As today is International Women in Engineering Day, Eleanor Jones, our product engineer for MIVOLT shares her perspective on being a female engineer within the industry. Eleanor has featured on various panels and technical summits to discuss her experiences as a women in STEM. Eleanor manages our MIVOLT immersion cooling projects and also works with customers, providing technical support.
What inspired you to work in this industry?
“At school I was always good at art, maths, chemistry, and physics, so when I chose what to study at university I selected Materials Science and Engineering as it was a good mixture of all these subjects.
I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and make it a better place. I think that innovation can help put a stop to global warming, but drastic changes need to be made. Making EVs more efficient, improving their range and changing times will enable them to become more appealing to consumers.”
What’s been your experience of working in engineering at M&I Materials?
“Overall, it has been good, I feel like my opinions are value and taken on board. I believe companies should be doing more for women in male-dominated work environments. Mentorship programs are a great way to support other women in engineering roles. Having more women in senior roles is beneficial to young staff joining the company – they will see a clear path forward.”
How has M&I Materials supported you in your career?
“I attended a panel of alumni at the University of Manchester for their WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Society to talk about my experiences as a woman in STEM. I have also joined Women’s Automotive Summit, which has been great for career advice and being able to network with other women in the industry.”
What has been your most rewarding experience as a product engineer?
“Going to see the Warwick Moto bike on a track day, it was fantastic to see immersion cooling in action and to talk to the students who worked on the bike.
It’s also been really rewarding being part of the M&I Materials Sustainability Committee. There’s so much that could be done to improve the companies environmental, social and governance policies and hopefully the ideas and initiatives we’ve suggested will make it a better company – not only for the environment, but also for the people that work here.”
What advice do you have for women interested in becoming an engineer?
“It is very much still a male dominated world. But the more women engineers we have, the more changes we can drive to make this industry more equal and balanced. Representation is important, it’s good to have role models and mentors in the industry, and also to be that role model for other women.”
Have you been inspired by any female engineers?
“My mum has been the biggest inspiration to me. My parents divorced when I was 3 and my mum was left with two small children and a mortgage. She put herself through university earning herself a Building Management degree. She became self-sufficient in a male-dominated industry, and my ambition is to do the same.
At Manchester University I was taught by Sarah Haigh who is a professor in Materials Characterisation. Not only is she a brilliant scientist conducting research on characterisation techniques on nanomaterials, she also does voluntary work with several charitable organisations promoting Materials Science and Microscopy.
Many achievements made by women have been downplayed, erased from history, or been wrongly attributed to men. It’s fantastic to see that in more recent years women are finally getting the recognition they deserve.”
