Gladys Ngetich
Gladys Chepkirui Ngetich (born c.1991) is a Kenyan engineer, and a Rhodes scholar[1] pursuing a doctorate degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.[2][3] She is the recipient of the Tanenbaum Fellowship and the Babaroa Excellence Award.[4][5]
Gladys Ngetich | |
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Ngetich at the Rare Rising Award Ceremony | |
Born | 1991 (age 28–29) Amalo Village, Nakuru County, Kenya |
Nationality | Kenyan |
Citizenship | Kenya |
Education | Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering) University of Oxford (Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering) (In progress) |
Occupation | Engineering tutor & doctoral student |
Background and education
Ngetich was born in Amalo Village, Nakuru County. She attended Lelaibei Primary School in Olenguruone. She studied at Mercy Girls' Secondary School in Kericho.[2] She was admitted to the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, in 2013.[2]
In 2015, Ngetich joined the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree in Aerospace Engineering. In 2016, she earned a Tanenbaum Fellowship, an annual fellowship awarded to Rhodes scholars for a multifaceted program in Israel. In 2018, Ngetich was named a Skoll World Forum Fellow for the work she is doing in Kenya to empower girls and women.[2] She also tutors engineering undergraduate students at Oriel College.[2][6]
Achievements
In 2018, Ngetich was credited with a patent in collaboration with Rolls-Royce Plc.[2] Her research work has been in BBC Science and the Oxford Science Blog and Medium.[2] She received the ASME IGTI Young Engineer Turbo Expo Participation Award, for her paper at the 2018 Annual American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) conference.[2]
Ngetich is the co-founder of the ILUU, a Nairobi-based non-profit that aims to inspire girls and women.[2][7]
In September 2018, Business Daily Africa named Ngitech among its "Top 40 Under 40 Women in Kenya in 2018".[8] In 2019 she started investigating sustainable space science using a Schmidt Science Fellowship.[9]
Personal Life
As profiled in Nature, Ngetich enjoys running, Bongo dance music and Swahili hip-hop, and keeping a clutter-free work space.[10]
References
- "Rhodes Scholars". Rhodes Scholarship. Rhodes Trust. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- Cherono, Stella (25 July 2018). "Student rejected for 298 KCPE marks shines in the UK". Daily Nation. Nairobi. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- "Kenyan Girl With 298 KCPE Marks Shines In UK". Kenyans.co.ke. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- Briggs, Helen (2018). "Why are there so few female engineers?". BBC News. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- Kamasah, Andreas. "'Lazy' student rejected by African schools wins UK's top 10 best students award". Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- Oriel College (24 July 2014). "Oriel's People: Miss Gladys Chepkirui Ngetich BSc". Oxford: Oriel College, Oxford. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- Skoll (24 July 2018). "Gladys Ngetich: Student, Skoll Centre For Social Entrepreneurship". Skoll Foundation. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- Business Daily Staff (September 2018). "Top 40 Under 40 Women In Kenya, 2018" (PDF). Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- Briggs, Helen (21 July 2019). "Five women shaking up the science world". Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- Gewin, Virginia (24 October 2019). "Where I Work - Gladys Ngetich" (PDF). Nature. 574: 590.