Hi! I'm Humaira, I'm a Mechanical Engineering Masters graduate and am currently working as a Mechanical Design Engineer in Cyber Security. My current aims are to become a Chartered Engineer. I was previously involved as a mentor in Uni to younger STEM students and would love to continue that after University to help with interviews and just really help other women find their way in Engineering without making the same mistakes I did. As a previous member of Formula student for 3 years, one of which I was Team Principal, I have a proven track record of preparing and executing project plans as well as guiding and helping everyone achieve the best they can. I am also a Certified Solidworks Professional with prior experience in composite FEA modelling and CFD. I have spent the last few years building a network and gathering advice from a variety of professionals that I would love to share.

Dr Deshani Gunasekera is a Chartered Engineer of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), Founder and Director of Franshani Imapact LTD. She graduated from the University of Melbourne (Australia) with a BEng (Honours) in Chemical Engineering, MSc in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Nottingham (UK). She also has a Diploma in Management Accounting.

She has worked in chemical and manufacturing engineering (3D printing of novel materials) fields as a process engineer and a research engineer respectively, for over 3 years. She also has over 8 years of experience in the UK higher education ranging from teaching, research supervision, programme development, research and development, pastoral care and student experience for foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate students. She is a trained data scientist and currently consults on data analysis projects with multinational companies. She also provides higher education and professional development support and training

Ed Walker is a father of Lily (4) and Rowan (2), currently living in East Yorkshire. He is a keen cyclist and runner. 

He has 10 years experience working on top tier COMAH sites as process engineer. He took over a leadership role during the first week of COVID in 2020 and has since transitioned to the site leadership team as Technology and Improvement Manager. He currently leads a team of 40 engineers and specialists supporting the site capital programme and leading improvement and NetZero initiatives.

Rebekah is a Chartered Chemical Engineer with a first-class MEng degree from the University of Nottingham. After starting her career as a Process Engineer at Fawley Refinery, she moved out to the Middle East to work for Marsh as a Risk Engineer. Working for a Global Insurance Broker, the site surveys completed are used to assess risks, quantify potential loss impacts and ultimately help sites improve their risk management processes. She supports a range of Refineries, Petrochemical Facilities and iconic Commercial Properties. Rebekah is passionate about promoting an inclusive workspace for all employees and is excited to start mentoring with FLISS.

Lucy graduated with MSci Astrophysics in 2015, and began her career as a consultant in the Quantitative Advisory Services team at Ernst & Young where she developed and validated credit risk models. Since then she has worked within risk and product control at JP Morgan before pivoting out of financial services and into the energy sector, where she is currently a Strategy Advisor in the group strategy team at bp.

Outside of work she enjoys eating and cooking, looking after her and her husband’s two adorable cats, rock climbing and running, where she has run all distances up to marathon and ultramarathon! She is also an accomplished violinist.

Hilary is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and completed her Master’s degree at the University of Leeds. Hilary has 10+ years’ experience in engineering, manufacturing and R&D roles across varied industries including diesel engines, power generation, medical devices and energy transportation. She started her engineering career as a graduate at Caterpillar on their graduate scheme working up to development engineer within the fuel systems team, then onto Aggreko to work as their lead system validation engineer followed by a move to medical devices as the senior system test engineer on mass testing devices to support the fight against the pandemic and back into mechanical engineering within Subsea7. Throughout her career she has been mentored and had mentees, both of which have been hugely beneficial. Hilary is passionate about helping people into STEM subjects and improving the workplace culture so everyone can feel valued and reach their potential.

Ozge recently joined SAFRAN, bringing with her valuable experience as an electric machine design expert from her previous role. In that position, she successfully completed numerous customer and R&D projects. Her professional journey includes a stint at ANSYS Inc, where she worked as an application engineer specialising in ANSYS-Maxwell. In addition to her engineering role, she also conducted training sessions on various ANSYS products. Ozge possesses extensive expertise in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and MotorCAD.

She is a globetrotter who frequently attends conferences worldwide, earning international recognition for her contributions. Currently residing in London, she has a passion for travel and sports, and she strongly believes in continuous self-improvement. Ozge is known for her approachable and friendly demeanour and is always available to answer any questions related to electric machine.

