RAEng magazine Ingenia [47]
Lianne Deeming Materials engineering; industry [48]
Eileen Harkin-Jones Polymer engineering; academia Bombardier-RAEng chair in Composites Engineering at Ulster University from 2014 [49]
Michelle McDowell Civil engineering; industry [50][51][52]
Jeni Mundy Electronic engineering; industry [53]
Frances Saunders Electronic engineering; industry RAEng Trustee Board 2015- [54]
Abigail Sellen Human-computer interaction; industry [55]
Liane Smith Materials science, corrosion engineering; industry [56]
2012 Serena Best Materials science; academia [57]
Cynthia Carroll Mining engineering; industry [57][58]
Jane Jiang Precision engineering; industry and academia Renishaw-RAEng chair in Precision Metrology at the University of Huddersfield from 2015 [57][59][60]
Elaine Martin Chemical engineering; academia Formerly Editorial Board member of RAEng magazine Ingenia; RAEng Trustee Board 2014- [57][61]
Jane Plant Geochemistry; academia Died 2016 [57][62]
2013 Adisa Azapagic Chemical engineering, sustainable engineering; academia [63][64]
Muffy Calder Computer science; academia [63]
Naomi Climer Media technology; industry RAEng Trustee Board 2017- [63][65]
Janice Crawford Chemical engineering; industry [63]
Carolyn Griffiths Mechanical engineering, railway engineering; industry [63][66]
Raffaella Ocone Chemical engineering; academia [63][67]
Molly Stevens Biomaterials science; academia [63][68]
2014 Patricia Connolly Bioengineering; academia and industry [69]
Pratibha Gai Electron microscopy, nanotechnology; academia and industry [69][70]
Karen Scrivener Materials science; academia [69]
2015 Claire Adjiman Chemical engineering; academia [71]
Karen Holford Mechanical engineering, acoustic emission; academia and industry [71]
Mary Ryan Electrochemistry; academia Shell-RAEng chair in Interfacial Nanoscience for Engineering Systems, Imperial College London from 2015 [71][72]
Angela Sasse Computer science, information security; academia [71]
2016 Jane Butler Electronic engineering, computer science; academia and industry [73]
Sarah Hainsworth Forensic materials engineering; academia [73]
Barbara Lane Fire protection engineering; industry and academia [73]
Catriona Schmolke Civil engineering; industry [73]
2017 Joan Cordiner Chemical engineering, agrochemicals; industry [74]
Alicia El Haj Biological engineering, regenerative medicine; academia [74]
Caroline Hargrove Mechanical engineering, human–machine interaction; industry and academia [74]
Rachel Hurst Manufacturing engineering; industry [74]
Ursula Martin Computer science; academia [74]
Angela Strank Chemical engineering, petroleum engineering; industry [74]
Eleanor Stride Biomedical engineering; academia and industry [74]
Anne Trefethen Computer science; academia [74]
Sarah Williamson Structural engineering; industry [74]
2018 Judith Driscoll Materials Science; academia [75]
Susan Gray Aviation engineering; Royal Air Force [75]
Rebecca Lunn Civil engineering, geotechnical engineering; academia BAM Nuttall-RAEng chair, University of Strathclyde from 2017 [75]
Hilary Mercer Mechanical engineering, project management; industry [75]
Rachel Thomson Materials engineering; academia [75]
Rachel Williams Biomedical engineering; academia [75]
2019 Shirin Dehghan Electronic engineering; industry [76]
Bridget Eickhoff Railway engineering; industry
Luisa Freitas dos Santos Chemical engineering; industry
Alice Gast Chemical engineering; academia
Rebecca Lingwood Fluid dynamics; academia
Catherine McClay Electrical engineering; industry
Máire O'Neill Cyber security; academia RAEng Silver Medal (2014) [77]
Maja Pantić Artificial intelligence; academia
Fiona Rayment Nuclear power; industry
Leigh-Ann Russell Petroleum engineering; industry
Dimitra Simeonidou Telecommunications engineering; academia
Rachel Skinner Transportation engineering; industry
Lila Tachtsi Highway engineering; industry
2020 Julie Bregulla Fire engineering, Structural engineering; industry [78][79]
Dawn Childs Mechanical engineering, Aeronautical engineering; industry
Philippa Gardner Computer science; academia
Deborah Greaves Marine engineering; academia
Esther Rodriguez-Villegas Wearable technology; academia and industry RAEng Silver medal (2020)
Lucy Rogers Mechanical engineering, Fluid dynamics; Science communication RAEng Visiting professor at Brunel University
Tong Sun Sensor engineering, Photonics; academia RAEng Silver medal (2016); RAEng Research professor (2018)
Alison Vincent Cyber Security, Software engineering; industry
2021 Jade Alglave Computer Science; academia and industry RAEng Silver medal (2018) [80][81]
Ruth Allen Civil engineering, Infrastructure; industry
Alison Atkinson Nuclear engineering, Project management; industry
Alice Delahunty Electrical engineering; industry
Penelope Endersby Physics, Artificial intelligence; academia and industry
Elspeth Finch Entrepreneur; industry RAEng Silver medal (2013)
Jarmila Glassey Chemical engineering; academia
Paola Lettieri Chemical engineering, Fluidisation; academia
Margaret Lucas Civil engineering, Ultrasonics; academia
Aimee Morgans Mechanical engineering, Thermofluids; academia RAEng/EPSRC Research Fellow (2004–09)
Catherine Noakes Mechanical engineering, Environmental engineering; academia
Rachel Oliver Materials science; academia
Tiziana Rossetto Structural engineering, Earthquake engineering; academia
Julia Sutcliffe Computer science, Aeronautical engineering; academia and industry
Patricia Thornley Environmental engineering; academia and industry
Rebecca Weston Nuclear engineering; industry
2022 Dawn Bonfield Aerospace materials; diversity and inclusion RAEng Visiting professor of Inclusive engineering [82][83]
Suzanne Farid Bioprocess engineering; academia
Susan Gourvenec Offshore geotechnical engineering; industry RAEng chair in Emerging Technology
Christine Ourmières-Widener Aerospace engineering; industry
Yoge Patel Artificial intelligence; industry
Honor Powrie Artificial intelligence; industry
Elena Rodriguez-Falcon Mechanical engineering; academia
Judith Sykes Infrastructure; industry
Niki Trigoni Software engineering; academia and industry
2023 Ruth Cameron Biomaterials; academia and industry [8][84]
Rosemary Francis Computer architecture, Software engineering; industry
Caroline Hazlewood Hydraulic engineering; industry
Gwen Parry-Jones Nuclear physics; industry
Catriona Savage Naval architecture; academia and industry
Barbara Shollock Materials science; academia

