Empowering Women in Engineering: How Sydney University is Cultivating Inspiring Role Models for Future Female Academics

When Dr. Jacqueline Thomas began her journey in civil engineering ten years ago, she stood out as one of only two women in her department. Returning to Australia after working in Africa, she was excited about launching a new humanitarian engineering major at the University of Sydney, a first in the country.

“It was a shock,” she recalls. “I initially felt lucky to get the job, but then reality hit.”

Fast forward to 2025, and female representation in the faculty remains low—under 20%. In an effort to change this, the University of Sydney has initiated a recruitment drive focused on hiring women in various engineering disciplines, including aerospace, civil, computer science, and electrical engineering. In these areas, female staff make up only 12% to 17%.

Thomas, a new mother of two, emphasizes the importance of diversity. “When students see women in engineering roles, it shows them that these paths are possible,” she asserts. “For young girls, seeing female role models can be a game-changer.”

Professor Renae Ryan, a biomedical engineer who leads this initiative, notes that this is a historic recruitment effort aimed at gender equity in engineering. “We want our faculty to reflect the society we serve,” she says. Ryan highlights that while courses in fields like medicine may boast gender-balanced enrollments, engineering has lagged behind.

In a study by the Diversity Council Australia, only 11% of female engineering students find roles in the field, and a mere 4% of them were born in Australia. The gender pay gap is a stark reality; women in engineering earn 24% less than their male counterparts, compared to a 14% gap across all sectors. Ryan points out that societal norms often steer girls away from math and science early on, reinforcing outdated beliefs about gendered abilities in certain careers. She firmly rejects these notions, stating, “The idea that men and women have inherently different skills is nonsense.”

Interestingly, some countries like Turkey and Egypt actually have more women in engineering roles compared to their male colleagues. This raises the question of what factors contribute to such disparity in representation across different cultures.

The need for gender diversity in engineering goes beyond inclusivity. Research shows that many safety designs, such as car crash tests, predominantly use male-oriented models, resulting in higher risks for women. This oversight highlights a broader issue: if engineering lacks diversity, the solutions and products developed may not cater to everyone’s needs.

“We need women in engineering,” Ryan asserts. “If we don’t have diverse voices, we aren’t maximizing our technological potential. We end up designing for a narrow group.”

By acknowledging and addressing these challenges, the engineering field can evolve, making way for a more inclusive and effective workforce. As this new recruitment drive gathers steam, it aims not just to fill positions but to change the landscape of engineering for future generations.



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