Vince is a highly experienced senior manager having spent the vast majority of his career in leadership positions working with organisations such as Rolls Royce, BMW, ZF, EON. In addition to his wide range of technical management skills, Vince has gained a huge amount of intercultural experience living and working overseas for many years.

One of Vince’s most enjoyable times at work was working with the highly talented Engineers, Scientists, Chemists etc (far too many to mention) at EON’s (Uniper) Engineering and Scientific organisation. At one stage Vince was the business lead on the Engineering Apprentice scheme and he sites seeing the development of these apprentices into highly effective engineers amongst his most satisfactory achievements. This experience should bode well now working with FLISS’s array of developing Engineers.

Academic achievements peaked with an MBA in 2000, then obtaining Chartered Manager status in in 2008 and being awarded a Fellowship of the Chartered Management Institute in 2009.

Since leaving the corporate world in 2020, Vince has founded and run three successful businesses (Property Development, Property Lettings, Management Consultancy) and now trades his time between them and Overcome the Mental Health Charity he Co-Founded.

His motivation for becoming a co-founder of Overcome is very personal having seen loved ones, as well as friends, colleagues and associates suffer with the devastating effects of depression and other mental health illness. Conversely, having been lucky enough not to suffer himself, some of his proudest work has been helping others with stress which is still the elephant in the room of most organisations.

Vince hopes these experiences, in addition to his Engineering technical background will add value to FLISS.

Sian is deeply passionate about delivering an inclusive transition to a net zero energy system. A Civil Engineer by background, Sian has over ten years’ experience working in the energy industry. Her career has followed the energy transition closely, initially starting with power station asset maintenance and later focusing on the phased demolition of fossil fuelled generation sites. Sian then moved on to work as a Project Development Manager developing energy masterplans and low-carbon projects, with a focus on grid stability and hydrogen, to transform the sites of former fossil fuelled power stations in to low-carbon energy hubs. Presently working as Energy Insights Manager for National Grid ESO, Sian is responsible for delivering the flagship Future Energy Scenarios (FES) publication which sets out credible routes to net zero alongside recommendations for policy and delivery of the energy transition.

Dorinda is a leadership development consultant and executive coach and works with organisations in building an inclusive and collaborative culture. She designs and delivers training and workshops for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups in Leadership as well as for Women in STEM.

She also delivers training programs to senior leaders and executives on how to build on inclusive culture and on the subject of leading diverse teams. Dorinda is fun, bubbly and passionate about understanding the psychology of people and particularly aims to help others find meaning and movement in challenging circumstances.

She is an accredited Senior Practitioner Coach and Mentor with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC).

Hi I'm Natalia! I'm a project engineer at Ricardo's Vehicle Emissions Research Centre. My work revolves around testing vehicles for emissions and electric range for a range of clients. I love my job as I get to work on a variety of different vehicles which keeps my day interesting! Outside of work I aim to be a role model for women in STEM and actively participate in outreach programmes. My hobbies include motorsports, working on my cars and motorcycle, and taking care of houseplants.

Richard is currently studying for a PhD in energy network flexibility at the University of Strathclyde. His career to date has involved working across systems engineering and design functions in the nuclear industry, a position as an energy & projects engineer, and finally as a managing consultant supporting the delivery of UK government industrial decarbonisation policies. He currently provides individual consulting services as director of his own company, Vakayil Energy Ltd. Richard has experience mentoring junior team members, as well as leading multi-discipline teams, and enjoys supporting others to reach their potential. He graduated in 2014 from the University of Nottingham, and is a Chartered Engineer with the IChemE.

Katie is an assistant professor in statistics at the University of Nottingham. She completed her maths Bsc at Nottingham in 2016 and then went on to complete her PhD in statistics in 2019 before starting her current role. In her current role she teaches undergraduate students statistics, this ranges from teaching first years the fundamentals all the way to more specialised modules such as statistical machine learning.

