On June 23, International Women in Engineering Day celebrates the contributions of women engineers worldwide and the countless ways they advance research, innovation, education, and industry.
Organized by AIChE's Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) community, the WIC Is You campaign was created to highlight members across career stages, disciplines, and backgrounds as they share their research interests, career paths, and personal passions. Together, their stories showcase the diverse experiences and perspectives that draw women to careers in chemical engineering and highlight the many ways in which they build successful and fulfilling careers.
In recognition of International Women in Engineering Day, we're revisiting some of those stories and celebrating the women who make the WIC community what it is today.
WIC Is You profiles
Through the WIC Is You campaign, members shared with us their research, interests, and experiences. Here are a few of the women featured in this year's campaign.
Sara Ahsan
Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Sara studies heterogeneous catalysis, hydrogen storage, catalyst design, and deactivation mitigation. She is also an avid traveler and enjoys exploring new cultures and spending time with her two young boys by engaging in fun STEM activities with them.
Neeru Chaudhary
Postdoctoral researcher, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Neeru's research focuses on AI-driven materials discovery, with an emphasis on catalysis, polymer informatics, and multiscale modeling. She develops functional-data-analysis (FDA) and machine-learning frameworks to establish structure-property relationships by linking molecular distributions to rheological behavior. Her work also explores data-driven approaches for catalysis and energy materials, integrating physics-based simulations with statistical learning for predictive and inverse design. She's particularly interested in interpreting complex scientific data in physically meaningful ways and values interdisciplinary research that bridges chemistry, engineering, and data science. Outside the lab, she enjoys translating scientific ideas into impactful, real-world applications.
Sambita Choudhury
Graduate Student, University of Houston
Sambita is interested in crystal engineering and catalysis, designing porous materials like zeolites at the nanoscale to control how molecules move and react inside them. Outside the lab, she paints watercolor and animé art, travels to the mountains (Glacier National Park and the Pacific Northwest are her favorites), and unsuccessfully tries to win over stray cats.
Huan Gu
Assistant Professor, University of New Haven
Huan's research focuses on understanding the material properties of soft and biomaterials, designing advanced biomaterials for industrial and medical applications, developing biotechnology for manufacturing, and synthesizing biodegradable and sustainable polymers. Outside the lab, she's passionate about gardening. During summer camps, she brings these two interests together by connecting her love for gardening to science education for high school students.
Taliya Mammadhasanzada
Founder at TamTech Academy
Taliya's interests include industrial plant reliability and efficiency improvements, and decarbonizing energy systems. She previously worked as a process engineer at a major offshore gas platform and currently works on the downstream side of chemical engineering. Her technical projects and engineering achievements have earned her several international awards.
Outside work, Taliya loves kittens and enjoys cooking, exploring new cuisines, reading, and traveling. She's also passionate about supporting junior students and engineers in STEM, and enjoys helping them develop their technical skills through her academy.
Safi-Dapetel Balkissou Wouna
Graduate Student, University of New Haven
Safi's research focuses on polymer chemistry and materials engineering, with an emphasis on developing more sustainable plastics. She is particularly interested in understanding how small molecular changes can influence material properties and performance. Outside the lab, Safi enjoys learning about different cultures and speaks four languages: English, French, Arabic, and Turkish. She has participated in a cultural exchange program in Türkiye and completed an engineering internship in Chad, both of which reinforced her belief that engineering can connect people across backgrounds and cultures.
Whether you're a student, early-career professional, or experienced engineer, WIC provides opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. Visit aiche.org/WIC to learn more.
