On June 23rd, we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day. This year, the focus is on profiling the best, brightest, and bravest women in engineering who have #enhancedbyengineering people’s everyday lives and are helping to build a brighter future.

This week, we hear from Aiswarya Pradeepkumar (she/her) on what drew her to Engineering and what her experience has been since.

Q1. What did you study at university, and how would you describe your current career?

I pursued a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering during my undergraduate studies, followed by a dual master’s degree in Australia, one in Electronics and Computer Engineering and the other in Engineering Management. These experiences laid the groundwork for my Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where I investigated carrier transport and electrical conduction in alloy-mediated graphene on silicon under the supervision of Professor Francesca Iacopi. Currently, I’m a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Integrated Nanosystems Lab in the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Technology Sydney, within the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, TMOS. My research focuses on fabricating and characterizing dynamically tunable metasurfaces based on epitaxial graphene on cubic silicon carbide on silicon wafers.

Q2. What initially drew you to the field of engineering?

What got me interested in engineering was a combination of factors, one of which was undoubtedly the influence of my father. He used to be a physics teacher. So, growing up in an environment where scientific curiosity was encouraged and nurtured, I developed a deep fascination with technology and an appreciation for the principles of physics from an early age, which attracted me to become an electronics engineer.

Q3. What do you enjoy most about working in engineering?

What I enjoy most about working in engineering is the opportunity to push the boundaries of knowledge and creativity. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities for innovation, whether designing novel materials, developing advanced technologies, or collaborating with interdisciplinary teams. Seeing ideas come to life and positively impact the world for a brighter future is incredibly rewarding.

Q4. Can you share your experience of being a woman in engineering?

Although engineering is historically male-dominated, I’ve been fortunate to work in environments that prioritize diversity and inclusion. As a female researcher in engineering, I’ve had the privilege of being hired into a women-only position within ARC TMOS, which has provided me with unique opportunities and support networks. It’s been indeed inspiring to work alongside talented female researchers who are breaking barriers and impacting the world through innovation. It’s important to continue advocating for gender equality in STEM fields and to empower future generations of women engineers.

Q5. What has been your greatest achievement as an engineer?

One of my greatest achievements as an electronics engineer has been my contributions to the development of epitaxial graphene on silicon technology for nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. This includes demonstrating the large-scale transport characteristics of epitaxial graphene on silicon wafers and recently reporting on low-leakage field-effect transistors. During this research endeavor, I have had the opportunity to become the co-inventor of a US patent that was granted in 2022. In addition, I’m also particularly proud of the high-temperature operando studies of epitaxial graphene growth on silicon using neutron reflectometry conducted at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) initiated by the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) Ltd. Early Career Researcher Grant (ECRG) 2021.