‘Invest as much in understanding people as you do in technical expertise,’ says award-winning engineer

“Engineering intelligence only exists when you take the time to properly understand people,” says Selin Shefik, an award-winning civil engineer at Arup.

Shefik was today named in the WES Top 50 Women in Engineering list, which every year celebrates the contributions and achievements of female engineers across industries.

Also featured were fellow ICE members and AtkinsRealis engineers, Kathryn Davies and Divya Shimoga Prakash.

The list was published as part of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), under the theme of ‘engineering intelligence’.

According to the Women’s Engineering Society, which organises the annual awareness day, the theme recognises the “expertise, creativity and judgement behind the systems, structures and solutions we depend on every day”.

Noting that women contribute to every part of this intelligence, WES highlights that “their work is still far too often overlooked”.

What does engineering intelligence mean to our members?

For Shefik, engineering intelligence starts with understanding the people you are serving.

Last year, she led operations on the Voluntary Western Kenya Project, where she found herself “thinking less about engineering in isolation and more about what it meant in people’s lives”.

While overseeing the planning and delivery of sanitation and energy solutions for rural schools, she understood the value of having conversations.

“Teachers describing what overcrowded classrooms mean for learning. Parents speaking about their children’s futures with hope, even in difficult circumstances. Community leaders explaining what change would actually look like for them, not in theory, but in reality,” she explained.

Using what you know in smarter ways

Integrating human-centred communication with engineering is something that Davies values, too.

She sees engineering intelligence as “the ability to look at a problem differently”.

“It’s about taking what we already know and using it in smarter ways – connecting data, people and disciplines rather than working in isolation, and finding more efficient and strategic ways to deliver.”

Over the past six years, she has progressed from graduate engineer to leading multidisciplinary teams delivering major storm overflow and river health improvement programmes across Wales and south-west England.

Turning complexity into practical solutions

For over 17 years, Shimoga Prakash has developed her expertise while working on complex structures.

Her current project is the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, where she coordinates design and construction to enable efficient decision-making in a highly regulated environment.

For her, engineering intelligence is the “fusion of technical expertise, critical thinking, and foresight, turning complexity and uncertainty into safe, practical, and buildable solutions that create real-world impact”.

Shimoga Prakash started her career in India, and now leads global teams.

Passing on engineering intelligence to the next generation

All three winners volunteer as mentors, either as ICE delegated engineers – helping fellow members towards professional qualification – or as STEM Ambassadors, who encourage the next generation to pursue a career in the sector.

They all highlighted the importance of “staying curious” at the start of your career.

“Be willing to step outside [your] comfort zone,” said Davies. “Early in your career, focus on building strong fundamentals, but also explore how data and digital tools can improve what you're doing.”

For instance, Davies champions digital automation, hydraulic (water flow) modelling and visual communication to help improve efficiency on projects.

Shimoga Prakash explained that through “strong technical foundations, curiosity and real-world experience”, over time this “evolves into the ability to make sound decisions in complex environments while balancing safety, quality, and efficiency”.

“Ultimately, it’s about continuous learning and collaboration to deliver practical, sustainable solutions that improve everyday life,” she said.

Shefik highlights that there are opportunities to learn outside of the workplace.

“Seek experiences that broaden your perspective,” she said. “Volunteer. Travel. Engage with your communities. Stay curious. Challenge your own thinking and never stop learning from those around you.”

“The more we understand people, the better engineers we become.”