OU graduate and former Associate Lecturer wins top engineering award

OU graduate and former associate lecturer, Dr Phebe Mann, has been recognised with a Top 50 Women in Engineering Award (WE50) for her outstanding achievements in engineering.

Top 50 Women in Engineering, Dr Phebe Mann

The initiative aims to raise awareness of the skills shortage facing the industry and the huge discrepancy between the number of men vs. women currently in engineering professions, to change perceptions and encourage young women to consider engineering as a viable and rewarding career.

It is only one of the recent achievements and awards for Phebe, who is an outstanding engineer, innovative teacher, and great role model for young women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM). She has previously been named a WISE Woman of Outstanding Achievement, won a Tomorrow’s Leader Award, and received an Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award for her PhD in collaborative design.

With seven undergraduate and post-graduate degrees to her name, ranging from computer science to engineering and law, she is an excellent role model for women in STEM and is dedicated to encouraging young women to pursue engineering careers.

Six professional engineering qualifications

Phebe is the first and only woman in the UK to hold six professional engineering qualifications concurrently, and is now completing her Bar Professional Training Course at City, University of London, to qualify as a construction and engineering lawyer.

She worked as an Associate Lecturer at the OU from 1995 – 2007, achieving her PhD in Online Collaborative Conceptual Design in 2006.