23 June 2025 marks the 12th annual International Women in Engineering Day, honoring the invaluable contributions made by women engineers worldwide.
Trailblazing Women in Engineering
Throughout history, women engineers have indelibly shaped STEM and society alike through groundbreaking innovations.
Among the world’s many notable pioneers, British engineer and mathematician Hertha Ayrton’s award-winning work in the late 1800s and early 1900s enabled a deeper understanding of electric arcs and ripple effects in sand and water.
American chemist and physicist Esther Conwell’s mid-late 20th century work on the properties of semiconductors and organic conductors helped establish the foundations of modern computing.
And after becoming the world’s first woman to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1929, Canada’s Elsie MacGill played a key role in designing and overseeing the production of over 1,400 Hawker Hurricane fighter planes. These aircraft proved pivotal to the defeat of the Axis powers during World War II.
Modern Day Achievements
More recently, Japan native and computer scientist Yoky Matsuoka, who has held high-level technology roles at Google, Apple, and Nest, conducted landmark research that combined the properties of both neuroscience and robotics. Through this unique approach – a field she named “neurobotics” — she worked to create more realistic prosthetics for amputees.
Britain’s Claire Tomlin, who has taught at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, brought her expertise in aeronautics, astronautics, and electrical engineering to advance the development of unmanned aerial vehicles and air traffic control.
And Texas-based professor Naomi Halas’ research in nanotechnology and her invention of “nanoshells” – tiny glass particles with unique optical properties – holds tremendous promise for destroying cancerous tissue. Her efforts are revolutionizing biomedical imaging, photothermal therapy, and drug delivery.
Engage in Continuing Education and Support Women in Engineering
IEEE proudly supports and recognizes the many women engineers who are shaping the industry and inspiring the next generation of female leaders in engineering.
Below are just some of IEEE’s continuing education course opportunities that are led or feature content written by at least one female instructor.
- AI Standards: Roadmap for Ethical and Responsible Digital Environments — This five-course program, co-led by Eleanor ‘Nell’ Watson, a world-renowned machine intelligence researcher and expert on machine vision and AI ethics, offers a comprehensive approach to creating ethical and responsible digital ecosystems. Learn more about the course program>>
- IEEE English for Technical Professionals – This online 14-course program will help both professional engineers/technical professionals whose first language may not be English and native speakers alike to strengthen their English language skills through practical activities for reading, writing, and speaking. Instructors include Traci Nathans-Kelly, Ph.D., Director of the Engineering Communications Program at Cornell University, and Susan Matson, M.S., a Teaching Fellow for the U.S. Department of State in Eastern Europe as well as National Director of Curriculum for a multi-site Intensive English Program in the U.S. Learn more about the course program>>
- Automotive Cyber Security: Protecting the Vehicular Network — This five-course program covers automotive cyber security solutions and requirements for intelligent vehicles as well as the infrastructure of intelligent transportation systems. A contributing course instructor is Irish Singh, Ph.D., former Assistant Professor/Director of ReBlockchain Group at ECIS, Woosong University, South Korea and current faculty member at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Oregon, U.S. Learn more about the course program>>
- Introduction to Blockchain Technology – Through in-depth case studies, a discussion of Bitcoin and its connection to blockchain-based technology, and an overview of the pros and cons of decentralization in blockchain technology, this three-hour course program will help learners understand how blockchain can transform their industry. The course is instructed by Morgen Peck, freelance technology journalist with years of experience covering Bitcoin and the blockchain technologies for IEEE Spectrum Magazine, Wired, Scientific American, American Banker, and others. Learn more about the course program>>
- Finite Element Method for Photonics – This five-hour course program provides a current and comprehensive account of FEM in photonics devices. With an emphasis on practical, problem-solving applications and real-world examples, learners will understand how mathematical concepts translate to computer code finite-element-based methods. Instructor Arti Agrawal is an Associate Professor in the School of Data and Electrical Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney. Learn more about the course program>>
- High Performance Computing: Achieving Performance and Efficiency – This course provides the context for current and near-future CPUs and GPUS as well as what developers will need to know when they program them. The course covers everything from the programming languages dominating the field of HPC to the architecture of parallel programming models and workflow management requirements in large-scale HPC environments. Co-instructor Barbara Chapman, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Technologist for the Cray Programming Environment at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), was a longtime Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University, and remains affiliated with the Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computational Science. Learn more about the course program>>
- Software and Systems Engineering Standards: Life Cycle Processes – This course shows systems engineers how to use IEEE standards for life cycle processes, understand life cycle and engineering process concepts, select and apply useful systems and software engineering standards, and employ special considerations for the critical programs of defense and aerospace. Instructor Annette Reilly, Ph.D., an active member of the ISO/IEC standards development committee for systems and software engineering, brings extensive field expertise to the topic based on her 31-year-career with Lockheed Martin and her roles as co-editor of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, Software engineering—Life cycle processes as well as editor or co-editor of 12 other standards. Learn more about the course program>>
Sources
(3 July 2024). Famous Women Electrical Engineers. Ranker.
(28 April 2017). Women’s History Month: The 10 Most Influential Women in Electrical Engineering. Study & Scholarships.
Mackenzie, Rhys. (18 November 2024). 15 Famous Women Engineers in History. Oxford University.
(12 June 2024). This is the State of Gender Parity in 2024 – and What Needs to Happen to Close the Global Gender Gap. World Economic Forum.
Delos Santos, Franz Jerby. (6 June 2025). Gender Gap in STEM (Statistics 2025). Brighterly.
(7 March 2025). Women in Engineering 2025: Key Trends and Future Opportunities. Lanes Group Careers.
Earnings Gap. Society of Women Engineers.
Soochan, Patricia. (27 July 2024). Women Make Steps Forward in the STEM Research Landscape. Association for Women in Science.
(27 February 2025). More Women in STEM Could Change the World. Three Thai Scientists Show How. UNESCO.
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