Engineer Woman Award und Young Engineer Woman Award
With the Engineer Woman Award and the Young Engineer Woman Award, Deutsche Messe annually honors outstanding women who are shaping the future of technology and industry through their innovative spirit, professional expertise, and dedication.
Engineer Woman Award 2026 goes to Aerospace Engineer Annemarie Lohse
Aerospace engineer Annemarie Lohse (Airbus Defence and Space) has been honored with the Engineer Woman Award 2026 for her outstanding contributions to the development of safety-critical systems for international space missions. The award ceremony took place on 23 April 2026, as part of the FEMWORX career congress at HANNOVER MESSE.
As Major Spacecraft Delivery Lead, Annemarie Lohse is responsible for key subsystems of the European Service Module (ESM) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The ESM is a critical component of future crewed lunar missions, providing essential functions such as oxygen and water supply for the crew, thermal regulation, as well as structural and power systems for the spacecraft.
In her role, Lohse holds end-to-end responsibility for the Thermal Control, Consumables Storage, and Structural subsystems. She oversees core elements of the life support systems for four astronauts operating under the extreme conditions of space. At the same time, she manages complex interfaces within an international project environment and coordinates collaboration between industry partners and space agencies such as NASA and ESA.
Norah Kimathi receives the Young Engineer Woman Award
Norah Kimathi is a robotics engineer and co-founder of Zerobionic Africa. She developed a humanoid, AI-driven robotic system that translates spoken language into sign language in near real time—with an accuracy rate of approximately 92 percent and a delay of under two seconds. The technology opens up new opportunities for inclusive learning in STEM subjects and is already being used in educational settings across multiple countries.
As the first woman in Africa to advance humanoid robotics for this application, Kimathi combines expertise in natural language processing, edge AI, embedded systems, and modular robotic hardware. Her systems are intentionally designed for use in infrastructure-constrained environments and operate reliably even offline.
The impact is measurable: by 2025, the technology had reached more than 510,000 students, with over 8,000 teachers already using the systems. Pilot projects show improvements in STEM comprehension of up to 70 percent.
The nominees for the Engineer Woman Award 2026
As Major Spacecraft Delivery Lead at Airbus Defence and Space, Annemarie Lohse is responsible for key subsystems of the European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft—the spacecraft that will enable the next generation of crewed lunar missions. In this role, she is responsible for safety-critical systems such as thermal control, consumables storage, and structure, thereby ensuring the proper functioning of essential life support systems for astronauts.
With her background in Space Systems Engineering and her experience from international space programs such as Ariane 6, she now leads multinational teams and coordinates complex interfaces between industry, ESA, and NASA. With her technical expertise and experience in international space projects, Annemarie Lohse is a shining example of female engineers who play a key role in shaping complex future technologies.
Mira Jago is the founder and CEO of the tech agency Cuckoo Coding and embodies an extraordinary combination of technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and social responsibility. After earning a master’s degree in philosophy, she decided at age 30 to make a bold new start in the tech industry and taught herself to code.
In 2017, she founded her own agency and has since been supporting startups in the development of digital products. In addition, she is deeply committed to promoting women in the technology industry. As the head of Women Techmakers Hannover, she has been building a strong community for years, organizing mentoring programs, and creating spaces for exchange and visibility. Through her commitment, Mira Jago demonstrates how technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility can work together.
Jessica Brieger is an engineer with a background in process engineering and industrial engineering and works as Senior Manager of Social Impact at AMG Critical Materials. In the international metals and mining industry, she combines technical expertise with social responsibility and actively advocates for greater diversity in technical professions.
In addition to her professional work, she has been volunteering for many years to support women in STEM careers. She is a founding member of the Women in Mining Germany network and is involved in mentoring within the CURIA network for women in STEM careers. As an autistic engineer, she speaks openly about neurodiversity in the workplace and advocates for greater visibility and better conditions for neurodivergent professionals.
Luciane Piovezan Fornari is an entrepreneur in the agriculture and energy sectors and is one of the leading voices for bioenergy and sustainable industrial innovation in Brazil. As the founder of Fornari Indústria, she developed biosafety technologies for the food industry that are now used internationally and applied in more than ten countries.
As a co-founder of PlanET Biogás Brasil, she is also driving solutions for the energy utilization of organic waste, thereby making an important contribution to the energy transition. Furthermore, she is active in international networks for innovation and entrepreneurship and is particularly committed to promoting women in business.
The nominees for the Young Engineer Woman Award 2026
Norah Kimathi is a robotics engineer and co-founder of Zerobionic Africa and is considered a pioneer in humanoid robotics solutions for accessible education. She developed an AI-powered robotics system that translates spoken language into sign language nearly in real time, thereby opening up new possibilities for inclusive learning in STEM subjects.
The technology combines speech processing, edge AI, and modular robotics hardware and is already being used in the education sector in several countries. For her work, Norah Kimathi has been honored with the Presidential Innovation Award in Kenya, among other accolades.
Daphne Auer is a computer scientist committed to the responsible design of digital technologies. After completing her master’s degree with a focus on artificial intelligence, she initially worked in research on image processing and algorithmic systems before turning her attention to issues of bias and diversity in digital platforms.
In addition to her work as an IT project manager at Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck, she is politically and socially active in advocating for a more equitable digital future. Within the German Informatics Society, she actively participates in initiatives for digital education and the advancement of women in computer science.
Samantha Carbajal combines technical expertise with a strong commitment to social causes. In addition to her academic and professional work in the fields of aerospace and technology projects, she develops innovative solutions to promote education and equal opportunity.
As the founder of a startup, she develops concepts to improve children’s language education and is committed to specifically promoting multilingualism and supporting integration. In doing so, she combines technical thinking with social responsibility and develops practical solutions that open up new educational pathways.
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