Stories

International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated today on June 23, and we asked KBR women engineers all over the world what it is like being an engineer at KBR and what advice they would give those interested in joining the field. Learn about the knowledgeable, diverse women who are delivering solutions and changing the world.

 

Sabrina Sapian – Civil Engineer, Infrastructure Services

Sabrina is a Technical Professional in the Civil Engineering team in Adelaide, Australia. She’s had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects ranging from buildings, defense, transport and land development throughout Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

Sabrina has been a part of the KBR team for two and a half years. She was attracted to work at KBR because of our reputation for exceedingly high technical competence.

The best advice she has received and wants to give back to those interested in entering the field is, “Find the intersection between your strengths, where you can add the most value, and what brings you enjoyment. Seek companies that value inclusivity and seek peers that are supportive. While working in this field, take on challenges that extend you and offer both new perspectives and opportunities for growth - this field is exciting!”

 

May Lee Choo – Principal Civil Engineer

May wanted to lead a team because she saw the importance of caring for people in the workplace. “I think when people are in a positive working environment, it gives people the space to show their talents and do what they’re good at and, in doing so, bring an incredible amount of value to the team and the projects we deliver.”

She likes the workplace culture because it’s not difficult to find someone who can provide sound advice or a good chat when you need it. She states that over the last three-and-a-half years she has been at KBR, it has become more and more diverse, creating a supportive working environment. Also, the flexible working arrangement helps to a get better balance between work and life.

When asked what advice she would give to young women, she said, “My advice for young females wanting to enter the engineering field would be similar to what I would give to a young male engineer. First, find out about as many areas of engineering as possible and which area/s you’re passionate about. Get involved in as many conversations as you can – for example, by going to industry seminars, asking to sit in on workshops/meetings, and listening in on that engineering conversation over the partition. Third, ask questions all the time. If you’re not confident to ask questions aloud, write them down and try to find answers yourself. Then ask someone you feel comfortable with one-on-one when you can. Over time, this helps to grasp new concepts and builds critical thinking and confidence. Lastly, find people you learn best from and connect with them regularly.”

 

Nithya R- Instrumentation and Control Engineer

Nithya has been a part of the KBR team for seven years and is the first women engineer in the KBR Chennai office. When she joined KBR, she was impressed with the culture and the importance given to work-life balance, making KBR the best place to work. KBR instills a high-trust work experience amongst all employees.

The best career advice Nithya ever received was, “Learn to say no when required. Never stop learning. Be confident yet humble.”

 

Usha Paptimar – Technical Professional Lead

Usha works as a technical professional lead where her job is to ensure that KBR delivers a standard, quality technology package. KBR is her dream company because she wanted to join an organization that could make solid achievements, is renowned for its technologies, gives the highest importance to business ethics and respects women in power.

“KBR gives us the platform to think, discover and the freedom to perform. Working at KBR is like touching Mount Everest peak of chemical engineering.”

The best career advice she ever received was, “All of us may not have equal talent. But be at a place where all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talent.”

 

Monica Normark— Director of Biofuels Technology

Monica works as the global Director for Biofuels technology within KBR Sweden. She was drawn to KBR because of its broad engineering talent with cutting-edge technology in various fields.

“KBR offers technology solutions and engineering services in many sectors of society. Through this global capability, we can help implement technological solutions that will benefit the climate and make a difference for future generations.”

Monica enjoys the global diversity that makes KBR such an interesting and a great place to work, especially when talented people from diverse backgrounds come together to construct solutions that society needs.

The best career advice she ever received was “Never stop being curious. It’s never too late to learn new things. Regardless of the position, be sure to surround yourself with smarter people than yourself, then you are constantly evolving.”

 

Jessica Pages – Lead of Electrical Special Projects Group

Jessica has enjoyed her time within the electrical department at KBR Houston because of the exceptional company culture, which has allowed her to grow as an individual and employee. The variety of projects and experiences she has been exposed to over the past 15 years has kept the work exciting and rewarding while also providing the opportunities to continually grow and learn.

The best career advice she ever received was, “Always empower your colleagues and employees. It doesn’t always have to be your way. If it is not wrong, do not correct it due to personal preference.”

Lastly, what she wants to share with those interested in engineering is, “Be confident! Never view yourself as a woman working within a man’s world but see yourself as an equal working within an industry. Be confident in what you bring to the table and stay focused on getting the job done and doing the best you can.”

 

Cher Wee Low – Electrical Engineer

Cher Wee Low is an Electrical Engineer at KBR Singapore. She performs electrical system studies, develops system drawings and reviews engineering documents and drawings for offshore and onshore facilities. Her favorite part of her job is being a part of a great team and successfully delivering on a project together.

She would advise women trying to break into the engineering field: “Be confident and dare to accept challenges. Be persistent, focused and proud of your job. Staying true to our original aspiration.”

 

Hoong Wei – Process Engineer

Hoong describes herself as a meticulous person who likes solving problems and completing tasks in a systematic way. At the same time, she also likes the feeling of working with a team and achieving something together. So, engineering fit her just right.

Her favorite part of her work is the team environment. Being a process engineer in KBR’s Singapore office has blessed her with colleagues who are unbiased and supportive.

This allowed her to stay focused on technical work. She also really enjoys it every time her team successfully delivers a project on schedule.

 

Rajvandana Omkar Singh Garg – Piping Lead, Engineering Dept

Rajvandana pursued her engineering degree 25 years ago. She made this choice because, at the time, an engineering degree was “meant for” boys. It was always in her mind to bring awareness among women that their most basic and traditional role is not only bearing children, raising them, and managing the household. They can do more in society if they are placed equally.

 

Claire Keat Pirie – Associate Project Manager

During her adolescence, Claire was fascinated by Control System Engineering and the world of Artificial Intelligence, so she chose the engineering path for her degree. While completing her engineering degree, the industry was very male dominated. Claire saw this as an additional challenge and was determined to succeed.

Advice Claire would give to other women looking to join the engineering field is, “If you get the chance early in your career, push to work on the front line in the construction sites or shipyards or on even an operating asset. It changes your perspective on what we do, from digital models to the reality of what is truly needed to build safe assets. Also, be confident in your own abilities and express your ideas openly.”

 

Eva Jackson – Environmental Engineer, Consulting Services

Eva is an environmental engineer who has worked on some amazing projects worldwide over the past 20 years. She has worked on many international projects in locations such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, offshore Angola, offshore Australia, the North Sea, the UK and many more. In recent years, Eva has branched out into HSE (health, safety and environment) management and environmental engineering. She is working with new sustainable energy technologies, which will give us a way to a better, greener future.

 

Morgan Kuligowski – Biomedical Flight Controller

Morgan works in NASA’s Mission Control Center as a Biomedical Flight Controller for the International Space Station. Biomedical Flight Controllers (known in Mission Control by the call-sign “BME”) support space medicine operations aboard the International Space Station.

Morgan was attracted to KBR because of the company’s proven reputation as a leader in human spaceflight. Specifically, KBR’s involvement in optimizing astronaut health and performance aligned perfectly with her interests.

The best career advice Morgan ever received was, “Work on something that is new, and that no one has figured out yet. My grandfather, who spent his life as an engineer, gave me this advice, encouraging me to always be at ‘the cutting-edge.’ I continue to remind myself of his advice and now work on several projects exploring how to improve the future of space medicine with new DNA sequencing and mixed-reality technologies.”

 

Julie Harnisch – Technical Professional Leader

Julie works as the Program Manager for the S&S MFLEETS Program, a DoD Army contract that puts cameras into military police vehicles and stores the information in a FedRAMP High/IL-5 secure cloud environment. She attributes the people to why KBR is a great place to work.

She would advise young women engineers to best prepare themselves for this field: “Don’t be afraid to do any job. Don’t be afraid to start from the ground and work your way up.”

 

Jaculine Allison – Systems Engineer, Missile Defense Systems

Jaculine is the Missile Defense Systems Engineering Operational Unit in Huntsville, AL. Her main role is to help the streamlining process of the US Army’s PATRIOT acquisition process through coordinating test planning and test analysis activities among key stakeholders. She is also an Engineering Technology Adjunct Faculty member at a local university.

Jaculine has been a part of the KBR team for almost a year. She chose to work at KBR because she was presented with exciting and important work supporting the warfighter and she felt confident her team was going to value her as a woman engineer with her experience in defense.

Her advice to woman engineers is to “Know your worth and go for it… Define success on your own terms and realize there is a place in STEM for everyone. Find roles and fields that align with your own strengths and interests and pursue those.”