International Fellows

International Fellows are engineers of international distinction who are not of British nationality and who are not resident and working in Britain. The number of International Fellows cannot exceed one-tenth of the number of Fellows, and no more than ten may be elected in any year.[3]

List of female International Fellows
Year of election Image Fellow Field(s) of work; Academia/Industry Notes Refs.
2004 Jane Grimson Computer science; academia [85]
2011 Anne Lauvergeon Chemical engineering; industry [86]
2012 Shirley Ann Jackson Particle physics; academia [57]
Allyson Lawless Civil engineering; industry [57]
2013 Ursula Burns Mechanical engineering; industry [63]
2018 Frances Arnold Chemical engineering; academia Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 [75]
2022 Rebecca Enonchong Entrepreneur; industry [82]
Andrea Goldsmith Electrical engineering; academia and industry [82]
Grazia Vittadini Aeronautical engineering; industry [82]
2023 Nadine Aubry Fluid mechanics; academia [8][84]
Marlene Kanga Chemical engineering; industry [8][84]
Viola Vogel Bioengineering; academia [8][84]

Honorary Fellows

Persons not being Fellows who have made or are making a distinguished contribution to the practice of engineering are eligible for election as Honorary Fellows. Their number cannot exceed fifty and no more than five may be elected in any year.[3]

List of female Honorary Fellows
Year of election Image Honorary Fellow Refs.
2008 Anne Glover [39]
Vanessa Lawrence [39]
2021 Roma Agrawal [80]
Yewande Akinola [80]
Anne-Marie Imafidon [80]
Steph McGovern [80]
2022 Nike Folayan [82]
Hannah Fry [82]
Damilola Ogunbiyi [82]
2023 Kate Bingham [8][84]
Martha Lane Fox [8][84]
Angela McLean [8][84]

Royal Fellows

Royal Fellows are such members of the Royal Family as on the invitation of the Board shall agree to become Royal Fellows.[3]

List of female Royal Fellows
Year of invitation Image Royal Fellow Refs.
2010 Anne, Princess Royal [87]

References

General
  • "List of current Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering". Retrieved 15 August 2015.
Specific
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External links

  • Official website
  • RAEng Awards Prizes and Medals