Spotlight on women in gas: Dana Abu-Sudd

Representing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives is something Dana Abu- Sudd, Project Engineer at Bohr Ltd, has always advocated for throughout her career.

Having recently stepped up as Deputy Chair of IGEM’s EDI Advisory Group, Dana hopes to continue the progress through 2025 and into the future. 

She said: “The group has achieved a lot in the past year, which inspired me to put myself forward for the Deputy Chair position. It felt like a great opportunity to get more involved and help shape the initiatives we’re driving forward. One of the best things about the group is that everyone has a voice, and everyone’s ideas are welcomed.

“The biggest highlight so far has been working alongside passionate, like-minded people. When you bring together a group of driven individuals with a shared purpose, great things can happen.”

Dana’s passion in the EDI space sparked when she moved to the UK from Spain in 2017 to study a master’s degree in integrated design engineering at the University of Bath.

Not long after getting stuck into her studies, she noted that there were only around 40 females on the course of around 300 individuals, but it only encouraged her further.

During her final year, she took on an industry placement with Edwards Vacuum, developing exhaust management systems which produced clean gases from semiconductor manufacturing, igniting her interest in sustainability.

Once she graduated in 2022, she then re-joined Edwards Vacuum as a Development Engineer, putting her knowledge, communication and project management skills into practice.

During her time there, she found herself presenting projects to senior leadership and board members, often being the youngest and only female in many rooms but she found comfort in a supportive network around her.

From this, Dana then went on to participate in a women in leadership group coaching programme and sat on the steering committee of the company’s gender balance network, where she helped shape inclusive policies, recruitment guidelines, and STEM outreach initiatives.

Fast forward to 2024 when Dana joined Bohr Ltd as a Project Engineer, working on the innovation team to manage the development of a gas safety product with the networks.

Her role incorporates technical engineering and project leadership which she thoroughly enjoys.

She said: “Transitioning from a large corporation to a startup has been a refreshing shift that has given me lots of autonomy and influence. As one of the first women working at Bohr, I’ve been able to help shape our ways of working and support the growing number of women entering our organisation.”

With Bohr’s influence and IGEM Company Membership benefits, Dana familiarised herself with IGEM and quickly got involved, attending a number of events across the UK including the Lions’ Lair and Women in Gas events in London.

She has also entered this year’s YPPC, competing in the South West heat where she was victorious and will be competing in the final in June.

Reflecting on the experience, she said: “Competing in the heat was great exposure. To get up on stage and showcase some of the work I do in front of other people in the industry has been a huge confidence boost.

“A lack of confidence is often a common theme among women in engineering, so being up there hopefully encouraged others to do the same.”

Looking ahead, Dana is focused on continuing to grow, both technically and as a leader. “I want to keep saying yes to opportunities that interest and challenge me. I’m particularly keen to strengthen my commercial awareness and I see myself stepping further into leadership roles while continuing to grow technically.

“I’m also currently working on my Chartered Engineer application, supported and sponsored by Bohr, which is something I’m very excited about as the next step in my career.”