In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), Hawkins proudly shines the spotlight on the incredible contributions made by our female engineers who are helping shape the future of engineering.
This year’s INWED theme, Together We Engineer, resonates with our commitment to fostering a collaborative and inclusive workplace. As part of a global movement organised by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), INWED 2025 highlights the achievements of women in engineering and encourages the next generation to break barriers and build bold futures.
Our female engineers are not only technical leaders but also mentors, innovators, and role models. Their work exemplifies the spirit of INWED, proving that when we engineer together, we engineer better.
Dr Sophie Parsons
Sophie is a Chartered Engineer and a Principle Associate at Hawkins. Sophie heads up the Hawkins Marine Team and is the Regional Director of our Hong Kong office. She has deep expertise in materials failure, marine cargo spoilage, and forensic chemistry. Sophie has a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering and a background in both forensic science and marine investigations, she specialises in materials failure corrosion, liquefaction, and trace evidence analysis, offering critical insight into complex land and sea-based incidents.
Dr Christabel Evans
Christabel is a highly skilled materials engineer with substantial expertise in, and metallurgy, honed through academic research and real-world forensic investigations. Her engineering background includes a PhD in zirconium alloys for nuclear submarines and extensive experience analysing material failures and system malfunctions across diverse industries.
Dr Eleanor Jay
Eleanor is a Chartered Engineer and Head of the Materials Group at Hawkins, with deep expertise in material failures, metallurgy, and system failures across a wide range of industries. With a PhD in ceramic materials for nuclear fuel storage and over a decade of forensic investigation experience, she brings scientific precision to complex cases involving glass, polymers, metals, ceramics, and refractory materials.
Jane Cook
Jane is a Civil and Structural Engineer with extensive experience in building conservation, structural assessment, and adaptive reuse. Jane has worked on a wide range of structures, including stone cathedrals, military bunkers, steel-framed industrial buildings and timber barns. She brings technical insight and hands-on expertise to forensic investigations in the built environment.
Dr Clara Coombes
Clara is a Chemical and Nuclear Engineering expert with a PhD from Cambridge University, specialising in the modular construction of small nuclear reactors. Her work spans chemical process engineering, power and energy systems, and fire and explosion investigations.
Marie Gauthier
Marie is an acoustics and vibration consultant with a keen interest in sound propagation and room acoustics modelling. Her goal is always to ensure that the acoustic design is seamlessly integrated into the overall project, whether for residential, healthcare, educational, cultural, or governmental premises.
Lisa Beck
Lisa is a Mechanical Engineer and Fire & Engineering Investigator at Hawkins. She brings extensive knowledge of mechanical failures, construction injuries, and fire-related incidents. She has also investigated many bicycle related incidents, drawing on a personal passion for the sport
Divyeruthra Muniandy
Divyeruthra is a Mechanical Engineer with a strong background in integrity management, inspection, and process troubleshooting in the oil and gas sector. Her experience includes global fieldwork, where she specialised in material degradation, pressure systems, and risk mitigation in petrochemical environment.
Marie Hayward
Marie is a Chartered Electrical Engineer with a Master’s in Mechatronics and a diverse background in automation design, electrical systems, and fire investigations. Her career spans high-power drive systems for heavy industry, robotics innovation, and forensic analysis of building fires and white goods appliance failures, making her an expert in electromechanical engineering and safety-critical systems.
Hannah Fletcher
Hannah is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fire Investigator at Hawkins. She has extensive experience in construction, structural failures, and fire investigations. Her background includes managing works on major construction projects like Crossrail and Commercial Bay (Auckland, NZ), and she now specialises in forensic analysis of building defects, scaffolding failures, storm damage, construction site incidents and fires.
Siobhán O’Connell
Siobhán is a Road Traffic Collision Expert at Hawkins, with over eight years of experience in collision reconstruction, vehicle examinations, and road safety research. She has a first-class MEng in Medical Engineering and a background in forensic collision investigation. Siobhan has wide-ranging expertise from injury biomechanics, crashworthiness, and advanced driver assistance systems, to complex road traffic investigations.
Sarah Hooton
Sarah is a Chartered Engineer and Principal Associate at Hawkins, specialising in fire safety engineering. She has over 15 years of experience as a consulting engineer in civil and fire engineering, including fire strategy development for a variety of building uses including residential, retail, office and assembly. Sarah leads forensic investigations in the field of fire engineering, including consideration of fire safety design and construction defects. This includes cases post fire incident where she investigates whether such defects might have impacted upon the spread of the fire.
Dr Philippa Moore
Philippa is a Chartered Engineer and internationally respected expert in materials science and structural integrity. She brings to Hawkins expert knowledge in welding technology, fracture mechanics, and failure analysis, making her a leading figure in forensic engineering investigations.
Helen Rosser
Helen is a specialist in fire and explosion investigations, with a background in chemistry, fire safety engineering, and forensic science. She has vast experience advising the London Fire Brigade and has investigated a wide range of incidents and regularly provides expert evidence in Crown Courts and Coroner’s inquests.
If you would like to know more about our engineering services or need somebody who can investigate a failure, please get in touch.
