The Sky’s Not the Limit for Lankan Aerospace Engineer Melony Mahaarachchi
In an industry with worryingly few female role models, Aerospace Engineer Melony Mahaarachchi stands out as a trailblazer among women from the Global South excelling in the sciences.
Melony is a skilled mechanical, robotics, and rocket engineer. Having won a US diversity visa lottery, Melony moved to the States with her husband and children and pursued a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). However, her journey to the top was not without its own challenges. Before her move to the US, Melony was the only daughter in a family of three children from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Despite her passion to study engineering, studying the subject was not an option and so she opted for biology in the hopes of becoming a doctor. Her dream was cut short upon notice that she did not get through the medical school entrance exam. In spite of these challenges, Melony braved through the cultural and structural barriers that exist for many aspiring women and girls with dreams to join the field of STEM.
Melony would then go on to build a prolific career from scratch. To date, she has held positions at SpaceX, Boeing, and even NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on the Mars Rover 2020 mission. As Lead System Integration Mechanical Engineer at the esteemed American aerospace manufacturing company, SpaceX, Melony even worked alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk and was part of the team responsible for designing the electrical cabling for the Dragon, which would eventually become the first commercial spacecraft to reach the space station.
Her success at SpaceX eventually earned her the position of Electromechanical Design Engineer at Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company. A year later, Melony would go on to join ranks among NASA’s trailblazing women engineers as Lead Mechanical Engineer in Spacecraft Design Engineering for the Mars Rover 2020 Mission at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In an interview for the University of Cambridge, Melony described this occasion as an “immense growth opportunity” in the midst of a very intellectually nurturing environment.
In addition to a booming career in aerospace engineering, Melony remained steadfast in her goal to use her platform to advocate for more women in STEM. As a side hustle, she went to develop her own non-profit – iSTEM Without Borders. The organization works to close the gap between genders in STEM and help women and girls not only pursue but also thrive in their careers. iSTEM Without Borders also provided technical tools like hardware and software to academic institutes and supports with funding to help disadvantaged schools build better infrastructure and basic needs for their students. The non-profit also provides emotional support through expert advice, workshops, mentoring and networking.
Exploring new horizons and in an effort to sharpen her entrepreneur skills, Melony also began reading for a Masters in Business Administration at the Cambridge Judge Business School. She was also recognized by Melinda Gates in 2018 as a leader in tech and for her role in inspiring women and girls to pursue a career in STEM.
Commenting on her long-term ambitions and career goals, Melony shared that she has plans to go back to Sri Lanka and help businesses turn around while playing her part in transforming a culture that is presently steeped in gender norms that discourage women in STEM to one that actively encourages and celebrates women and girls who continue to reach for the stars and excel in fields such as science, math, engineering and tech while also balancing a family and personal life.
Beyond her job, Melony Mahaarachchi has succeeded in shattering stereotypes and is a role model worth modelling oneself on, in an industry that continues to be dominated and led predominantly by males. Pushing the boundaries of what is possible is no easy feat and Melony has already joined the ranks of women trailblazers in the field of space innovation and engineering. In her words, “roadblocks are a part of your career journey. Just learn to face them and create your own path so it’s a little easier for the next generation.”
Sources –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EiWsPwrpnA
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2018/06/17/news-features/story-lankan-born-mars-2020-engineer