International Women’s Day: Dr Daniela Sawyer’s Perspective from the Factory Floor

Dr Daniela Sawyer is Senior Team Lead for Automation at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult

In the high-stakes world of UK manufacturing, the shop floor has long been synonymous with legacy processes and manual labour. But at the AMRC, part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Dr Daniela Sawyer is proving that the future of the sector is automated – and increasingly led by women.

As Senior Theme Lead for Automation at the AMRC’s integrated manufacturing group, Dr Sawyer oversees a team of 20 specialists tasked with solving some of the industry’s most complex technical challenges. Working on projects across defence and industrial capacity building, she has led on the design, building and commercial integration for a compact, low-cost fastening end effector for a robot, amongst other projects. Yet her journey to the top of the UK’s premier innovation network is as much a story of personal resilience and academic rigour as it is about robotics.

Dr Sawyer’s passion for engineering began in her home country of Romania, where she studied computer science. Driven by a love for mathematics and physics, she moved to the UK to pursue Aerospace Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Her academic journey culminated in a PhD in structural dynamics focused on nonlinearity.

After university, Dr Sawyer knew she wanted to be in engineering but wanted to be closer to industry. This drive led her to join the AMRC nine years ago. Beginning as a Graduate Engineer, Dr Sawyer rose the ranks and was the first woman at the AMRC to lead a 20-person robotics team, working directly with manufacturers deploying automation. She believes her teenage self would be proud of her journey to follow her passions since leaving home by herself for the UK.

While Dr Sawyer has had female colleagues she has admired, there are still too few women working in manufacturing, with less opportunity for women in the sector to see themselves represented in their mentors. She feels the same concerns many women feel in the workforce – whether she is perceived as too bossy or emotional.

I constantly have to adjust my style at work. I tend to be quite direct and straight to the point and have to adapt for a lot of the rooms I’m in – especially if it’s male dominated, I never know how I’m going to be seen or perceived.

The number of women in manufacturing is growing, and the Government has set an ambitious goal targeting 35% of female representation in the sector by 2035. Over nine years at the AMRC, Dr Sawyer has observed an increase of female colleagues, especially in work experience placements.

We’re making quite a concentrated effort to bring more women in, but it doesn’t happen overnight. We need to be aware of the realities and the biases which exist.

On balancing technical excellence and motivating her team as a leader, she says,

I definitely wear two hats and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She hopes the women on her team see her as an inspiration. “I advocate a lot for my team and for the people I lead. It’s important for me to give equal opportunities to everyone, and I hope the women on my team find inspiration and know there is a place at the table for them when they’re ready.

What’s next for Dr Sawyer? She is looking forward to continuing to advance her career within the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to push the limits of technology to strengthen the UK’s manufacturing capability. One day, she hopes to work with government to shape automation policy for the future.