As well as lecturing Katie carries out research recently shifting to more mathematical education focussed research, where she her statistics knowledge to harness information on large student focussed data sets. Katie is also passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) taking on multiple roles within the university to lead work in this area. When Katie isn’t at work she’ll be relaxing, often looking after kittens she fosters for a local animal rescue!

I am an Adjunct Assistant Professor at London Business School where I teach Machine Learning, Data Analysis and Python programming courses. My research is focused on extracting trading signals from energy markets using advanced econometric techniques. My speciality is in Machine Learning and Econometrics, with focus on Reinforcement Learning. I completed my PhD in Machine Learning from Imperial College London (2016) and hold an MSc in Financial Engineering. My interests are in the application of Machine Learning, Econometrics and Statistical techniques to financial data.

Alexandra is a behavioural scientist specialising in applying behavioural insights to the world of work. She is the Founder and Director of AK Companies Ltd and is a PhD Candidate in Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. With a background in the financial industry, Alexandra works closely with organisations on hybrid work arrangements, employee well-being and inclusion. She is passionate about helping young people build successful and fulfilling careers.

Katerina is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader with over 15 years of experience in the Energy sector, known for driving transformative change and fostering innovation. With a dynamic career spanning senior management roles in the Upstream Oil & Gas Exploration industry and a pivotal leadership position at Clean Planet Energy, she has consistently demonstrated her versatility and strategic acumen.

Katerina's academic credentials, including a PhD from the University of Aberdeen and an Executive MBA from London Business School, further solidify her as a lifelong learner and an advocate for continuous personal and professional development.

In her current role as Vice President of New Ventures at Clean Planet Energy, Katerina has been instrumental in spearheading growth and fostering innovation. Under her leadership, the company has forged strategic partnerships and launched new business initiatives, cementing its position as a frontrunner in the clean energy landscape.

Her approach is characterized by a goal and results-oriented mindset combined with a strong sense of accountability. Katerina’s unique blend of expertise in business strategy, entrepreneurship, big data analytics, and a deep passion for sustainability and innovation positions her not just as a leader but as a visionary in her field.

Katerina envisions a future where sustainable practices are at the core of every energy initiative. She is dedicated to leading the charge in this transition, leveraging her extensive experience and strategic insights to drive meaningful impact in the energy sector

Bhawana is a Senior Software Engineer at a global investment management firm. In her role she engineers and develops modern cloud platform technologies.

She started her career with a cyber-security company as a traditional operations engineer. Since then, she has transitioned into various different roles – Quality Assurance, Automation Testing, Software Developer, Cloud Engineer and moved industries from cyber-security to finance.

She is a keen learner and has undertaken various certification programs to ensure she maintains and develops her specialist knowledge and skills. These include various AWS, Kubernetes and Hashicorp certifications.

Outside of work, she sits on the committee for the British Computer Society’s (BCS) DevSecOps special interest group. She is also a mentor at BCS helping individuals at different stages in their career transition and excel in DevOps roles. She is a STEM Ambassador and actively volunteers with local schools in London to promote STEM subjects and ignite young minds about the possibilities of a career in STEM.

I am a process engineer with more than 20 years experience in the petrochemical and carbon capture industries. In the first part of my career I worked as a process engineer producing documentation for basic engineering packages, working in technology development and commissioning plants worldwide. I then led one of JM’s technical areas with responsibility for steering R&D programs, IP portfolio management and leading a team of engineers. Finally I moved into commercial roles where I have negotiated and closed contracts for engineering services, technology licenses, and equipment and catalyst supply. I am currently responsible for creating Aker Carbon Capture’s technology licensing organisation and developing new licensing opportunities. I am located in the South East of London with a family, and outside of work I enjoy coaching mini-rugby, live music, cookery/food & drink and exercising.Description goes here

Hello , I'm Sarah 🐝

I started my engineering journey at the University of Nottingham, where I studied for an MEng in Chemical with Environmental Engineering 🎓. I've worked in both the biofuels and plastics manufacturing industries, where I gained chartered engineer status (IChemE) 👷.

