Meet Ariane, a Project Engineer who is redefining what it means to be a woman in STEM. In her role, Ariane designs and executes innovative engineering solutions that drive progress in water treatment. Her journey is evidence of the power of representation in engineering;
Welcome, Ariane! Thank you for volunteering to share your STEM journey through our work
Thank you! I am happy to be here. Surprisingly, I was looking up black women in engineering and your website popped up!
Wow! We are happy to see how far our coverage goes. Thank you, once again.
Please introduce yourself to our audience
My name is Ariane Doris Noula Kamkeng, and I am originally from Cameroon. I prefer to be called Ariane Kamkeng because it is shorter, but you will mostly see Ariane D. N. Kamkeng in my publications.
I am currently a Project Engineer at Envirogen Group. My role involves designing water treatment plants from mass balance calculation at the first stage to site visits and commissioning when handing the plant over to the client. As part of each project, I do design reviews, and risk assessments and produce engineering documents such as line lists, valves lists, equipment lists, P&ID (Piping and Instrumentation Diagram), and O&M (Operation and Maintenance) manuals.
Before this, I was a Process Engineer at Clean Power Hydrogen for about two years. I was responsible for designing hydrogen production plants via water electrolysis. Similar to my current Project Engineer role, I also did process calculations and generated engineering documents as well as process design safety studies such as HazOp (Hazard and operability studies) and LOPA (Layer of protection analysis).
Walk us through your journey to becoming a Process Engineer. Is this something you aspired to?
I was born in Cameroon and grew up at home (Douala) till I was 17 years old when I finished high school. Then I moved to Dschang (still in Cameroon) to study Physics where I lived by myself for the first time in a university accommodation. As far as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a Medical Doctor, but I was better at Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry than Biology, and boy was I scared of blood and animals, lol. Therefore, I was very sad to move to Dschang to study something I was not sure I would want to do later.
After 2 years of studying Physics, especially Mechanics of Fluids, I decided I would be a different kind of Doctor, a Doctor in Engineering – thanks to my dad’s unconditional support. I then moved to Tunisia (with my little sister this time as she also just finished high school) to study Petrochemical Engineering. Living in a different country – an Arabic country – without my parents presented several challenges, especially for me the only black woman among men studying engineering. However, it made me stronger and I learned how to voice my opinions. It also made me and my sister even closer than we were before. I got my bachelor’s degree in Petrochemical Engineering when I was 23 years old with First Class Honors.
While I was preparing to move to the UK (it took a whole year), I learned English (I took the IELTS), got a Post-graduate degree in Petrochemical Engineering, and moved to the UK in 2017. This time I was alone because my sister moved to France instead. My first language is French, so, coming to the UK was wild and a different kind of adventure, lol.
During my Masters in Oil and Gas Engineering, I did my dissertation in CO2 capture from natural gas (also called Gas sweetening). At the end of my dissertation, I began to wonder where the captured CO2 went! While reading about that, I became fascinated by renewable energies, greenhouse gases and environmental stuff. This shifted my focus from the Oil and Gas Industry and led me to apply for a PhD in Chemical/Process Engineering at the University of Sheffield and the University of Aberdeen. I was truly happy and excited when both my applications were successful. Then came the issue of tuition fees which were quite expensive for an international student and way too high for my family. Luckily, my PhD supervisor, together with the University of Sheffield offered me a partial scholarship to help with my tuition fees and some monthly stipend.
Hence, I chose The University of Sheffield for a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering and focused my research on CO2 utilization for synthetic fuel production (gasoline for transportation) via a modified CO2 Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and H2 production from water electrolysis. It turned out to be the best choice for both my career and personal life as a couple of months after starting my PhD I met the wonderful man who is now my Fiancé and father to our amazing daughter.
