Five young female engineers have been shortlisted for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards.

The shortlisted candidates are: Hannah Pearlman (27), a cooling systems engineer at Ford, working on the cooling system for the next generation Fiesta; Naomi Mitchison (28), a senior hardware engineer at Selex ES, specialising in laser warning systems for military aircraft; Lucy Ackland (26), a project manager at Renishaw plc, working on the next generation of metal 3D printing machines; Jessica Bestwick (20), higher technical apprentice at Rolls-Royce, developing and testing large aircraft engines; and Laurie-Ann Marshall (20), an apprentice circuit engineers at ABB Ltd, designing electricity sub-station protection and control systems.

After graduating from Warwick University in 2010 with an honours degree in mechanical engineering with automotive, Hannah Pearlman joined Aston Martin’s graduate engineering scheme, designing the cooling systems for the Aston Martin range. She is now a chartered engineer at Ford Motor Company and leads an international team, all dedicated to the design, development and deployment of a system which meets Ford’s Engineering Standards in respect of performance, timing, quality, weight, safety, recyclability, package and cost. 

The IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards aim to find female role models to help address the UK science and engineering skills crisis. Women currently represent only 6 per cent of the engineering workforce in the UK (source: 2014 IET Skills Survey), the lowest percentage in Europe.

Michelle Richmond, IET Director of Membership, and a former YWE winner, said: “The lack of women in engineering is a huge problem for this country, contributing to skills shortages which threaten the economy. It also means that women are missing out on interesting and rewarding careers.”

The winner will be announced at the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards ceremony on 10 December in London. For more information, visit www.theiet.org/ywe.