Published: Tue 14 Oct 2025
Young women engineers make prestigious national final and inspire more girls to join the industry
To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day, five trailblazing young women from across aerospace, transport, the built environment, and tech have been named as finalists for the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2025.
These esteemed engineering industry awards honour women working and breaking boundaries in modern engineering. These women are also working to help change the perception that engineering is predominantly a career for men by diminishing outdated engineering stereotypes of hard hats and dirty overalls.
This year’s awards finalists include Jennifer Barry, Amy Dillon, Rachel Donaghey, Rachel Hayden and Nikkala Pokojski:
Jennifer Barry – Payload Systems Lead, UK Space Agency
Jennifer Barry, Payload Systems Lead at the UK Space Agency, is shaping the future of sustainable space. She oversees UK payloads for missions with NASA and ESA and drives innovation in areas like space-based solar power.
A global advocate, she represents the UK at the UN and supports ESA’s Zero Debris initiative. Her outreach work spans more than 500 hours, inspiring the next generation through flagship STEM events.
Amy Dillon – Principal Engineer, Design ID
Amy Dillon, is a Principal Engineer at Design ID. She leads high-impact infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland. A Chartered Engineer and ICE STEM Ambassador of the Year, she combines technical leadership with a passion for outreach, founding The Big Bridge to engage over 2,500 young people, particularly girls, in engineering.
Rachel Donaghey – Service Introduction Manager, NATS
Rachel plays a key role in UK air traffic control, leading the safe rollout of new systems across 38 sites in a 24/7 operational environment. Rapidly promoted after her graduate scheme, she also supports NATS’ incident response team, providing clear, calm communication during major emergencies. Her leadership helps keep UK skies safe and resilient.
Rachel Hayden – Senior Engineer, WSP
Rachel Hayden, Senior Chartered Civil Engineer at WSP, is leading on two of the UK’s largest HS2 infrastructure projects—overseeing the independent checking of nearly 90 major assets. A committed STEM advocate, she actively supports outreach through the ICE and industry partnerships, championing visibility and mentorship in engineering.
Nikkala Pokojski – Senior Software Engineer, Kainos
Nikkala, a standout apprentice at Kainos, has quickly progressed from learner to leader, developing real-world software and championing inclusive tech. She’s inspired a surge in girls choosing coding through school talks and supports community projects with her growing expertise in AI and cloud.
By showcasing these role models, the IET hopes to spark curiosity and confidence in girls across the UK, helping them see that engineering is not only for them but better with them.
As well as celebrating engineering excellence, the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards aims to find role models who can help tackle the UK’s ongoing science and engineering skills gap by inspiring more girls and young women to consider careers in STEM.
Despite progress, women remain significantly underrepresented, making up just 16.9% of the engineering and technology workforce, compared to 56% in other occupations (source: Engineering UK).
Dr Laura Norton, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the IET, said: “Engineering and technology continue to shape the world we live in, solving real-world challenges and improving lives every day. These awards celebrate the brilliant women who are driving that change and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
But we still face barriers, misconceptions about what engineering involves, outdated gender stereotypes, and a lack of visible role models all contribute to the shortage of women in the profession.
That’s why it’s so important to spotlight these exceptional engineers. Their stories have the power to spark curiosity and ambition in the next generation."
The winner will be announced at the IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards ceremony on Thursday, 11 December 2025. Registration is now open for the awards - for more information and to register to attend, please visit youngwomenengineer.theiet.org.
This year’s YWE Awards are being sponsored by GCHQ, Leonardo, London Stanstead Airport, MBDA, Northrop Grumman, Royal Air Force, and BAE Systems.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Other images available upon request.
Additional quotes
Marisa Kurimbokus, 2024 Young Woman Engineer of the Year, said: “Winning this award was a huge personal achievement, and I’m proud to be recognised alongside such inspiring finalists – women who are leaders, technical experts, and innovators in their fields.
"For me, the award is not just a celebration of my career so far, but also of the work I’ve done to introduce students to STEM and support early-career engineers as they grow.
“When I was a student, I didn’t have any engineering role models in my family or social circles, so stepping into the industry felt daunting. Having visible role models can make all the difference, it gives young people someone to relate to and aspire to. It’s the old saying: ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’.
“By showcasing successful female engineers every year, the IET is not only celebrating exceptional talent but also helping to create those vital role models for girls and young women, encouraging them to explore engineering and see it as a career where they belong.”
About the IET
- We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world.
- We are a diverse home for engineering and technology intelligence throughout the world. This breadth and depth means we are uniquely placed to help the sector progress society.
- We want to build the profile of engineering and technology to change outdated perceptions and tackle the skills gap. This includes encouraging more women to become engineers and growing the number of engineering apprentices.
- Interview opportunities are available with our spokespeople from a range of engineering and technology disciplines including cyber-security, energy, engineering skills, innovation, manufacturing, technology, transport and diversity in engineering.
- For more information, visit www.theiet.org.
- Follow the IET on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram via @TheIET / @InstitutionofEngineeringandTechnology.
Media enquiries to:
Megan Stearn
Senior Communications Executive
E: meganstearn@theiet.org