Salma Alarefi

Dr Salma Alarefi is an award-winning Lecturer (Teaching and Scholarship) at the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Leeds. She holds dual expertise in renewable energy systems and inclusive engineering education pedagogy, leading initiatives to enhance student success and diversity in STEM fields.

Her academic qualifications include:

• PhD in Electronics and Computing Systems, University of Essex (2018)
• BEng in Telecommunication Engineering, University of Essex (2013)

Dr Alarefi's research spans technical and pedagogical domains. Her technical work focuses on renewable energy applications (solar, hydro, wind), power management/control for microgrids and electric vehicles, and electrical characteristics modeling. Her pedagogical research pioneers inclusive engineering education, investigating STEM identity development, authentic assessment, and sense of belonging to improve outcomes for underrepresented students across the educational lifecycle.

Her distinguished recognition includes:

• University of Leeds Early Career Teaching Award (2021)
• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Teaching Award
• STEM for Britain award shortlist (2017)
• Water Women at Leeds commendation (2019)
• Women's Engineering Society Fellowship (2021)
• Leeds Public Engagement Excellence Fellowship (2020)
• Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence Fellowship (2021)

In her leadership capacity as Academic Lead for Inclusivity and Student Success, she designs inclusive teaching practices while serving as Academic Personal Tutor and Module Leader. Her fellowship-funded outreach programs actively recruit disadvantaged youth into engineering, supported by professional memberships in IET (MIET), IEEE (MIEEE), and the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).