Most Famous Female Engineers in History
The history of engineering has been shaped by trailblazing women. From Victorian visionaries to modern leaders, famous female engineers have innovated in computing, infrastructure, aerospace, and more.
In this article, we highlight ten of the most famous female engineers in history. In each profile, we discuss the engineer’s achievements and why she remains relevant to the engineering world today. Read on for inspiration if you’re interested in becoming an engineer.
Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) – The First Computer Programmer
Ada Lovelace is often regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. Working in the 1840s with inventor Charles Babbage, she wrote an algorithm intended for Babbage’s Analytical Engine – an early mechanical general-purpose computer (never completed in her lifetime). This algorithm, designed to calculate Bernoulli numbers, is considered the first example of a computer program.
Lovelace’s insight went beyond calculations: she foresaw that computing machines could do more than maths, imagining they might compose music or create graphics – ideas far ahead of her time. Today she is celebrated for inspiring generations of women in STEM, with events like Ada Lovelace Day honouring her contribution.
Ada Lovelace also featured in our list of the greatest engineers in history.
Emily Warren Roebling (1843–1903) – Completing the Brooklyn Bridge
Emily Warren Roebling played a pivotal role in one of the 19th century’s greatest engineering feats: the Brooklyn Bridge. When her husband Washington Roebling (the bridge’s chief engineer) fell ill with decompression sickness during construction, Roebling stepped in as the de facto chief engineer. For over a decade, she managed day-to-day construction, solved technical issues, and liaised with architects, contractors and city officials.
Despite having no formal engineering training, Roebling had learned engineering principles from assisting her husband and proved more than capable of leading the project. Thanks to her intelligence and determination, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883 – and Roebling herself was the first person to cross it (carrying a rooster as a symbol of victory). Although not officially credited at the time, she’s now recognised as a pioneering woman in civil engineering.
Edith Clarke (1883–1959) – Electrical Engineering Trailblazer
Edith Clarke was a trailblazing electrical engineer who achieved several “firsts” for women in engineering. In 1918, she became the first woman to earn an M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. A few years later, she was the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the United States and later the first female professor of electrical engineering (at the University of Texas).
Clarke specialised in electrical power systems and made important contributions to the nascent power grid. In 1921, she invented the “Clarke Calculator,” a graphical device that simplified calculations for electric power transmission lines– a valuable tool in an era before digital computers. She also authored Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems (1943), one of the earliest textbooks on power system engineering. Throughout her career, Edith Clarke broke barriers: she was the first woman to present a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and later became the first female Fellow of that institute.
Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000) – Hollywood Inventor of Wireless Technology
Hedy Lamarr is unique on this list as she was better known as a Hollywood actress, yet she was also an ingenious inventor who contributed to engineering and technology. In the midst of her film career in the 1940s, Lamarr co-invented a revolutionary “frequency-hopping” communication system. She realized that torpedoes guided by radio could be jammed or tracked, so together with composer George Antheil, she designed a system that rapidly switched frequencies according to a secret pattern. This made communications secure from eavesdropping or jamming.
Lamarr and Antheil patented their idea in 1942, but it wasn’t taken seriously by the Navy at the time. Decades later, their frequency-hopping concept became fundamental to modern wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. For years, Lamarr’s scientific contribution was overlooked, but today she’s rightly acknowledged as one of the most famous female engineers. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
Lillian Moller Gilbreth (1878–1972) – Pioneer of Industrial Engineering
Lillian Gilbreth was one of the first female engineers to earn a Ph.D. and is often called the “mother of industrial engineering” and ergonomics. With a doctorate in psychology, she combined engineering with an understanding of human behaviour to improve efficiency in both factories and households. Alongside her husband Frank Gilbreth, Lillian conducted famous “time and motion” studies in the early 20th century. By carefully analysing workers’ movements on factory floors, she helped businesses streamline tasks to increase productivity and reduce fatigue.
The Gilbreths’ work essentially founded the field of time-management and efficiency studies in manufacturing. Lillian also applied her engineering mindset to everyday life – a great example is her development of the kitchen “work triangle” concept (placing the fridge, stove, and sink in a triangle layout) to optimise workflow in kitchens. This design is still used in modern kitchen layouts. Beyond her technical work, Gilbreth was a champion for women in engineering. She was the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering and received the Hoover Medal for her contributions to the profession.
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Grace Hopper (1906–1992) – Queen of Computer Code
Perhaps the most famous female engineer of all time, Grace Hopper was a computer engineering pioneer and a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, celebrated for her work in early computer programming. She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale and went on to help program the Harvard Mark I, one of the first modern computers, during World War II. Nicknamed “Amazing Grace,” she is best known for inventing the compiler – a program that translates human-readable code into machine code. This breakthrough led to the development of COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), one of the first high-level programming languages. It became a widely-used language in business and government (and incredibly, is still in use today in many legacy systems!).
Grace Hopper also popularised the term “debugging” in computing: in 1947 her team famously removed an actual moth from a computer! Throughout her career, Hopper was a tireless educator and advocate for computer science. She rose to the rank of Admiral and received the National Medal of Technology, and in 2016 (after her passing) was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions. The annual Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest gathering of women in computing, is named in her honour.
Hopper also appears on our list of the best engineers in the world.
Mary Jackson (1921–2005) – NASA’s First Black Female Engineer
Mary Jackson was an aerospace engineer who became NASA’s first African-American female engineer. Starting her career as a “human computer” at NASA’s Langley Research Center in the 1950s (doing complex calculations by hand), Jackson’s talent for maths and science earned her a spot in a training program that allowed her to be promoted to engineer in 1958.
She petitioned the city of Hampton, Virginia, to allow her to take graduate engineering classes in an all-white school – a necessary step to qualify for her new role. Her research data helped improve the performance and safety of airplanes in the early days of the Space Age. Later in her career, Jackson took on the role of Langley’s Federal Women’s Program Manager, working to influence hiring and promotion of women in STEM fields. In 2020, NASA named its Washington, D.C. headquarters building the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in her honour.
Margaret Hamilton (1936– ) – Software Engineer Who Took Us to the Moon
One of the best-known female engineers, Margaret Hamilton is a software engineer who led the team that developed the onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo Moon missions. In the 1960s, Hamilton directed the Software Engineering Division at MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory, where she and her team wrote the code for the Apollo Guidance Computer. This included the software that enabled the Apollo 11 lunar module to land on the Moon in 1969 – a momentous achievement in engineering and human history. Famously, during Apollo 11’s descent, computer alarms went off due to overload, but Hamilton’s well-designed software recognized the issue and prioritized critical tasks, allowing the mission to proceed safely. Without that smart programming, the lunar landing might have been aborted.
Hamilton is often credited with coining the very term “software engineering” in the 1960s, to assert that software development should be treated as an engineering discipline. In 2016, Margaret Hamilton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to Apollo and the field of computing. Her work not only helped humanity reach the Moon, but also laid foundations for modern software practices.
Mae Jemison (1956– ) – Engineer and First Black Woman in Space
Mae Jemison is an engineer, physician, and former astronaut who, in 1992, became the first black woman to travel to space. Jemison earned a degree in chemical engineering (as well as a medical degree) before joining NASA’s astronaut corps in the late 1980s. In September 1992, she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour as a Mission Specialist on STS-47, conducting experiments in materials science and life sciences.
After NASA, Jemison founded a technology research company and has been an outspoken advocate for STEM education, especially encouraging minority students to explore these fields. She also started the Jemison Group and the Dorothy Jemison Foundation, which runs an international science camp for youth. Jemison’s accomplishments have earned her numerous honors, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and a spot as a core driver of the 100-Year Starship project, which aims for human travel beyond our solar system.
Gwynne Shotwell (1963– ) – Leading SpaceX Engineer and Executive
Gwynne Shotwell is a contemporary engineering leader and one of the driving forces behind the private spaceflight revolution. An American mechanical engineer by training, she is the President and COO of SpaceX – the company founded by Elon Musk – and has played a key role in developing and launching some of the world’s most advanced rockets.
Shotwell joined SpaceX in 2002 (when it was a young startup) and helped secure its first commercial contracts. She oversaw the development of the Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecraft, which have since ferried cargo – and now astronauts – to the International Space Station. She has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (in 2020) and has received numerous awards for her work in aerospace.
Explore Your Future in Engineering
The lives of these famous female engineers show that with passion, education, and perseverance, it is possible to make your mark in engineering and change the world. They also highlight the incredible range of engineering disciplines – from writing software that lands on the Moon to building bridges, inventing new technologies, and leading global companies. If you’re feeling inspired by any of the women above, why not start following in their footsteps?
One great way to begin is by gaining experience and guidance early on. Dukes Plus’s Engineering Summer School offers a chance to tackle challenging engineering projects, learn from experts, and visit leading firms. It’s a fantastic opportunity to try out different fields of engineering – whether you’re interested in automobiles, aerospace, civil structures, or all of the above – in a friendly, hands-on environment.
Conclusion
The profiles of the ten women we’ve discussed remind us that engineering is about creativity, problem-solving, and improving society, and that anyone with talent and determination can excel in this field. As you contemplate your own future in engineering, we hope you will be motivated by their stories. Who knows – maybe one day your name will be on a list of famous female engineers inspiring the next generation!