Mini Thomas is empowering women in the electrical industry

Thomas, an expert in power systems and smart grids, is working to bring more women into the power and energy industry.

He is an active IEEE volunteer, having worked with student branches and membership recruitment. As a member of IEEE Technology for Sustainable Climate Matrix OrganizationShe shares her knowledge about energy, climate-resilient infrastructure, and ozone-layer recovery.

“For a woman to be successful, she needs a lot of family support, as many women’s careers are interrupted by caregiving and child care responsibilities,” says Thomas. She recognizes that not all women have the same support system – which is why she’s dedicated to helping others succeed.

passion for teaching

Thomas was born and raised in Kerala, India. She says that Kerala students who excelled in school were expected to choose a career in either medicine or engineering. Medicine was not an option for her, she says, because she would faint at the sight of blood. However, she was good at mathematics, so she chose to pursue engineering.

Although both of her parents were teachers (her father taught chemistry; her mother was a language instructor), she was not inspired to pursue a similar path until she graduated. Kerala UniversityHer extensive note-writing during class made her popular among her classmates, she says, and some people asked her to tutor them during exam season.

“My friends would come to my house so I could explain the material to them using my notes,” she says. “Later, they would tell me that they were able to understand the subject much better than the way the professor explained it. That’s what inspired me to become a teacher.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1984, Thomas continued his education Indian Institute of Technology, MadrasShortly after receiving a Master of Technology in Electrical Engineering in 1986, he began his first teaching assignment at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, also in Kerala.

The year was a whirlwind for Thomas, who got married, quit her job and moved to New Delhi, where her husband lived. Instead of looking for another teaching job, he decided to pursue a doctoral degree in the electrical engineering program Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi,

“By the time I was 28, I had a PhD in electrical engineering, which I earned in 1990,” she says. “I soon got a job at Delhi Technological University, which was the only other college in New Delhi that had an engineering school at that time apart from the IITs. From there, I never looked back.”

He taught at the university for five years, then left in 1995 to join Jamia Millia Islamia. He was eventually promoted to lead the electrical engineering department.

During his 11 years there, he established laboratories to conduct research in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and substation automation, collaborating with industry on projects. In 2003 he created and led the launch of a curriculum for the Master of Technology program in Electric Power System Management as well as a training program for industry professionals. For his work, he received the 2015 IEEE Educational Activities Board Meritorious Achievement Award,

In 2014 he founded the school Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship To help startups convert their ideas into prototypes and launch businesses.

She received an offer in 2016 that she couldn’t refuse: to become chairperson of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli.

“It was a great honor to be the first woman chairperson of that institution,” she says. “At that time, I was the only woman among the 90 chairpersons of all institutions of national importance.”

But, she says, as president, she didn’t have much time to teach, and after five years, she began to miss her time in the classroom. After completion of her five-year tenure, she returned to Jamia Millia Islamia as Engineering Dean in 2021. Since then, he has led the launch of five programs: three undergraduate programs (in Data Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and VLSI) and graduate programs in Data Science and Environmental Science.

This year she stepped down as dean after completing her three-year tenure and is focusing more on teaching.

She teaches at least one class each semester because, she says, she finds joy in “teaching and imparting knowledge to young minds.”

Mentoring women in the power industry

Thomas mentors doctoral students as well as professors who aspire to serve as deans or in other high-level positions.

In addition, she trains mid-career women in the power industry on the skills needed to be promoted into technical and senior management roles. South Asia WePOWER NetworkSouth Asia Region (SAR) 100 Professional Development Programme. WePOWER is a coalition of non-profit and government organizations that aims to increase the number of women working in the power and energy sectors through education. A 2020 World Bank study found that the percentage of women in technical roles in industry in South Asia ranges from 0.1 to 21.

The six-month long program provides technical training, mentorship and networking opportunities to 100 women from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Thomas is one of 40 experts who teach remotely on topics such as transmission specifications, distribution, renewable energy and the importance of women in leadership.

She also mentors women to give them the confidence and tools to reach leadership positions because “mentoring is what changed the direction of my career,” she says. She says that when she first started teaching, she was reluctant to take on a high-level position. But after attending a six-day leadership training Jawaharlal Nehru Universitywhich was hosted by the Government of India University Grants CommissionHe was confident in his ability to move up the career ladder.

“Many women take a break from their careers to raise their children, struggle to balance their personal and professional lives, or have no support system,” she says. “I want to pass on the lessons I’ve learned from my experiences and the training I’ve received. Whenever I get a chance, I get involved.”

Building lifelong friendships and mentoring students

Thomas joined IEEE as a graduate student member in 1990 and says she keeps renewing her membership to stay updated on emerging technologies, especially SCADA systems.

“I learned everything about SCADA from tutorials developed by IEEE Power and Energy SocietyThere was no such material available at that time,” she says.

Years later, in 2015, Thomas co-wrote Power System SCADA and Smart Grid with his friend john macdonaldWhom he met through the organization. McDonald is an IEEE Life Fellow and the founder and CEO of JDM Associates in Duluth, Ga.

Thomas became an active volunteer for Delhi Technological University Student BranchWhere he helped organize technical talks and other events. When Thomas joined Jamia Millia Islamia, he revived the dormant student branch There he worked as a consultant for 14 years.

During his 35 years with the IEEE, he has served as its President. area 10 Vice President of Student Activities Committee and Membership Development IEEE members and geographic activitieswas a member of ieee educational activities and this IEEE Publishing Services and Products Board.

“Creating programs that benefit members gives me satisfaction,” says Thomas. “Volunteering has also boosted my confidence.”

She is also a member of ieee spectrumEditorial Advisory Board.

She says that not only does she credit the organization for her professional development, but she has also made lifelong friendships through IEEE. One friend is 2023 IEEE President Saifur Rehman, whom he met in 2000 when he spoke to the Jamia Millia Islamia student wing.

“Our friendship has grown so much that Saifoor is like family,” she says.

When Rahman launched the IEEE Technology for a Sustainable Climate Matrix organization in 2022, he asked Thomas to become a member. he helped make it IEEE Climate Change Archive But ieee explore Digital Library. The following year, he led the development of a climate change taxonomy. It contains 620 words ieee thesaurusWhich defines approximately 12,500 engineering, technical and scientific terms. Now she is working with a team to expand the taxonomy by defining hundreds more climate-change terms.

She says, “You should always do what you enjoy. For me, that’s teaching and volunteering with IEEE.” “I can just become a member, access the technical stuff and be happy with that, but I volunteer because I can do things that help others.”