Speaker:
Dr Masha Folk
Abigail Berhane
Dr Judith Farman
DrHelen Brocklehurst
Dr Bronwyn Power
Theme: Science and Technology
A panel of women engineers discusses and fields questions on the challenges and opportunities in promoting gender equality in future power and propulsion.
Dr Masha Folk graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, before commencing her first role at Rolls Royce, where she completed the graduate training programme. In 2014 she was accepted into the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training Program in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics at Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Rob Miller. Masha’s research at the Whittle Laboratory examined the impact of combustor turbulence on turbine loss mechanisms. Zonta International recognised her contribution to applied aerodynamics in 2015, awarding her the Amelia Earhart Fellowship. On completing her PhD, Masha returned to Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis where she is a specialist in combustor-turbine aerodynamics.
Abigail Berhane is a first year PhD student in the University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering. In 2015, Abigail Berhane completed an internship at Arup where she was first introduced to Computational Fluid Dynamics. During her undergraduate, she led and founded a society called Equality in Engineering (EinE) to address the lack of diversity in engineering. Abigail worked as a Data Analyst, between 2018 and 2019, at Southern Water where she was responsible for recording the hydraulic efficiency of various water pumps. Abigail has also completed numerous internships throughout her time in education at Arup, Ricardo, Siemens and BP. In 2019, she joined the CDT programme in Future Propulsion and Power. Her PhD will focus on the impact of surface topography and roughness on the aerodynamic performance of turbine blades.
Dr Farman worked in industry for ten years working on a range of products including gas turbines, earth moving equipment and wave energy turbines. She obtained Chartered status in 2010 from the Institute of Engineering and Technology. While continuing her work in industry she undertook a PhD at Cranfield University. Her PhD research focused on modelling the behaviour of oscillating water columns and developing suitable control strategies for optimal power extraction. She has been a researcher at the Whittle Laboratory, University of Cambridge, since 2015. Her research has included the development of load shedding devices for tidal stream turbines; developing data acquisition systems for rotating machinery; and aero-engine compressor bleed design.
Helen Brocklehurst has over 30 years’ experience working for Rolls-Royce in the field of Aerothermal Technology. She has a broad experience in the field of Aerodynamics applied to Gas Turbine technology and a particular interest in the application of CFD to gaining understanding and design solutions. In 2017 she was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
Dr Bronwyn Power is an Associate Director for Fan & Compressor Aerodynamics at Pratt & Whitney in the United States. Before joining Pratt & Whitney in 2019, Bronwyn work at Rolls Royce Corporation & Rolls Royce plc. focused in particular on the design of the Trent XWB 97k fan system for the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (currently Rolls Royce’s largest and most efficient Commercial turbofan). Bronwyn completed her PhD research at the Whittle Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Liping Xu, where her research concerned the application of passive aerodynamic-control techniques to advanced high-pressure-compressor design.
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This event is a part of the Cambridge Alumni Festival.