DPhil student recognised in WE50 Women in Engineering awards

The 2025 Top 50 Women in Engineering Awards (WE50) celebrate the women engineers who are trailblazers in the world of engineering, under the theme 'Together We Engineer'. The awards are announced each year on 23 June, International Women in Engineering Day (INWED).

Honora Driscoll's Engineering DPhil research looks at green ammonia and green hydrogen production using offshore renewable energy sources, particularly tidal stream energy. Honora is in the OXGATE research group, a collaboration between Engineering Science and the Department of Chemistry at Oxford.

"Believe in your potential, stay determined, and know that your contributions matter"

Alongside her research, Honora was the Vice-President and Interim President of the Department's Women in Engineering committee, working to support and encourage women in the field.

"I am honoured to be selected as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2025. This award celebrates the values that drive my work: curiosity, persistence, and resilience. I encourage other women pursuing careers in engineering to remain confident and not be discouraged by setbacks or challenges. Believe in your potential, stay determined, and know that your contributions matter – both to the discipline and to those who will follow in your footsteps", says Honora. 

"I encourage other women pursuing careers in engineering to remain confident and not be discouraged by setbacks or challenges"

The nominations were made both by individuals and professional institutes, and all were put forward because they have excelled in their field. The awards were judged by a panel of independent industry experts led by head judge, Laura Shrieves, VP Engineering at Ultra Marine.

The WE50 awards programme was created in 2016 by the Women's Engineering Society and is now in its twelfth year, having recognised approximately 500 outstanding UK-based female engineers. The theme for this year's WE50, ‘Together We Engineer,’ showcases the powerful impact made by women engineers across diverse sectors including transport, construction, technology, healthcare, digital health, decarbonisation, heritage projects, space science, sustainability and accessibility.

"This award celebrates the values that drive my work: curiosity, persistence, and resilience."

Honora continues Oxford's strong representation in the WE50 awards. Fellow DPhil student Nadja Yang was selected as one of WES Top 50 Women in Engineering in 2022, when the theme was 'Inventors and Innovators'. Alumna Misha Patel was announced as one of the Women's Engineering Society 2024 Top 50 Women in Engineering award winners, under the theme 'Enhanced by Engineering'.