Dive into SWE’s award-winning Academic Leadership for Women in Engineering (ALWE) program with two inspiring engineers who are making their mark!
Dr. Gisella Lamas, FY25 chair of SWE’s Women in Academia Committee, and Dr. Sanjana Yagnambhatt, member of SWE’s Women in Academia Committee, share their personal experiences as participants in the ALWE program.
Hear what inspired them to pursue careers in academia, the lessons from ALWE that influenced them the most, and why the leadership skills and diverse community that ALWE provides are imperative in the academic space.
Listen to the episode on SWE’s website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.
You can visit the ALWE website to learn more about the program and visit the SWE Women in Academia committee website to explore the committee’s initiatives.
Speaker: Dr. Gisella Lamas, FY25 Chair, SWE Women In Academia Committee
Dr. Gisella Lamas is a Brazilian/Peruvian environmental engineer who works as a Lecturer at the University of Kentucky – Paducah extended campus. She has attended ALWE since 2022.
Gisella is the FY25 Chair of SWE’s Women in Academia Committee and is actively involved with SWE in many capacities, including faculty advisor for the UK Paducah collegiate section.
With 20 years of research experience in various settings, she conducts undergraduate research in biofilms, science diplomacy, and social responsibility.
She has a dog named Moscow and is a proud aunt to Helena and Victoria.
Speaker: Dr. Sanjana Yagnambhatt, Member, SWE Women in Academia Committee
Sanjana Yagnambhatt holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Oakland University in Michigan. Her Ph.D. dissertation was focused on “Using Salt Gradient Energy and Thermal Energy to Enhance Reverse Osmosis Desalination.” She served as the SWE-Detroit Section Vice President of Communications (Secretary) in 2023.
Prior to this, she revitalized the OU SWE Section starting in 2017 and has served as the 2021 Vice President and the 2022 Section President.
Sanjana completed her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at Vardaman College of Engineering in India. Later, she moved to the U.S. in 2014 to pursue a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of North Carolina (UNC), Charlotte. She was an active member of the UNC Charlotte SWE Section and served as section Treasurer in 2016.
Sanjana is a Collegiate Leadership Institute graduate of FY22 and a Leadership Development Program graduate of FY23. She has provided her technical expertise through internships at companies including BorgWarner and DTE Energy in fossil generation, customer strategy, and emissions departments.
Host: Sam East, Media Personality and Host of Diverse: a SWE Podcast
Sam East is a media personality based in Toronto, Canada.
You can hear her on “Sam & Dames” in the afternoon from 3-7PM on Toronto’s #1 Hit Music Station, 99.9 Virgin Radio, and with the iHeartRadio Canada app.
When she’s not in studio, she might be hosting live events, hosting and producing the podcast “Lessons to My Younger Self,” or sharing a video that leads to a personal invite from Oprah Winfrey.
Sam is also a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and is thrilled to be able to share tools to help cultivate presence, peace, and self-awareness.
Diverse: a SWE podcast has been recognized as a top women in STEM podcast and a top engineering podcast!
