Global Indian Women in Engineering make a sustainable mark

The UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Chitra Srinivasan is among five Global Indian female engineers to be named among the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering for 2020.

Srinivasan, a Control and Software Engineer at UKAEA’s fusion research lab at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon in south-east England, is joined by transport engineer Ritu Garg, seismic engineer Barnali Ghosh, climate change expert Anusha Shah and senior engineer Kusum Trikha for the awards which mark the annual International Women’s Engineering Day on June 23.

Sustainability agenda

Judged by a panel of industry experts, the awards seek to recognise female talent within engineering and is coordinated annually by the Women’s Engineering Society. In its fifth year, the focus was on sustainability – celebrating female engineers who are making a significant contribution to achieving net zero carbon.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority hailed Srinivasan’s success as part of a team developing fusion energy as a carbon-free source of electricity that could be used around the world.

She said: “I am an upcoming engineer in fusion research and this achievement is highly encouraging for me.

“This would not have been possible without the support of my colleagues. At UKAEA, I have the opportunity to research sustainable energy by developing computer codes to control the fuel inside fusion machines. We are copying the process that powers the Sun for greener electricity,” she said.

Outstanding achievements

Ritu Garg, a Senior Transport Engineer at Arup, was recognised for her work involving the formulation and delivery of sustainable transport solutions. She is also part of a global initiative helping national governments unlock the economic power of zero-carbon sustainable cities.

Dr Barnali Ghosh, as Technical Director at Mott Macdonald, focuses on developing seismic resilience in infrastructure, using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the other Indian-origin winners, Anusha Shah as Director – Resilient Cities at Arcadis, supports organisations to meet net zero targets and become climate resilient and Kusum Trikha as Senior Engineer at WSP specialises in multi-million-pound low-carbon energy projects.

Sally Sudworth, the Women’s Engineering Society’s Honorary Secretary and head judge for the awards, said: “The panel of judges was thrilled by the outstanding achievements demonstrated by all of the winners and by the difference being made by the candidates.”

Virtual ceremony

Given the coronavirus lockdown situation, the awards were celebrated in a virtual International Women in Engineering Day event.

Elizabeth Donnelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Engineering Society, explained why they had chosen the theme of sustainability for 2020: “The 2019 Climate Emergency Declarations followed unprecedented weather conditions across the planet. It will be engineers who will provide many of the solutions needed to address the UN’s SDGs.

“We felt that it was the right time to showcase the amazing women who are already working on these issues.”

*Info: www.inwed.org.uk