Abigail Hutty (born ) is a British

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

based in

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

. She has worked as the lead structures engineer on the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

ExoMars rover, now the ''Rosalind Franklin'' rover vehicle. In 2016, she was elected as the youngest ever

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...

. She advocates the science and technology education of young people and promotion of careers in the space industry. Her public appearances have included the

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic each, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including yo ...

and ''

The Sky at Night ''The Sky at Night'' is a documentary television programme on astronomy produced by the BBC. The show had the same permanent presenter, Sir Patrick Moore, from its first monthly broadcast on 24 April 1957 until 7 January 2013. The latter date ...

''.

Early life and education

Hutty grew up in Kent, completing A-Levels in Maths, Design and Technology, Physics and French at Weald of Kent Grammar School for Girls in 2005. Hutty became interested in engineering during her GCSEs, watching the Martian mission of the Beagle 2. She studied Mechanical Engineering at the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

, graduating in 2010, and then completed a one-year placement with

Surrey Satellite Technology Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a company involved in the manufacture and operation of small satellites. A spin-off company of the University of Surrey, it is presently wholly owned by Airbus Defence and Space. The company began ...

, before beginning a graduate program at

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus SE. Formed in 2014 in the restructuring of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), Airbus SE comprises the former Airbus Military, Astrium, and divisions. Contributing 21% of Airbus reven ...

Career

Hutty joined the

graduate scheme in 2010, focussing on dynamic and

stress analysis Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology) Stress, whether physiological, biological or psychological, is an organism's response to a stressor, such as an environmental condition or change in life circumstances. When s ...

. She was offered a permanent position in the

Spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...

Structures Engineering Group and began work on the ExoMars rover, now the ''Rosalind Franklin'' rover, which is due to launch in the mid-2020s. Her work was to bring the design to the manufacturing stage. In 2014 she became a Chartered Engineer with the

. She subsequently became the Senior Spacecraft Structures Engineer for ExoMars at Airbus.

Awards

* * * * * *

Public engagement

Hutty spends considerable time working with the media to promote engineering, taking part in the BBC's '' Sky at Night'', '' Stargazing Live'' and

Euronews Euronews (stylised in lowercase) is a pan-European television news broadcasting, news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. It is a provider of livestreamed news, which can be viewed in Europe and North Africa via satellite, and in most of the ...

. She is a celebrated

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

(STEM) ambassador, acting as a guest judge at national STEM fairs and speaking at schools, museums and learning centres. She appeared in the 2014

. Alongside talking about the ExoMars mission, she regularly dispels common misconceptions the public hold about engineering. Hutty gave a TEDxLondon talk in 2017, titled "Why we need new role models in science and engineering". Later in the year, she appeared on BBC 2's ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

'' discussing the practicality of people travelling to Mars and has hosted tours of the Airbus facilities. She is enthusiastic about the possibility of finding life on Mars.

Diversity

After winning the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year award in 2013, Hutty became a more active campaigner for diversity within the engineering profession. In 2016, Hutty was listed in the top 20 influential women in engineering to follow on Twitter. That year she featured on the "Finding Ada" podcast, which highlights the work of women in STEM, describing her role at Airbus. Hutty is a 'role model' to many young women and engineers, and regularly blogs about her experiences in the industry. She took part in the 2015 social campaign " #ILookLikeAnEngineer" to debunk the public image of working engineers. In 2017, she was invited to speak at the United Nations Expert Meeting on Space for Women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutty, Abbie Living people British structural engineers British women engineers Alumni of the University of Surrey ExoMars 1980s births 21st-century British engineers 21st-century British women engineers Year of birth missing (living people)