The Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2025

Duration: 58 mins
Publication date: 12 Dec 2025
Part of series Young Woman Engineer YWE

Abstract

A dynamic engineer working in the UK and is aged between 18 and 35, who is a high achiever, a problem solver, a team player and who represents the very best of our profession.

Channels

IET News

Lectures

Speakers

Rachel Donaghey

NATS, Service Introduction Manager
Amy Dillon

Associate Engineer at Design ID and Director of The Think Design Engineer Foundation and The Big Bridge“I absolutely love what I do, and I really enjoy that I get to be creative, and I get to do things that change the world.”Amy is a bridge builder - quite literally! As a Civil Engineer managing multi million pound infrastructure projects, she has been integral to many critical infrastructure projects, including the Northern Spire bridge in her home town of Sunderland.She’s also the brains behind The Big Bridge, the STEM outreach initiative that brings a 13-metre-long buildable bridge to schools and community events across Northern Ireland and Ireland.It has reached around 4,000 students to date, with a focus on introducing girls from less advantaged backgrounds to engineering via hands-on experiences.
Nikkala Pokojski

Kainos, Software Engineer

“I'm passionate, ambitious, and curious, driven to build technology that solves your problems and makes a difference.”Nikkala is still an apprentice, but she has already designed a full system architecture for HM Passport Office.Her commitment to real-world software solutions has led to rapid progression during her apprenticeship as a software engineer at Kainos.Her work contributes to the entire software development lifecycle, including writing, testing, deploying, and maintaining code.With a practical approach, she is taking responsibilities beyond her years, expanding her skillset, and is a debugging and problem-solving mentor to other apprentices and junior developers.
Rachel Hayden

WSP, Senior Engineer

“I feel incredibly proud to be nominated for the Young Women Engineer of the Year award, let alone be named as one of the finalists. I feel really grateful to be recognised for my work, both at WSP, and as a STEM ambassador.”Rachel was introduced to the idea of becoming an engineer through a school pasta bridge competition – and now manages infrastructure and assets that include not just bridges, but tunnels, culverts, pumping stations, and retaining structures.In her role as a Senior Chartered Civil Engineer at WSP, she project manages two multi-million pound projects, leading multidisciplinary teams of engineers, planners, commercial managers, and technical specialists, to ensure quality and safety.As an international STEM ambassador, she founded and led the Building the Future, Shaping our World competition, connecting students from India, Nepal, the UK, and Jersey to design sports venues for their communities.
Jennifer Barry

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), Senior Systems Engineer

“I'm motivated by my background in astrophysics and my love of problem solving, which helps me turn novel and ambitious ideas into reality.”Jennifer represents the UK internationally on space sustainability. She has led UK delegations to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and presented at the UN, and contributed to the ESA’s Zero Debris initiative.Her work as the Payload Systems Lead at the UK Space Agency involves technical insight, assuring quality standards, leading research and development initiatives, and project management.She has also found time to co-lead a team delivering over 530 hours of STEM outreach to students, earning her an invitation to the Youth in Aviation and Aerospace parliamentary reception at the House of Lords.

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