International Women in Engineering Day raises the profile of women in a historically male-dominated field, celebrates their achievements and inspires the next generation of girls to consider a career path in a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) field.
To understand where the next wave of innovation is taking us, we turned to three engineers at Logitech: Kathy Liu, head of sustainability engineering; Mona Xu, color, material, finish (CMF) advanced manufacturing engineering (AME) manager; and Poornima Narasimhan, principal firmware engineer.
Each provided interesting perspectives when we spoke:
Kathy Liu: Driving Sustainability Engineering
My role focuses on understanding a product’s full lifecycle – what materials are used, where they come from, how their longevity can be extended, where they end up – and implementing solutions that maximize resource efficiency without compromising the quality of the user experience.
In the next ten years, I envision recycled plastics becoming a non-negotiable standard across the entire tech industry. Advancements in recycling technologies can transform these plastics into high-performing materials that meet demands for both durability and aesthetics.
I think the most critical skill for young women entering STEM is expertise in AI. Mastering AI will equip individuals to analyze complex data, create intelligent systems, and solve diverse challenges with precision and efficiency. It will also open doors to interdisciplinary applications, combining AI with fields like biotechnology, sustainability and design. For those aiming to lead the next wave of innovation, proficiency in AI will be an essential tool to shape the future.
Mona Xu: Connecting Humans to Hardware
When it comes to the future of our physical devices, I foresee a massive shift toward advanced post-consumer recycled (PCR) composites, and even next-generation bio-based materials or carbon-capturing materials. Additionally, as spatial computing and AI expand, I anticipate products that respond to us in a far more physical way. For example, tactile feedback that lets a surface mimic a button or texture so you can control a device without looking; phase-changing materials that absorb and release heat to keep it stably comfortable in your hand; and self-healing surfaces that repair their own scratches over time, so products last longer and waste less.
For women navigating the next wave of innovation, it will be important to understand how mechanical engineering impacts sustainability, how software influences material choices, and how design drives user behavior. Technologically, getting comfortable with AI as an ideation and optimization tool is crucial. But from a mindset perspective, it’s important to be fearlessly curious and to speak the language of the designer, the data scientist, or the supply chain manager.
Poornima Narasimhan: Enabling the Hardware’s Future
With the rise of Edge AI, firmware engineering is evolving from traditional device control into AI orchestration (the coordination of AI models and systems).
Earlier, firmware mainly focused on hardware peripheral enablement, the implementation of communication protocols such as USB audio, and ensuring real-time audio pipelines consistently met latency and timing requirements without glitches or dropped frames. Today, with Edge AI, firmware engineers are increasingly responsible for managing heterogeneous compute resources. Additionally, the industry is working toward context-aware audio systems that automatically optimize themselves in real time. When done well, users won’t think about the technology at all. The experience will simply feel effortless.
The industry needs diverse perspectives, because the technologies we build today are shaping how people around the world will live, work, and connect in the future. It is also important for women entering STEM to become comfortable with AI-enabled embedded systems. Since Edge AI is becoming foundational across industries, understanding how intelligence can run efficiently on constrained devices will be a major advantage.
The Future of Women in Engineering
Liu, Xu and Narasimhan all agree that the future of technology requires foresight, cross-functional innovation and inclusivity. By honoring diverse leadership and encouraging young women to bring their unique voices to STEM, these engineers are helping to build the future of women in engineering.
