If you aspire to a career in engineering then make sure you are keeping an eye on the professional lives of these six women.
During the month of March, SiliconRepublic.com is paying particular attention to careers and skills in the engineering space, and what better way to continue that coverage than with an exploration of some of the most exciting women in this field.
The following engineers have contributed greatly to their industries, through their work, discoveries, builds, and advocacy for themselves and others.
Áine Brazil
A managing principal at structural engineering company Thornton Tomasetti, Salthill’s Áine Brazil holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Galway and a master’s degree in engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London. She was the first president of the Structural Engineers Association of New York and is a member of the American Concrete Institute, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Institute of Engineers in Ireland.
In her 30-plus-year career she has overseen several crucial projects; for example, she led the structural engineering team for the design of more than 3m square feet of high-rise office development in the Times Square area, as well as the expansion of New York Hospital spanning the FDR highway, the 60-storey 731 Lexington Avenue mixed-use project, and the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
She has been included on the list ‘New York’s 100 Most Influential Women in Business’, by Crain’s New York Business, and has authored numerous technical papers and lectured at universities throughout the US including Cornell, Princeton, and Columbia.
Justine Butler
A chemical engineer with more than 18 years of experience in the pharmaceutical space, Justine Butler is currently the director of engineering at Jacobs Life Sciences for Ireland, the UK and the Nordic region. She has significant experience in leading teams and is responsible for the engineering design of a wide-ranging project portfolio.
She is the first woman to hold this position at the organisation and is also among its youngest people working in a leadership capacity in her region. Butler was also the first young engineer to serve on Engineers Ireland’s council and executive committee after first chairing its young engineers committee. In 2024, she was honoured with the ‘Women in STEM – Engineering’ award, given by Engineers Ireland.
Dervilla Mitchell
A former deputy chair of Arup Group, Dervilla Mitchell is a civil engineer with a background in the design of the built environment. She has led a number of major projects, including the Athletes’ Village for the London 2012 Olympics, Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, Dublin airport’s Terminal 2, and Abu Dhabi airport’s Midfield Terminal. She is the co-chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering and also chairs the UK’s National Engineering Policy Centre’s decarbonisation group.
Georgina Molloy
A programme manager for energy performance at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Georgina Molloy is also the chair of the Engineers Ireland Women in Engineering group. As part of her role there, Molloy chairs a committee of 12 engineers with the aim of achieving better gender balance and supporting women who have chosen a career in the engineering space.
She is a chartered structural engineer with more than 20 years of experience working in consulting engineering practices large and small, and has spent a considerable portion of that time in scaffold and temporary works design and construction. Molloy is particularly passionate about working on refurbishment projects and enjoys being part of teams that bring old builds of historical importance back to life.
Norah Patten
Set to be the first Irish person in space, Norah Patten is an aerospace engineer and bioastronautics researcher at the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). She has received multiple recognitions for her contributions to the industry, such as a 2015 ’emerging space leader’ award, an appearance in Limerick’s ‘top 40 under 40’ for 2018, and an IIAS ‘science educator’ accolade, among others.
She is a regular keynote speaker, an author and an advocate for other women in the industry. Later in the year, Patten will join Kellie Gerardi of the US and Dr Shawna Pandya of Canada as crew members aboard Virgin Galactic’s new Delta vehicle for a space mission organised by the US-based IIAS.
Anisa Pjetri
A former senior structural engineer and project manager at AtkinsRéalis, Anisa Pjetri is now an associate director at the company. She earned a BSc in civil engineering in Albania and an MSc in structural engineering in London before relocating to Ireland, where she earned a chartership from Engineers Ireland and took up a position at AtkinsRéalis.
Pjetri has 12 years of international expertise in designing, planning and overseeing the construction of a wide variety of buildings, structures and infrastructure for residential, commercial, medical, industrial and hospitality projects. In 2025, she was a finalist for the Chartered Engineer of the Year award.
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