Main content

The Life Scientific - Dawn Bonfield

Dawn Bonfield on inclusive engineering.

The engineering industry, like many other STEM sectors, has a problem with diversity: one that Dawn Bonfield believes we can and must fix, if we're to get a handle on much more pressing planetary problems...

Dawn is a materials engineer by background, who held roles at Citro毛n in France and British Aerospace in the UK. But, after having her third child, she made the difficult decision to leave the industry - as she thought at the time, for good. However a short spell working in post-natal services and childcare gave her new skills and a fresh perspective. This led to Dawn rehabilitating the struggling Women in Engineering Society and creating 鈥業nternational Women In Engineering Day鈥�, which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Today, she鈥檚 Professor of Practice in Engineering for Sustainable Development at King鈥檚 College London, and the founder of Magnificent Women: a social enterprise celebrating the story of female engineers over the past century. She鈥檚 also President of the Commonwealth Engineers鈥� Council and has had her work supporting diversity and inclusion recognised with an MBE.

Dawn talks to Professor Jim Al-Khalili about why 'inclusive engineering' should not be dismissed as tokenism, and why she's optimistic about the engineering sector's power to change the world.

Available now

26 minutes

Last on

Mon 25 Nov 2024 01:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 18 Nov 2024 20:32GMT
  • Mon 18 Nov 2024 21:32GMT
  • Tue 19 Nov 2024 05:32GMT
  • Tue 19 Nov 2024 13:32GMT
  • Mon 25 Nov 2024 01:32GMT

Space

The eclipses, spacecraft and astronauts changing our view of the Universe

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

A pair of scientific sleuths answer your perplexing questions. Ask them anything!

Podcast