Launched in 2017, Women in Engineering at UCLA provides ongoing mentorship, leadership training, research opportunities and industry outreach programs to help students who plan to pursue careers in engineering. WE@UCLA, which is open to all UCLA Samueli students, received a $5 million gift in 2019 from alumna Stacey Nicholas (center) to support the initiative.
International Women in Engineering Day
Following are highlights of some of the outstanding women engineers’ stories featured on the UCLA Samueli Newsroom in 2026 to date:
In Conversation with Vinita Gupta, First Woman of Indian Origin to Take a U.S. Company Public
Born and raised in India, Vinita Gupta M.S. ’74 earned her bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in 1973 before coming to the U.S.
UCLA Samueli’s Class of 2026 Outstanding Bachelor Seeks to Improve Lives Through Engineering
Graduating mechanical engineering student Ereni Delis still remembers the first time her grandmother, whom she affectionately calls “yiayia,” the Greek word for grandmother, visited UCLA
UCLA Engineering Professor Nasim Annabi Receives Nearly $2.5 Million in NIH Funding to Develop Tunable Biomaterials for Corneal Repair and Wound Healing
Nasim Annabi, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, has received two grants from the National Institutes of Health to support her research on developing regenerative biomaterials and bioadhesive therapies
From Mumbai to UCLA and Back: Triple Bruin Dedicates Career to Tackling Waste Management and Water Pollution in Developing Countries
Kshitija Shah ’19, M.S. ‘21, Ph.D. ‘25 was nine years old when she started an environmental protection club at her elementary school in Mumbai, India.
Fourth-Year Engineering Student Aims to Bring Cleaner Water to Low-Income Communities
Oil wells stood across the street from where Citlali Rodriguez once played soccer as a child
UCLA Engineering Dean Alissa Park Receives ACS Garvan-Olin Medal Honoring Distinguished Leadership by Women Chemists and Chemical Engineers
Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, has received the 2026 Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society,
From UCLA to Aerospace to Service: Engineering Alumna Redefines Retirement
Coretta Harris ’83 thought she wanted to be a school teacher until she was introduced to the Math Engineering Science Achievement program, or MESA, in high school.
Code with a Purpose: UCLA Computer Science Student Applies Tech to Societal Impact
Ashita Singh remembers the first time code became something she could see.
Civil Engineering Transfer Student Reflects on the Importance of Mentorship and Representation
Rania Gomaa-Mersal was fascinated by bridges at a young age, but her struggles with chemistry and calculus in high school prompted her to initially rule out pursuing a college degree in engineering.
International Computer Science Undergraduate Charts an Early Path in AI and Neurotechnology from London to LA
A first-year computer science student from the United Kingdom, Neha Adapala is embracing the transition to UCLA, navigating differences between American and British English