While doing my PhD I worked as a Research and Teaching Assistant within my university. The job entailed helping my PhD supervisor plan learning activities, writing research proposals/grants, and assisting in the supervision of 1st year PhD students. To top up my finances, I also had a part-time job as a Customer Service Agent. This job helped improve my English speaking (communication) skills as I was on the phone with customers trying to resolve issues with their orders.
Towards the end of my PhD, I decided to pursue my career in industry rather than academia. I was lucky to secure a job straight away as a Process Engineer at Clean Power Hydrogen in the UK. However, research and academia still hold a high place in my heart, I kept collaborating with my PhD supervisor and research group on publications and assisting in supervising PhD students in my spare time.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a Project Engineer?
My biggest challenge was moving to the UK. My first language is French and I only studied English for 4 months before moving here. In addition to that, I started my master’s program 3 weeks late because of visa delays. I was even more scared to be lost and not to be able to make it. Despite this, I pushed through. I stayed late (sometimes overnight) studying at the library, and I took a customer service job which helped me practice my English every day and finish my master’s with a First Class.
During my PhD, I struggled to find novel ideas. Every publication must have a novelty contribution that makes it different from other papers and previous research works. Before my PhD, I was always good at reading and memorizing for exams but this was different. I had to break through, learn how to analyze what has been done, and critically think to predict prospects. It was also important to identify challenges where current processes needed to be improved. I read and analyzed different articles on CO2 utilization processes. By the time I presented my findings to my supervisor, we decided to publish them as a review paper.
I also faced rejection from Journals. In fact, my first paper was rejected twice after working for two years on it. It was hard, really hard but I pushed through and worked to improve its quality till it was published in 2021.
What keeps you motivated and inspired to navigate these challenges?
My family has been a real support from the start. My dad always told me he couldn’t go far in his studies because of financial difficulties. So, he put all he had on me and my siblings to go as far as possible. I didn’t want to let him down. Therefore, I committed to finishing what I started. This mindset helped me push through during difficult times and when facing challenges.
Furthermore, my sister in Cameroon sent me one day a poem that my niece wrote about me at school to describe the person they admired the most. I felt so happy to know that I could inspire my niece and knowing that my journey could inspire and empower other young girls and women helped fuel my determination.
Let us talk about your most prestigious moments in your career journey as a project engineer
In my first year of the bachelor’s program, I received the best-graduating student award in B.Eng. Petrochemical Engineering. I also received a partial scholarship at the University of Sheffield to carry out my PhD. My first paper “Transformation Technologies for CO2 Utilisation: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Prospects” was recognized as a Highly Cited Paper in 2022.
Who is Ariane outside of the Project Engineer environment?
Being a mother to my amazing daughter is a key part of my identity. Managing motherhood with my career is a fulfilling challenge that taught me so much about myself. I learned resilience, time management, planning, and the importance of family.
I love going for walks, sometimes by myself or with my fiancé and daughter. Last year I did the 50K walk challenge for SANDS fundraising to save babies’ lives. I hope to do the 100K challenge this year.
I also enjoy traveling with my family, whether for visiting friends/family or exploring new destinations. We always have a good time and create precious memories together.
What is your favorite quote?
“There is no limit to what you can achieve if you work hard” ~ Ariane Kamkeng.
The original quote is from Michelle Obama: “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish”. It is a beautiful quote but does not truly advocate the hard work behind every success regardless of gender. I modified it to emphasize that achievements come from hard work, determination, and resilience.
What is your word of encouragement for a young African girl who is interested in becoming a project engineer or any other position in STEM?
Although every journey is different, you are not alone! The STEM field/industry is hard, harder for women, and much harder for black women. You can be lucky and find support and motivation from your family/friends and/or have role models/mentors. These should be people who inspire and push you but you must be your biggest cheerleader. Find motivation within yourself to learn, believe in yourself, work hard, and never give up on your dreams.
Thank you, Ariane, for sharing a piece of you with the world through Words That Count. It has been an honor to learn about what a project engineer in your domain does. We wish you all the best and look forward to hearing more about your success.
