Meet the R8 WIE Committee!
The 2021 Committee can be reached on ma-wie@ieeer8.org, and consists of:
| Maria-Alexandra Paun (Switzerland), Chair |
| “If you really want to achieve your objectives, three ingredients are key: motivation, perseverance and passion!” |
 MARIA-ALEXANDRA PAUN is currently a Telecommunications Engineer at the Swiss Federal Office of Communication (OFCOM), working in access to market and conformity of radio equipment, as well as being project leader in the field of drones. Dr. Maria-Alexandra Paun received with honours her BSc and MSc delivering the Engineer Diploma in 2008 from Politehnica University of Bucharest, FILS, Romania, with a major in Computer Science, graduating top of her class. The Master Project was carried out at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL, Switzerland). During 2008-2009, she was awarded a postgraduate Marie Curie research fellowship at the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, where she worked in the field of OCT. Between 2009 and 2013, she was Assistant – Ph.D. student at EPFL. She received her PhD degree in June 2013 on the subject of Hall Effect sensors. During 2013-2015, Maria-Alexandra was a Visiting Researcher at University of Cambridge, UK, with two postdoctoral fellowships from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Between 2016 and 2019, she was a Scientific Researcher at EPFL Switzerland, where she was focused on the development of electronics for medical devices (MedTech). She has worked on various CTI (currently Innosuisse Switzerland) funded research projects with industrial partners, in the fields of magnetic sensors and insulin injection pens, as well as being awarded by Hasler Foundation two own grants to work on cochlear implants. She has published more than 60 scientific papers in reputed international journals and her Hirsch index (h-index) is currently 11. She is an IEEE Senior Member. She is committed to volunteering work within IEEE, as she is currently Chair of IEEE Switzerland Section, Chair of IEEE WIE Affinity Group in Switzerland, as well as Chair of IEEE R8 WIE Subcommittee. |
| Ana Cigarán Romero (Germany), Past-Chair |
| “Keep always moving forward, keep learning, keep traveling, keep in constant exchange with people… is my philosophy of life.” |
 Ana works as a Senior Policy Advisor at the System Management Section of the German Transmission System Operator 50Hertz and is the Convener of the Steering Group Operational Framework under the ENTSO-E System Operations Committee. Since 2011 she has been actively involved in the development and implementation of the ENTSO-E Network Codes as well as in the design of regional processes for a secure operation of the European electricity system. Ana is a Senior Member of IEEE. She has hold several leadership positions within the organization with special focus on Women in Engineering (WIE). She is currently Past-Chair of IEEE WIE in Region 8 (EMEA) and Member of the IEEE MGA WIE Committee, of the IEEE European Public Policy Committee and of the IEEE Region 8 Awards & Recognitions Committee. Ana received her degree in Electrical Engineering from the Comillas University-ICAI (Madrid, Spain) in 2010. In her diploma thesis, she analyzed the competitiveness indicators in the Iberian Electricity Market while doing at the same time an internship in the Energy Management Direction of Iberdrola. |
| Ana Margarida Trigo (Portugal), Member |
 Ana Margarida Trigo is a PhD student in Advanced Engineering Systems for Industry doctoral program promoted by University of Minho in cooperation with Bosch. She is also an invited assistant professor at Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave. She is an IEEE member since 2010. She was the Portugal section Women in Engineering chair (2016-2018) and section ExCom secretary (2018-2019). Currently, she is the Portugal section vice-chair (2020-2021).More info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trigomargarida/ |
| Sally Musonye (Kenya), Member |
 Sally Musonye is the Design and Construction Engineer at the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC). Her greatest achievement is working as the lead for the last mile connectivity program aimed at achieving universal access in partnership with key sector financiers such as the World Bank, AFD, AfDB, and The Government of Kenya among others. She has received training and certification in Enterprise Risk Management. Sally holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Nairobi (UoN) and is a qualified and registered engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK). As a member of IEEE, she is the Chairperson for the Power and Energy Society (PES) and the Treasurer for the Kenya Section. In Region 8, she is a member of the WIE Committee as a representative of Student Branch AGs, Corresponding member to SAC, and Coordinating member of Virtual Speakers Bureau. Sally is the past chairperson for IEEE Women in Engineering (Kenya) and the Engineering Students’ Association (UoN). She is a recipient of the KPLC Excellence Award for outstanding performance and the Kenya Section Women in Engineering (WiE) Achievement Award. |
| Wafa Ben Hmida (Uk & Ireland), Member |
 Wafa Ben Hmida is a London-based Software Developer currently working as a Software Developer in Test for Ocado Technology. Previously, she has experience of software quality assurance for the BMW Group.She is a strong advocate of female participation in STEM careers and have given talks on the subject in conferences in Tunisia, Poland, Germany and USA. She is also a member of the Women in Engineering committee for Europe, Middle East and Africa for IEEE. |
| Dora Fourou (Greece), Corresponding Member |
| “You will fall and you will rise. Put your lipstick on and go after your goals to make your dreams shine.” |
 Dora Fourou is a Digital Marketer focusing on Performance Marketing, with experience on e-Commerce, while currently her interest is focusing on hospitality. She has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Informatics in Administration and Economy, and she is an active IEEE member for 9 years. On her day to day responsibilities a variety of technical skills and liabilities are required, such as Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, Google Analytics. Currently, she is the Past-Social Media Coordinator of the IEEE Region 8, a corresponding member of IEEE Region 8 Women in Engineering, a member of the Careers New Initiative (Ad-Hoc Sub-committee) and the IEEE Greece Section Secretary. |
| Kassiani Nikolopoulou (Greece), Corresponding Member |
 Electrical and computer engineer by choice and social media manager by heart. An active volunteer for many years at her university, including teams of IEEE SB of Thrace and member of electronic communications subcommittee of IAS. As a freelancer i am working with marketing agencies and clients in the healing arts, fashion and IT sectors. Proud cat mom and bookworm. |
| Seil Elhajjem, (Tunisia), Corresponding members – ex officio: R8 YPs |
 Seif El Hajjem was born in Tunisia and carries his country at heart. Graduated from ENIT, the National Engineering School of Tunis, back in 2015, he started his professional career already during his studies by taking multiple internships in different companies as Ooredoo Tunisie, STELIA Aerospace, Clinique ENNASR and NSIS. Currently, he’s an SAP (System Application Products) Functional Consultant at WYNSYS in Tunisia, where he has been involved in the roll-out and implementation of SAP for multiple companies in different industry sectors. In his free time, Seif volunteers for JCI (Junior Chamber International) and for IEEE, where he is currently serving as IEEE Tunisia Section Vice-Chair for members activities and as a Member of the IEEE Region 8 Young Professionals team. When time allows, you can catch him with a camera in his hand! |
| Samina Husain, Corresponding member – ex officio: IEE WiE Committee |
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