Mini Thomas Is Empowering Women in the Power Industry

Thomas, expert on energy systems And smart gridsworking to attract more women to strength and energy industry.

She is an active IEEE volunteer and has worked with student chapters and member recruitment. Being a member IEEE Technology for Organizing a Sustainable Climate Matrixshe shares her knowledge about energy, climate-resilient infrastructure and ozone layer restoration.

“For a woman to succeed, she needs a lot of support from her family,” Thomas says, as many women's careers are interrupted by childcare and parenting responsibilities. She recognizes that not all women have the same support system as she does, which is one of the reasons why she is passionate about helping others succeed.

Passion for Teaching

Thomas was born and raised in Kerala, India. Kerala students who excelled in school were expected to choose a career in either medicine or engineering, she said. She says medicine is not an option for her because she faints at the sight of blood. She was good at mathematicsHowever, she decided to pursue engineering.

Although both her parents were teachers (her father taught chemistry, her mother was a language teacher), she was not inspired to follow the same path until she became a student University of Kerala. Her extensive note-taking during classes made her popular with her classmates, and some asked her to tutor them during exam season, she said.

“My friends would come over to my house so I could explain the material to them using my notes,” she says. “They told me afterwards 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 receiving a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1984, Thomas continued her education at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Soon after completing her M.Tech in Electrical Engineering in 1986, she began her first teaching job at the National Institute of Technology Calicut, also in Kerala.

The year was a whirlwind for Thomas: she got married, left her job and moved to New Delhi, where her husband lived. Instead of looking for another teaching job, she decided to pursue a PhD in the electrical engineering program at Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

“By the time I was 28, I had completed my PhD in electrical engineering, which I received in 1990,” she says. “Soon I got a job at the Delhi Technological University, the only college in New Delhi that at that time had an engineering school other than IIT. From that moment I never looked back.”

She taught at the university for five years, then left in 1995 to join the Jamia Millia Islamia. She was eventually promoted to head of the electrical department.

During her 11 years there, she created laboratories to conduct research in the field of regulatory control and data collection (SCADA) and substation automationcollaborating with industry on projects. In 2003, she developed the curriculum and led the launch of the master's program in electrical engineering. energy system management, as well as a training program for industry specialists. She received a 2015 award for her work. IEEE Educational Activities Council Excellence Award.

In 2014 she founded the school Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship help startups turn your ideas into prototypes and launch a business.

In 2016, she received an offer she couldn’t refuse: to become the president of the Tiruchirappalli National Institute of Technology.

“It was a great honor to become the first female president of this institution,” she says. “At that time, I was the only woman among 90 presidents of all institutions of national importance.”

But as president, she didn't have much time to teach, she said, and after five years, she began to miss her time in the classroom. After completing her five-year tenure, she returned to Jamia Millia Islamia in 2021 as the Dean of Engineering. Since then, she has led the launch of five programs: three undergraduate programs (in data scienceelectrical and computer engineeringAnd VLSI) and master's programs in data science and environmental sciences.

She stepped down this year after completing a three-year term as dean to focus more on teaching.

She teaches at least one class every semester because, she says, she enjoys “passing on knowledge to young minds.”

Mentoring for Women in Energy

Thomas mentors doctoral students as well as professors seeking deanship or other high-level positions.

In addition, she trains mid-level women in the energy industry with the skills they need to advance their careers (to technical and senior management positions) through WePOWER Network in South AsiaSouth Asia Region (SAR) 100 professional development program. WePOWER is a coalition of nonprofit and government organizations dedicated to increasing the number of women working in the energy sector through education. A World Bank Study 2020 found that the percentage of women in technical positions in South Asian industry ranged from 0.1 to 21.

The six-month program provides technical training, mentoring and networking opportunities to 100 women from BangladeshBhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, PakistanAnd Sri Lanka. Thomas is one of 40 experts who teach remotely on topics such as transmission details, distribution, renewable energyand importance women in leadership.

She also mentors women to give them the confidence and tools to achieve leadership positions because “mentoring is what changed the trajectory of my career,” she says. When she first started teaching, she didn't want to take on high-level positions, she said. But after attending a six-day leadership training Jawaharlal Nehru Universitywhich was organized by the Government of India University Grants Commissionshe felt confident in her ability to advance her career.

“Many women take a break from their careers to raise children and struggle balance your personal and professional lifeor I don’t have a support system,” she says. “I want to share the lessons I have learned from my experiences and training. Whenever I get the opportunity, I participate.”

Creating lifelong friendships and mentoring students

Thomas joined IEEE in 1990 as a graduate student and says she continues to renew her membership to stay abreast of the latest developments. new technologiesspecifically SCADA systems.

“I learned everything about SCADA from a textbook developed by IEEE Energy and Energy Society. There was no such material at the time,” she says.

Years later, in 2015, Thomas wrote SCADA power systems and smart networks with my girlfriend John MacDonaldwhom she met through the organization. McDonald is an IEEE Life Fellow and the founder and CEO of JDM Associates in Duluth, Georgia.

Thomas became an active volunteer Delhi Technological University Student Branchwhere she helped organize technical talks and other events. When Thomas joined Jamia Millia Islamia, it revived the inactive student department there and served as his advisor for 14 years.

During her 35 years at IEEE, she served as Chair Region 10 Student Activities Committee and Vice-Chair for Membership Development IEEE Member and Geographical Activities. She was a member IEEE Educational Activities And IEEE Publishing Services and Products boards.

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

She is also a member IEEE spectrumeditorial advisory board.

Not only does she credit the organization for much of her professional growth, she said, but she has also made lifelong friendships through IEEE. One friend – 2023. IEEE President Saifur Rahmanwhom she met in 2000 when he was talking to the student chapter of Jamia Millia Islamia.

“Our friendship has grown so much that Saifur has become like family to me,” she says.

When Rahman launched IEEE Technology for a Sustainable Climate Matrix in 2022, he asked Thomas to become a member. She helped create IEEE Climate Change Collection on IEEEX Digital Library. The following year she led the development climate change taxonomy. 620 words included IEEE Thesauruswhich defines almost 12,500 engineering, technical and scientific terms. She is now working with the team to expand the taxonomy, defining hundreds more terms related to climate change.

“You should always do what you love. For me, that's teaching and volunteering at IEEE,” she says. “I could just be a member and have access to technical content and be happy with that, but I volunteer because I can do things that help others.”