A rare behind-the-scenes look at what it means to lead critical engineering work in one of the most secure and technologically advanced environments in the country.   In this special series of New Scientist CoLab interviews, we spotlight exceptional women driving progress in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.   This episode is a deep dive into the world of high-stakes engineering, leadership, and innovation at the cutting edge of national security.   Helen is Group Leader for Engineering at AWE, a technology and security organisation supporting the UK's nuclear deterrent. She’s a Member of the Senior Leadership Team for the Astraea Programme, a once-in-a-generation project to develop the UK’s next nuclear warhead.   In this episode we explore:   ●     Helen’s career journey and path to senior leadership ●     The common misconceptions about working in engineering ●     How to balance family-life with a high-security, high-impact role ●     And how AWE is championing diversity, inclusion, and opportunities for women in STEM This series is proudly sponsored by AWE. Your host is Claire Aisnworth.   For more podcasts in this series, head to newscientist.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices