Conference Speakers
Dr. Marlene Kanga
former President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), 2017-2019
Dr. Marlene Kanga is a globally recognized chemical engineer and a preeminent advocate for diversity in STEM. An Officer of the Order of Australia, she has been named among Australia’s Top 10 Women Engineers and Top 100 Women of Influence. As former President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), she successfully led the proposal for UNESCO’s World Engineering Day and established the WFEO GREE Women in Engineering Award. Beyond her advocacy, Dr. Kanga holds influential board positions in the energy and water sectors and contributes to hydrogen storage commercialization. Her academic prestige is reflected in Fellowships across global academies, including the Royal Academy of Engineering and the International Science Council. She has received numerous top-tier accolades, such as the 2024 Peter Nicoll Russell Medal and the Ada Lovelace Medal, cementing her legacy as a transformative leader and role model for women in engineering worldwide.
Graeme John Norman GoodayDirector of Impact, School of Philosophy, Religion & History of Science, University of Leeds
Graeme John Norman Gooday is Professor of the History of Science and Technology at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. His research focuses on the history of electrical and energy technologies, gender and technology, women in engineering, patent cultures, and measurement practices. He is widely known for his leadership of the Electrifying Women project, which explores the long and transnational history of women’s participation in engineering and applied science. Professor Gooday has published extensively in leading journals and with major academic presses, including Cambridge University Press, MIT Press, and Palgrave Macmillan, and is the recipient of several prestigious awards for scholarship and teaching, including the British Society for the History of Science John Pickstone Prize and a UK National Teaching Fellowship. At Leeds, he has held senior leadership roles, including Head of School and Director of Impact, and has supervised over 30 PhD students to completion