I am a pharmaceutical manufacturing engineer with over 25 years' experience. My focus is to understand how to improve the retention of women in engineering. There are huge efforts to encourage girls into STEM, but the average age of women leaving the profession is 43, often due to an unsupportive culture.

The purpose of my Fellowship is to explore inclusive policies and practices that help women stay and thrive in engineering, as well as how men can be empowered to be allies. I will be meeting individuals, organisations and teams to learn from their experiences, see successful initiatives in action and identify ideas I can adapt for the UK.

My motivation is deeply personal. I've faced bias throughout my career - from being dismissed at university, to being told I couldn't lead because I'm a woman. Now, I want to help change the culture, so others don't face the same barriers. A diverse workforce leads to better, more effective solutions to the challenges society faces, many of which are worked on by engineers. I want to drive long-term change, improving the retention of women in engineering, making it a profession that women choose to remain in.