Registrants named as finalists for the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2024

The Engineering Council would like to congratulate registrants Marisa Kurimbokus CEng MIMechE FWES and Salma Alarefi CEng MIET FWES, who have been recognised among this year’s five finalists of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Young Woman Engineer of the Year (YWE) Awards.

These annual awards celebrate the achievements of women in engineering in the UK, whose contributions help address the science and engineering skills gap. They are actively involved in promoting engineering as a potential career option for girls and women.

Marisa Kurimbokus CEng MIMechE FWES has a decade of experience in product design and systems engineering within the automotive and power electronics industries, across firms such as Jaguar Land Rover, Triumph Motorcycles and Lyra Electronics. She has led multi-disciplinary teams, overseeing all aspects of engineering, including project delivery, research and development, design, testing and prototyping. Marisa is passionate about supporting engineers and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), motivated by her own challenges in finding inspirational role models as a student. In 2022, she was listed in the Top 50 Women in Engineering: Inventors and Innovators for her contribution to net zero and green technology.

Salma Alarefi CEng MIET FWES is a lecturer in Engineering Education at the University of Leeds, where she is also the Academic Lead for Inclusivity and Student Success in the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering. She is an award-winning academic, involved in teaching and supporting the next generation of engineers, particularly in renewable energy systems. In 2020, Salma was recognised for her contributions to advancing women in STEM, both nationally and internationally, and named a Fellow of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). She was also awarded the 2020 Water Woman at Leeds Award, presented by the University of Leeds in recognition of her achievements in research.

The three other 2024 finalists are Alexia Williams BEng (Hons) MSc, Erin Lowe and Natalie Parker BEng (Hons) MIET.

This year’s winner will be announced at the IET YWE Awards ceremony on Wednesday 9 December 2024.

For further information, please visit the IET website.