Following the birth of my daughter, I embarked on a PG Diploma in Offshore wind and the environment at the University of Hull 🎓. Currently, I'm studying for a PhD in structural dynamics at University of Sheffield 🎓 (with a focus on machine learning) and teaching chemical engineering design at University of Nottingham 👩‍🏫.

I'm passionate about sharing stories and understanding one another so that we can all be the best versions of ourselves💜.

Outside of work I love to have fun with my family 👪, play netball ⛹️‍♀️ and crochet amigurumi 🧶!

I am a Chartered Chemical Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. I graduated from the University of Nottingham in 1976 and have 40+ years of industrial experience covering Design, Operations and Project Management. I also founded and developed a technical consultancy was sold in 2003.

In 2018 I joined the University of Nottingham Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering as a part-time Associate professor/Industrial Tutor. I work with three other industrial tutors to mentor students with their design projects, and support module convenors with lectures that require industrial contextualisation. My background in technical safety and accident investigation complements this work.

I am a firm believer in the importance of Engineering and the development of Engineering Technologies as cornerstones in the sustainable creation of wealth and societal benefit. However, to build these ‘cornerstones’ we need to inspire and mentor young people to enable them to reach their fullest potential.

I graduated with a 1st Class MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nottingham in 2018. I am currently manufacturing engineer at Tronox Pigment, having started my career as a process engineer at Lindsay Oil Refinery. I optimise the process units on a day to day basis as well as implementing improvement projects and investigating safety incidents. I am a mum to Oscar (1 yr) and am passionate about promoting STEM subjects to the younger generation, especially for women.

Markus holds a Ph.D. with a focus in oncology from the University of Oslo and an M.Sc. in molecular medicine from NTNU Trondheim. He has a background in scientific and business development in start-up companies and as business angel investor in a variety of companies across several sectors now working as Senior Investment Associate at Hadean Ventures. Hadean Ventures is a European life science venture fund.

In addition, Markus is enrolled in the Global MBA Programme from Imperial College Business School in London and expect to graduate by end of 2025.

Susan is a Structural Engineer and Director at Heyne Tillett Steel civil and structural engineers based in London. A highly skilled and experienced engineer with over 19 years’ experience in the industry, she leads a project delivery team in the London office, thriving in the creative nature of the design process and championing sustainable and low carbon design. Throughout Susan’s career, she has worked on a range of diverse and interesting projects with some of the country’s leading architects, from private houses to large residential schemes, commercial buildings, museums, schools and theatres.

Alongside project design and delivery Susan is the Director who actively manages the HTS in-house research and innovation team HTS+, generating intelligent solutions for complex or unsolved challenges in structural engineering, as well as the company's CSR projects which include supporting Save the Children on the design of their buildings in Yemen and Syria. She also actively promotes DEI in the office including representing HTS as part of the Mayor’s Fund for London’s Firm Foundations programme and co-leading our internal schools outreach programme, driving greater awareness and more accessible routes into the profession.

Founding Member of FLISS, Roger is a Chemical Engineer by training and has spent most of his career working in the area of environmental control technologies and, in particular, decarbonisation of power assets and hydrogen production. His career spans more than two decades starting in PowerGen, and then E.ON Engineering, before now being part of Uniper in the UK. In that time he has lead teams delivering R&D activities, as well as technical project management for major asset projects such as flue gas cleaning upgrades, biomass conversions and CCUS. Through this time he has recruited, managed and mentored numerous scientists and engineers, particularly in their early careers.

Anne Okafor MCIOB is a Construction Planner based in Scotland and having not achieving grades in maths from school, she took up higher education as a mature student and graduated in 2019 with a First-Class Honours Degree in Construction Management, achieved Chartered Status in 2022, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Quality Management in 2022.

With a hospitality, retail and construction background, she has long been passionate about maximising the opportunities open to the next generation, particularly within the STEM and construction industries and recognises through personal experience, that maths anxiety is real. Since 2015, she has worked with several industry initiatives collaboratively to encourage and inspire the next generation of construction professionals. It is her mission to channel this passion and help to bridge the fear and anxiety gap that often exists between education and the everyday use of maths, and to ignite the passion for a world beyond the classroom.

