IEEE UK & Ireland Women in Power Group Strengthens Committee
The WiP initiative supports ambitious, professional women in the power and energy sectors who seek leadership roles and career advancement. Our skills training, networking, and mentorship programs benefit women across the industry, including engineers, attorneys, policymakers, and accountants. This initiative is inclusive; everyone is welcome to join and participate.
Our goal is to promote female power engineers in both academia and industry. We connect established professionals, who serve as role models and mentors, with early and mid-career engineers seeking guidance on their path to leadership.
We invite you to become a WiP member (it’s free!) by clicking here. Membership provides access to mentorship programs, free webinars, special panels at PES conferences, networking opportunities, and much more.
WiP in the UK and Ireland will organise workshops, webinars, and other events to facilitate knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration within and between academia and industry. Feel free to contact our committee to learn more or suggest an event.
WiP Committee
Rosa Serrano, Chair, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Manchester
Rosa is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester. She is currently working on developing tools to improve the resilience of power systems against wildfires. Rosa received the title of civil engineer of industries and the MSc at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Before starting her PhD, she had performed different roles in public and private sectors, including the leading distribution company in Chile, the National Energy Commission, the Chilean Energy Ministry, and the electricity network association in Chile as Director of Regulation and Studies. She is currently the Treasurer of IEEE UK and Ireland PES Chapter.
In 2022, she received the IEEE PES Outstanding Chapter Volunteer Award by the IEEE UK and Ireland PES Chapter.
Wenjuan Song, Vice-Chair, Lecturer, University of Glasgow
Dr Wenjuan Song (MIEEE, MIET) is a Lecturer in Propulsion, Electrification & Superconductivity Group, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow. Prior to this, Dr Song worked at University of Bath for three years as postdoctoral Research Associate. She was a research assistant in Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand for over two years. She was awarded PhD degree in Electrical Engineering at Beijing Jiaotong University, China, in 2019.
Dr Song was endorsed as “Global Talent” by UK Royal Academy of Engineering in 2021. She was featured and interviewed by COST Action under Hi-SCALE CA19108: High-Temperature SuperConductivity for AcceLerating the Energy Transition, in 2022. She was Technical Editor of Special Issue in IEEE Transaction journal, and Session Chair for flagship international conferences in USA and Italy.
Dr Song’s research focuses on i) accelerating net-zero transition in Transport sector, including aviation, high-speed rail and marine system electrification, and ii) sustainable and highly efficient renewable energy systems using innovative superconducting technology and artificial intelligence techniques.
Despina Yiakoumi, Industry Liaison, Economic Analytics and Insights Manager, National Grid ESO
Despina Yiakoumi is currently the Economic Analytics and Insights Manager at National Grid ESO, soon to be NESO. Prior to her current role, she held the position of Energy Analytics Manager at the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC). Before that, she worked as a researcher in energy economics at the Cyprus Institute in Cyprus.
Despina also has experience as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and as a Transport Analyst at Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) in the UK.
Despina’s academic background includes a PhD in Energy Economics from the University of Aberdeen, where she conducted research on energy market designs using game theory and experimental economics.
Ana Radovanovic, Secretary, Power System Consultant, WSP UK
Ana Radovanovic received the BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, and a PhD from The University of Manchester, all in electrical engineering.
She is currently a Senior Power System Consultant at WSP UK. Her research interests include the areas of renewable energy sources and power system dynamics.
Lois Efe, Event Co-ordinator, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Manchester
Lois Efe is a rising star in the world of electrical engineering, she is driven by a desire to unlock the untapped potential of our energy infrastructure.
She is currently a doctorate candidate at the University of Manchester’s Power System and Energy Group, where she is using her knowledge to investigate the intricate nature of demand-side flexibility and its effects on the power system. She has an impressive profile, including a bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the University of Benin with first-class honours and a master’s degree in Electrical Power Systems from the University of Manchester (UOM) with the Best Student Prize.
She excels in the classroom and beyond. As a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Manchester, she ignites a love of learning in her students. She is the student committee advisor of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Student Branch Chapter UOM and also volunteers with other international organisations like CIGRE UK NGN, IEEE PES Women in Power Region 8, IEEE PES Young Professional Region 8 and the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). She is a true trailblazer, breaking down barriers and bringing people together.
Nur Sarma, WIP Mentoring Program Co-ordinator, Assistant Professor, Durham University
Dr Nur Sarma is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering, Durham University. Dr Sarma completed her PhD at The University of Manchester in 2017 and worked at Duzce University, Turkey, prior to joining Durham.
Dr Sarma’s expertise and research focus on investigating conventional and advanced fault detection and condition monitoring methods for electric machines and drives; investigation of advanced sensing technologies for condition monitoring applications; modelling and analysis of electric machines and drives; reliability analysis of wind turbines; and analysis of electrical power systems and power conversion technologies for renewable power generation applications including wind, solar and wave.