Juliet has been with DeepForm for over a year in the Research and Development team. She has recently been working on DeepForm’s new prototype die and encouraged the toolmaker to paint it bright pink, causing the die to be nicknamed barbie.
In this Q&A, she shares what it’s like to be a woman engineer in manufacturing, how she navigates a male-dominated field, and what it means to be part of team building a collaborative company culture.
Question: What has your experience been like as a woman engineer at DeepForm?
Answer: At DeepForm I work in a multi-disciplinary engineering role within R&D, where diversity is a strength. My varied background helps with our aim of expanding the robustness and applicability of the DeepForm process. However, being a woman in engineering is noticeably different from the experience many of my male colleagues have. I often find myself as the only woman in a room, in a meeting, or on-site. That can feel isolating, but it also creates a strong sense of belonging with other women in the company and wider industry.
Question: How has your education and background influenced your view on gender diversity in engineering?
Answer: My journey started in New Zealand, at the University of Auckland, where like most universities, women were a minority in engineering. While studying, I benefited from local support groups like the Women’s Engineering Network (WEN), which creates spaces that are designed by women for women to foster a sense of belonging and community. Those experiences emphasized to me how important representation is and how it can influence choices and confidence. Moving to the UK, I noticed less acknowledgement and fewer deliberate efforts to support women in engineering, which has reinforced my resolve to advocate for and contribute to a more inclusive path forward.
Question: What support or improvements do you think would help women engineers succeed in the industry?
Answer: I think representation is critical. I personally have felt a benefit from seeing women in leadership positions and I think the best support we can give to women in our industry is to have more female role models. I also think dedicated spaces, like women-based networking groups designed for women to connect should be encouraged, due to a lack of representation, traditional spaces typically aren’t designed with a woman’s experience in mind. In general, it comes down to acknowledgement and recognising that the experience of women in engineering is different.
Question: What message would you share with the next generation of women engineers?
Answer: You don’t have to act or look like anyone else to be a successful engineer. Being yourself is enough. Diversity is also a strength. Your voice matters, and your perspective can help shape the future of our industry.
And finally, where did you get the idea from the pink die from?
Answer: While working with toolmakers I have found myself leaning into hot pink as a useful colour for annotations or comments as it stands out well and isn’t typically used by anyone else. So, when it came time to choose the casting colour, I just asked whether a bright pink would be possible and Rose, over at Whiston Industries who was filing the order, sent back the brightest pink colours available for me to choose from.
You can read more about the pink die story here.
Juliet’s story speaks to something we care deeply about at DeepForm: the power of community, diversity, and representation. If you are part of a university, research group, or organisation that shares our values, we’d love to hear from you and find ways to work together. Please get in touch.
