Sophie Harker is a British engineer and an

aerodynamicist Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

. She specializes in aerodynamics and performance engineering within BAE Systems’ Concepts and Technology team, who works closely on the aircraft of the future. Harker is one of the youngest engineers to have achieved Chartered Engineer status, doing so at age 25. In 2018, she was the winner of the IET's Young Women Engineer of the Year Award.

Early life and education

On a visit to the

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...

in Florida at age 16, Harker decided to be an astronaut. She completed her Master’s degree in mathematics in the

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

. Whilst in university, she met

Helen Sharman Helen Patricia Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC (born 30 May 1963) is a British chemist and cosmonaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, as well as the first woman to visit ...

, who recommended engineering as a pathway to becoming an astronaut. She then focused on applied mathematics and completed an internship in software engineering for BAE Systems.

Career

Harker joined BAE Systems Graduate Scheme, consisting of four engineering placements across various platforms and products, including the

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...

; leading her to working in the Concepts & Technology Team. Currently, she is embedded in the Team Tempest engineering at BAE Systems where she works on technologies for Flight Control Systems to enable future combat air system capabilities. Harker has also worked on designs for the Skylon Space Plane, a fully reusable single stage to orbit (SSTO) space plane. In March 2019, she returned to the University of Nottingham to deliver the "Women in Aerodynamics" lecture. Harker is an active STEM ambassador, she features in the Royal Academy of Engineering’s flagship, This Is Engineering, campaign which promotes careers in engineering.

Honors and recognition

In 2016 Harker became BAE Systems' Technical Graduate of the Year. She then went on to being awarded Graduate of the Year 2017 by the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (SEMTA) and in the same year featured in The Daily Telegraph's Top 50 Women in Engineering. Harker was given the Bee Beamont award in 2018, which annually recognizes "newly qualified engineers who have made an outstanding contribution to the business in the early stages of their career." She won the 2018 Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award. Harker was awarded in 2019 at age 26 the

Sir Henry Royce Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, (27 March 1863 – 22 April 1933) was an English engineer famous for his designs of car and aeroplane engines with a reputation for reliability and longevity. With Charles Rolls (1877–1910) and Claude ...

Medal, which recognized her research in developing future technologies for the aviation industry.

Personal life

Harker lives in Lytham St Annes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harker, Sophie British women engineers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British aerospace engineers 21st-century British engineers Alumni of the University of Nottingham 21st-century women engineers BAE Systems people