International Women in Engineering Day event: ICE and IStructE

Joanne Thomas

Joanne is a Chartered Structural Engineer, senior lecturer and course leader at University of South Wales.

She started her journey studying MEng Architectural Engineering at Cardiff University in the 90’s. After working for two decades as a consulting structural engineer with both international and SME practices, in 2019 joined the world of academia to teach structural engineering at the University of South Wales.

She is passionate about knowledge sharing and mentoring.

Tara Sirati

Tara is a chartered senior geotechnical engineer working for Jacobs in Cardiff. She has been involved with major Highway Schemes and has experience in other sectors such as rail and water. Tara has been an active member of ICE since University and as the current chair of ICE FIR committee she is passionate about raising awareness on various aspects of diversity such as Neurodiveristy, deaf and colour blindness awareness. She is also vice chair of the ICE Wales Cymru committee.

She extends the same passion to Jacobs where she is part of various networks, aiming to give colleagues in the industry a platform to deepen their awareness and understanding. She is also an active member of Engineers for Overseas Developments, currently working on completing Faith School in Mbale, Uganda.

Ngozi Orji-Chukwu

Ngozi is a graduate engineer at Arup, specializing in sustainable water management and flooding solutions. With a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of South Wales, conferred in July 2023, she gained practical experience during a 15-month industrial placement in water and drainage engineering. Her transition to Arup in September 2023 marked a pivotal moment in her career, allowing her to apply knowledge to real-world challenges.

Ngozi is the vice chair of the Institution of Civil Engineers Early Careers Committee in Wales. She was recently recognised as one of the top 150 UK Future Leaders of Black Heritage and received the prestigious Emerging Engineers award for her research in sustainable drainage solutions. 

Caroline Javis

Caroline is a Chartered Structural Engineer and is a Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers, as well as the Institution of Civil Engineers. She has worked for Arup in Cardiff since 2012 and is currently a principal structural engineer in their buildings team. Caroline has taken part in work experience days and STEM/construction ambassador activities which promote engineering as an interesting and rewarding profession and is particularly interested in encouraging more females into the industry.