She also volunteers as a Girlguiding Leader for a Brownies group.

A graduate of the University of Bradford with an M.Eng in Chemical Engineering, Andrew is a self-confessed “builder”. Throughout his career his focus has been on building, fixing or creating; from people development and highly effective teams, through processes and workflows, to new equipment, plant and production routes using both traditional and novel technologies. After a more traditional engineering start, Andrew diversified into more strategic management of manufacturing and supply chain, including most recently a three-year assignment in Singapore as Supply Chain Director for a global chemical company supporting oil and gas. But the engineering core is never far below the surface. He challenges “it is what it is” thinking in the belief that continual improvement is always possible.

His wide geographic and cultural exposure has supported his belief in the power of diversity, and the challenges the planet is under drives his desire to encourage more and more people into STEM careers. More greater numbers of diverse technically minded people, the greater and faster progress can be made. Andrew also mentors for the IChemE and Generating Genius.

Jennifer is a firm believer in continuous learning and seeks to inspire and guide sustainable success in those and that around her.

She comes from a mathematics and statistics background obtaining her degree from the University of Glasgow. Since then she has utilised these skills and qualified as a chartered accountant. working to provide external audit and assurance services for large organisations around Scotland. She has combined that with core internal audit and risk experience broadening into general governance and internal controls.

She currently leads the internal audit function at Playtech, a FTSE 250 online gaming solutions provider as the Director of Internal Audit. Jennifer also volunteers as a trustee and member of the Finance Audit & Risk Committee of Volunteer Scotland, who aim to make volunteering accessible for everyone, and is on the Scottish Council of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI.

Jennifer is happiest outside of work when her feet are off the ground! She enjoys aerial acrobatics and has taught aerial hoop when she lived in Dubai as well as performed in competitions and shows in the UK and Dubai. Additionally, Jennifer is enthusiastic about cyber security and enjoys sharing tips to enhance online safety.

Valerie is a leader in Technology product and project/program management. She did part of her studies abroad in Spain and the USA and graduated in France in international business and languages.  Born in France, Valerie speaks English, Spanish and French fluently. For the past 4-5 years, she has also worked within Cybersecurity Operations and Leadership.

Valerie is a self-starter and strongly believes that with the right mindset anyone can be successful.  She is a big advocate of technology, governance and continuous learning. She is still learning new skills today and she feels the most accomplished and happy when she achieves results, builds efficient teams and processes and when she helps others succeed.

"My exposure to a broad range of industries and cultures has greatly contributed to who I am today. I truly believe in the richness of diversity and its ability to open your mind to the world.  The opportunities and challenges that presented themselves along the way helped me consider options beyond my core skills and abilities.  They pushed me to achieve beyond what I thought was possible.  Throughout the years, I developed a growth mindset which made me curious of the world's diversity and possibilities. 

When one can see the success of others, one is inspired to try and replicate it."

Mentoring gives Valerie a huge sense of purpose and fulfilment.  She recruited, managed and mentored a number of engineers and technology product and project managers throughout her career.

With over 37 years working in Information Technology, Kevin is an experienced IT leader, having worked for companies such as British Aerospace, British Gas, Eurotunnel and the Adecco Group.  Kevin’s work has taken him all over the world and he has lived and worked in France, Japan and Malaysia as well as in the UK.  He speaks fluent French and is happy to converse in this language if appropriate.

After obtaining a HND (Higher National Diploma) in Management and Finance with Modern Languages, Kevin ‘fell into IT’ as his first job involved learning, teaching and deploying one of the first ever email systems at British Aerospace in Manchester.  For the last 23 years Kevin has taken a variety of roles, managing projects such as data centre moves, global email implementations,  outsourcing projects, and even leading the implementation of a shared IT service centre in Malaysia.  Kevin has a vast experience of working with other cultures and believes in empowering and enabling the people he works with.  Kevin is also a fully qualified coach and enjoys being able to help others through coaching and mentoring.

