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Women in Engineering

At Newcastle, we have a strong community of women academics, researchers and students in Engineering.

Although the number of women in engineering has increased over the last decade, only 16.5% of engineers in the UK are women.

With today's global challenges, it has never been more important to inspire and encourage more people, especially women, to pursue a career in engineering.

At Newcastle, we want to inspire more women to study and work in Engineering.

 

Athena Swan awards

As a University, Faculty, and School, we have a strong track record in the Athena SWAN scheme.

Athena SWAN advances gender equality with representation, progression and success for all.

The School of Engineering was granted a Bronze award in March 2024.

Outreach activities

We’re committed to encouraging women to study Engineering and have a comprehensive Outreach programme. This includes events on campus for students and online resources for teachers. 

Through our outreach activities, we aim to:

  • strengthen our partnerships with local schools
  • increase student awareness of engineering as a discipline to study, and to increase school awareness of engineering so they can better promote the discipline/industry (and Newcastle University) to their students
  • increase confidence in girls studying STEM subjects, particularly engineering

Women's Engineering Society

We are members of the Women's Engineering Society (WES), which supports women in Engineering. 

We are very proud to have had colleagues from Newcastle nominated as Top 50 Women in Engineering winners and finalists in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Inspirational women

Hear from some of our inspirational colleagues:

I wanted to make a positive difference in the world. Engineers are the key to solving today’s global challenges – from dealing with climate change impacts to developing sustainable solutions for energy production.

Dr Sarah Dunn, Senior Lecturer and WES Top 50 Women Finalist (2023)

I got into engineering because I was always curious about the world and how things work. To me, being a woman in engineering means to challenge preconceptions and break societal barriers that unfortunately still exist.

Dr Priscila Melo, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering

There is so much work to be done for our planet and for the future of our children and grandchildren! Be resilient, tenacious and follow your passion.

Professor Lidija Siller, Women's Engineering Society (WES) Top 50 Women (2022)

Find out more about Lidija's research in Engineering: