Northumbria space engineer named one of the UK's Top 50 Women in Engineering

A Northumbria University researcher whose work is helping to shape the future of laser-based space communications has been named one of the Women's Engineering Society's Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50) for 2026.

Dr Amna Riaz, a Research Fellow in the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics, has been recognised in the WE50 2026: Engineering Intelligence list, which celebrates exceptional women making a difference across the engineering profession.

Dr Riaz completed her DPhil in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford before working as a research assistant at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She joined Northumbria in 2023, bringing expertise in optical communications systems to the university's growing space research portfolio.

The honour follows a landmark year for Dr Riaz, who was recently awarded more than £64,000 through the North East Space Communications Accelerator (NESCA) for her Gimbal-Stabilised Optical Communications project.

The research addresses one of the most significant practical challenges in laser-based space communications: keeping a narrow optical beam precisely locked on its target as the platforms carrying it move.

Working in partnership with North East company OpenWorks Engineering, the project aims to produce a flight-ready prototype with commercial applications across both space and defence markets.

Dr Riaz's work sits at the heart of Northumbria's growing space research portfolio, which is set to be further strengthened by the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST), a state-of-the-art £50 million facility being developed by Northumbria with investment from the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin.

Speaking about being included in the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2026, Dr Riaz said: “Being named in the WE50 is something I will carry with me for a long time. This recognition means a great deal to me, not just as a professional milestone, but personally.

“From a young age I was driven by curiosity – about light, about signals, about how information travels. Growing up in a community where engineering was not seen as a path for women, I had no roadmap and no role models in this field. But that curiosity could not be switched off. It led me to Oxford, to McGill, and now to Northumbria, where I am working on technology that uses laser light to communicate from space.

“I came into space engineering carrying the hope that the work would speak for itself, and to have it acknowledged in this way is genuinely moving. It reminds me why the daily work of building something new is always worth it.”

Professor Eamon Scullion, Professor of Space Technology at Northumbria University, said: "Amna is an exceptionally talented researcher who has managed to find optical wireless communication technology a new home in space. She is a perfect ambassador for other young Muslim women who are keen to cross similar divides in STEM research. I am excited to see where her research will lead next."

The announcement coincides with International Women in Engineering Day (23 June), an annual global campaign founded by WES in 2014 to raise the profile of women engineers worldwide.

Dr Riaz will be celebrated at a breakfast event at the House of Lords on 23 June, where the full WE50 2026 list will be officially announced.

Now in its 11th year, the WE50 is one of the UK's most prestigious annual recognitions in engineering, established to increase the visibility of women engineers and provide role models for the next generation.

This year's theme recognises the ways engineers combine technical knowledge, innovation and human-centred thinking to address complex real-world challenges.