My engineering journey started at Loughborough University, where I completed a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. I then went on to the University of Nottingham to earn a master’s degree, also in Chemical Engineering. I’ve always been fascinated by the huge impact energy and utilities have on society, which led me to work on the National Gas Transmission systme as a graduate engineer. During the scheme, I gained hands-on experience in maintenance, process safety, and explored future energy strategies like hydrogen. Afterward, my first role took me across the UK, managing pipeline excavations to help maintain the security of the country’s gas network.

Now, I work as a process improvement engineer in manufacturing. My role is based on-site and is incredibly varied—one day I’ll be responding to a breakdown, and the next, working on longer-term improvement projects. Having worked in different industries and companies, I’ve seen firsthand how workplace culture can shape our experiences. I’m passionate about supporting other engineers in finding their place in the industry and creating environments where they feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work. I also really enjoy hearing about other people’s career journeys and the insights they’ve gained along the way.

I moved to the UK 10 years ago after traveling around the world. Outside of work, I compete in powerlifting and manage a small start-up.

Kashif Shaukat is a seasoned business development professional with a background in strategy and technology. Holding an MSc from the University of Manchester and an MBA from Imperial College London, Kashif has built a diverse career starting as a geophysicist and evolving through roles in technical account management and key account management. With experience working in the UK and across European markets, he specializes in leveraging digital transformation, AI, and cloud technologies to drive innovation and operational efficiency. Kashif is particularly passionate about aligning technology strategies with business goals to foster sustainability and growth in industries such as oil and gas, mining, and energy.

Hello! My name is David. I graduated  from the University of Nottingham with an MEng in Chemical Engineering (2013). Afterwards I joined the nucleargraduate scheme where I specialised in high level nuclear waste vitrification and was seconded to Sellafield, National Nuclear Laboratory and the US Department of Energy. 

I later joined the Royal Navy where I qualified as a submariner, marine engineer and nuclear reactor supervisor. Following three operational deployments, I gained an MSc in Nuclear Technology and Safety Management from Cranfield University and became a Chartered Engineer (IMechE) and Manager (CMI).

I currently work as a Senior Lecturer, teaching Nuclear Reactor Safety to students of a wide range of abilities. I am expanding my skillset by working towards my MBA with the University of Manchester. I live near Portsmouth with my daughter, Rosalyn, and wife Julia, the founder of FLISS!

Andrea is a Data Science and AI leader with 15 years of experience driving innovation across industry and academia. Endorsed as a Global Talent in the UK, she is recognised for her expertise in AI model development and for delivering high-impact solutions that bridge theory and real-world applications.

Andrea is passionate about mentoring and was recently awarded Mentor of the Year by The Data Gals for her dedication to guiding students and early-career professionals in AI research and practical applications. She is also a champion of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, working to create a more inclusive AI industry. In addition to mentoring future AI professionals, she is an author of influential AI articles that impact both academic and industry conversations.

Julya Bonkat Ajulo is a seasoned petroleum engineer by background with over 20 years of industry experience in the energy sector. Julya is currently a Senior Subsurface Manager in Equinor UK and heads up the UK Subsurface Competency Centre and is responsible for recruitment, talent identification, career development and resource management of the UK Subsurface organisation. Before her current role, Julya led the Subsurface Production Operations team on Mariner asset in UK. She has also worked internationally -  Nigeria ( with SLB) and several years in Norway (with Equinor) before her move to the UK in 2013. Julya is a wife and mom of 2 lovely children. She enjoys meeting new people, travelling, playing netball, volleyball and spending time with her friends & family.

Hello, I’m Mercede. I’m a Project Manager at a National X-ray CT Research Facility, where we scan cool samples and create 3D images from them. My role is split between managing the technical operations and strategically advancing the facility’s national initiatives.

My career has followed a somewhat squiggly path - starting as a Technician, then moving into roles as a Facility/Operations Manager and Research Scientist (biology). In those positions, I helped establish a new facility and supported academic research projects.

I intentionally chose project management because it aligns perfectly with my natural strengths in problem-solving, people skills, and getting things done!

I am also passionate about mentoring and coaching others. I’ve previously volunteered as a STEM Ambassador and teaching assistant.

Outside of work I love to travel, hike, dance, participate in sports, and work on crafty projects.