Kim Cave-Ayland

Kim Cave-Ayland

Kim Cave-Ayland is a British Engineer, recognised in 2017 as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering Under 35 by the Women’s Engineering Society.

Education

Cave-Ayland obtained an MEng degree in cybernetics from the University of Reading. In 2008, during her time as a student, she took part in the first edition of the Summer Enterprise Experience and Discovery (SEED) internship scheme, receiving a commendation for her work.

Cave-Ayland obtained a PhD in cybernetics from the University of Reading.

Career

Cave-Ayland works as a control engineer for the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. Her work contributes to the development of UK's experimental fusion reactor, MAST-U, and to the design of the world's first fusion power plant, STEP.

Outreach and advocacy

Cave-Ayland is a STEM ambassador involved in diversity, inclusion, and outreach initiatives. She took part in the "9% is not enough" campaign to raise awareness about gender imbalance in engineering fields. In 2016 she was featured in the "Born to Engineer" video series which won the national category in the Bristol Festival. In 2017 she mentored a group of students from the robotics club of Gillotts School in Henley-on-Thames, who took part in the First Lego League tournament, winning the best robot design award.