Sana Elyas, ORNL: “Aim high, and don’t stop”

A career in engineering made sense for Sana Elyas. At school, she was good at maths and science and she enjoyed helping her dad fix things around the house. She was also fascinated by space and dreamed about becoming an astronaut. Fortunately, she found an area of study which connected her interests.

“I was about to go into mechatronics or electrical engineering, but I came across a university offering aeronautical engineering in India at that time, so it was an easy decision for me”, she explains. “Space is, and always will be, a passion for me and I have made sure that I study in fields that connect with it.”

A desire to go deeper into the subject took her to the U.S. to obtain a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at Wichita State University. Sana started learning about composite materials, and continued at Wichita State as a research assistant at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), a world-class composites testing centre.

From industry to ORNL

In 2011, Sana was approached by Carbures, a Spanish manufacturer of aerospace components that was trying to establish a footprint in the U.S.

“Carbures had done quite a bit of work for Airbus and Airbus Military and also worked with composites in out-of-autoclave technologies. This offered me a different perspective and an opportunity to leverage my education and the expertise gained from my graduate assistantship.”

She worked at Carbures between their South Carolina and Washington facilities for five years, before moving to California to join PolyOne’s Advanced Composites group (now Avient).

“During my time in Carbures, I progressed from being a design and process engineer into engineering management. I was also working hand in hand with the business development folks, reaching out to the customers, leading, and supporting advanced composites aircraft, mobility, and wind applications development. The role of business development manager at PolyOne included transportation and industrial applications development across both thermoset and thermoplastic composites, so again a new learning opportunity.”

Sana wanted to explore the potential of thermoplastics composites further in high-rate markets and applications and joined California startup ARRIS in 2019.

“Within Carbures, and then PolyOne, I could feel thermoplastic composites, and their sustainability aspects, becoming more dominant and this was something I needed to learn and become more involved in. With ARRIS and their additive moulding technology, looking at thermoplastic composites and markets that I’ve worked with and never touched, there was another learning opportunity. I initially worked in applications development, then they pulled me into the R&D group where I was doing project and programme management.”

This June, following a short-term assignment at Orbital Composites in California, Sana made the move to Knoxville, Tennessee, to work at the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In her current role she is responsible for aligning industry partners with core research activities at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), one of DOE’s designated user facilities focused on performing research and development, and developing technical collaborations focused on industry problems.

This role at ORNL answers her need for continuous learning and she enjoys the working environment.

“I split my time between the Composites Innovation and the Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies groups. The people have been very warm, very welcoming. We have very candid discussions, but it is a respectful and an open environment. Along with my role in industry collaboration and programme management, I’m also now starting to work on my technical development in thermoplastic materials and process engineering. So, I don’t let go of the composites engineer inside me! Also, ORNL is one of the largest national labs in the U.S. and their portfolio of materials and process development is unmatched. It’s an honour for me to be accepted here and to have this opportunity to contribute and to learn.”

Sana has observed the evolution of a wide variety of composite materials and process technologies and she’s excited for the future.

“Today, it feels like a Lego store because the materials are available, the manufacturing processes are available, and we need to match and modify them to the best advantage with different markets and applications. In the past few years, I’ve seen sustainability come to the fore but more work needs to be done on how we embrace it. Being part of three startups also made me realise how much disruption is already happening around the world, and I foresee more and more cross-pollination and disruption between different industries.”

Challenges and support

There have been challenges along the way, including the need to relocate to take advantage of new career opportunities.

“My family still lives back home in India, so moving to Wichita, then to South Carolina, to Washington, to California, and now to Tennessee, is not a trivial challenge. You have to completely uproot yourself and you need to be open to adapting to new environments.”

And in the past Sana has experienced negativity from some people regarding her abilities as an engineer, not being included in meetings where the project she was leading was being discussed, leadership development opportunities, and more.

“Being a woman and a first-generation immigrant in a field where you don’t really see a lot of people like you, you do stand out. People have a certain perception about you based on the way you look; that you can’t be an engineer and/or a leader. But I take these things in a positive way: if you think I cannot do something, I am going to take that as a challenge, analyse what’s feasible, and I am going to go after it.”

“The real challenge is every time you fall down, what do you do to pick yourself up again? The most important thing I focus on, irrespective of what happens, is a healthy mind. I surround myself with people that question me but support me, that make me feel grounded and keep me humble. I’ve been very fortunate to have my family supporting me very strongly, but also mentors that I’ve met through SAMPE and other organisations, as well as my network and my friends who’ve always been there for me.”

Sana’s involvement in SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering) has grown over the years. Today, she serves as treasurer on the SAMPE North America Executive Cabinet, which guides the organisation’s growth strategy. She is also strategic champion for the SAMPE North America ‘professional member and chapter experience’ initiative, chair of the Finance Committee, and a member of the Thermoplastics Technical Committee.

“I joined SAMPE because my professor in grad school gave me no other option, and it felt like too big of an investment at that time, but has paid off. That turned into me joining various SAMPE local chapters, making connections, but also getting noticed. When I was based in Southern California, I reached out to the Los Angeles chapter and asked if they had a position on the board for me.

They welcomed me warmly and gave me the opportunity to try new things. Since then, I won two awards [1] and I was nominated to join the North America Executive Cabinet and have served as the parliamentarian and secretary. I’m looking forward to the Vice President’s election in 2024. Serving on the North America Executive Cabinet is typically a seven-year term and you progress each year, serving in a tactical and strategic role.”

Keep going

Sana’s advice for other women is to keep going, no matter what happens.

“The advice I have always followed myself, and what I will tell anyone, is ‘aim high, and don’t stop’.”

And her own long-term goals? Sana knows that she wants to stay in the composites industry in technical and leadership roles, and giving back is also important to her.

“I’ve been very fortunate that at different points of my life when I needed help, I received it. It’s now my duty to pay it forward and to help others to grow in their career and see the world of opportunities that exists out there. I try to do that as much as I can, and I would like to do more.”

[1] The inaugural 2021 SAMPE DEI Leadership Award, and 2020 SAMPE Young Professional Leadership Award; the first woman from India to win both awards.