Pitt ECE PhD Student Sabrina Helbig Attends Leadership Conference in Greece

Around the world, young women in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) are learning to unleash their full potential by breaking through barriers keeping them from leadership positions.

Sabrina Helbig, a PhD student studying electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, is one of 25 female graduate and postdoctoral students working in energy fields invited to attend the Epistimi-ACG-LUCE Summer Leadership Workshop for Women in Energy. The program aims to empower early-career women in the final stages of their training or within their first six years post-graduation and addresses the critical need for female leadership, particularly in the energy sector.

“I’ve been supported and mentored by many wonderful people in my journey as an engineer," Helbig said. "It’s especially uplifting to participate in a leadership program with attendees like me — women in energy — who can relate not only to my technical work but also to navigating graduate school and a career in STEMM as a woman."

"In this program, I aim to strengthen my confidence as a leader and researcher, expand my network and support system, learn from others’ experiences, and discuss new insights and practices to become more effective at leading myself and others."

Helbig’s research in the Swanson School’s Electric Power Systems Lab focuses on power electronics with interests in wide bandgap semiconductor devices, semiconductor gate drive management, electronics packaging, sustainability, and power grid applications. She is an active member of the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu honor society, which promotes excellence in the profession and education with ideals of scholarship, character and attitude.

The Epistimi Leadership Program was created by the American College of Greece (ACG) and Epistimi, Inc. with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation. Epistimi Inc. was founded by Angeliki Artemis (Diane) Rigos, associate director for graduate programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Initiative, program manager for the US Department of Energy Center for Enhanced Nanofluidic Transport at MIT, and ACG alumna. 

The workshop takes place July 15-19, 2024, at the American College of Greece campus in Athens, Greece.