International Women in Engineering Day
International Women in Engineering Day is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and focuses attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry.
Here are some profiles of inspiring staff and students we have here at the University:
Dame Xiangqian ‘Jane’ Jiang - Professor of Precision Metrology
Dame Xiangqian ‘Jane’ Jiang is a Professor of Precision Metrology at the University of Huddersfield. She is the Director of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Future Metrology Hub and is the Royal Academy Engineering/Renishaw Chair in Precision Metrology. Suffice to say, she is the most eminent academic you are ever likely to meet. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that she is also largely self-taught, studying at night school for up to five hours every evening.
The cultural revolution of Chairman Mao drove Jane’s family out of their home in Shanghai. Her parents had been doctors in Shanghai, but lost their jobs as well as their home. Jane was taken out of school at the age of 15, and sent to work as an apprentice on a production line in China in 1970. She went to night school, qualified as an engineer, and completed a Masters and PhD. This rest is a roll-call of academic honour, including dissertation of the decade in China and a prestigious Ministry of Education professorship. She came to Britain some twenty-five years ago, working as a research engineer at the University of Birmingham, appointed a professor in 2003, and is now a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Now, Jane's research focuses on the development of mathematical models for metrology as well as new optics to create sensors and hardware. Her academic achievements are unparalleled, she has secured over £13 million in research funds, and she was appointed a Dame in 2017 in recognition of her global reputation in metrology, the science of measurement, and her contribution to British engineering and advanced manufacturing. She has certainly come a long way from the bus factory assembly line.
Laser-like in her focus, she sums up the root of her success succinctly. She says: "Against the odds, I became successful and achieved my life goals. The lesson I learnt is: never give up. Have curiosity. If you have scientific curiosity, continue to ask ‘why’. That question is at the root of everything. Asking why the surrounding things happen is the backbone of maths and physics."
Philippa Hazell BEng - Electronic Engineering PhD research student at the University of Huddersfield
Philippa has lived in Huddersfield most of her life and chose engineering as a career because she wanted to do something creative that involved mathematics and problem solving. She did an undergraduate degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Huddersfield, which included a placement year in the R&D department of a company that produced radiation detectors.
Despite being a male dominated profession, Philippa has found that engineering allows women to shine and excel. During her undergraduate studies she won several prizes, including an IET grant and a scholarship to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. Throughout her career she has received support from both male and female mentors. She is currently doing a PhD with the Centre of Precision Technologies at the University of Huddersfield. In doing this she is supported by the Vice-chancellor’s scholarship and a bursary from EPRSC.
During her time at the university, Philippa has had many opportunities to take part in professional development activities, including winning a 24 Design Challenge. She is a founding member of an IET group at University of Huddersfield, which organises professional development and networking opportunities for students and staff in the School of Computing and Engineering. She has also promoted STEM careers to high-school and college students by working as a student ambassador for the School of Computing and Engineering, which she plans to take further through her involvement with the IET.
Dr Anju Johnson - Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering and Technology at the University of Huddersfield
Anju is from Kerala in India, where she lived in a small family unit who really valued education and inspired her to pursue her career in engineering. Anju is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, she has been working in academia for nearly seven years.
She has worked as a reviewer and program committee member for multiple workshops, conferences, journals and has organised various conferences and workshops. She is one of the recipients of the President of India (Rashtrapati) Award in 2006 for services to the country.
Anju has an interdisciplinary background with Bachelors and Masters in Electronic Engineering and a Ph.D. in Computer Science, which made her confident in a wide area of engineering and technology. The opportunities Anju was exposed to during the early days of her studies helped her develop a focus to her future career.
Anju firmly believes that an inquisitive and explorative attitude leads to a continuous learning process. Anju always wished to be a part of an organisation that encourages a passion for learning which is why she chose a career in academia.
Anju adds: ‘I am blessed with an amazing career. My career challenges me in many different ways, the best aspect of being an engineer is to develop technologies for the benefit of all, and to inspire the future generation to do the same.”