#Wholesome2023: Smital Dhake Wins UK Rail Award, Inspiring Women Pursuing Career In STEM

26-year-old Smital Dhake has made India proud by bagging the UK's RailStaff Awards 2023 as the 'Newcomer of the Year' for displaying "exceptional skill, tenacity and professional achievement" in her field of work.

Smital Dhake/ railstaffawards.com

And this, she delved into the sector of railway, of which she had no prior knowledge.

The RailStaff Awards began in 2007 to recognise the great work of the people who work in the rail industry and to show appreciation for the people who deliver the UK's railways.

Who is Smital Dhake?

Born in Jalgaon, Smital Dhake attended Watford Grammar School in England, followed by university at King's College London.

The 26-year-old is currently based at Alstom's Hatfield office in eastern England.

How did Smital achieve success in her field?

Smital had joined the railway specifically to work on the innovative Modular Advanced Route Setting (M-ARS) System.

The UK railway's first M-ARS system with machine learning techniques is applied to use real-time data to predict future events to enable quicker decision-making to resolve conflicting train movements, thereby increasing the efficiency of the railway. Currently undergoing approvals, M-ARS will be delivered on a number of high-profile rail projects once approved.

However, with no prior rail industry knowledge, Smital had to undergo extensive and intensive knowledge transfer processes to gain a comprehensive understanding of the rail sector and signalling systems.

Very proud of our data scientist Smital Dhake for winning Newcomer of the Year at this year¡¯s @RailStaffAwards ceremony, with colleague Kalen Ruddock securing second runner-up in the same category #TeamAlstom pic.twitter.com/xzEW8hcWBg

¡ª Alstom UK & Ireland (@AlstomUK) December 12, 2023

Fast learner who seeks to grow herself

"Smital is a fast learner who always finds ways to seek knowledge and grow herself in an exponential manner," said Mifaz Miftha, Design Group Manager at Alstom.

Indeed, Smital achieved business-critical objectives in under six months, a task which would usually be expected to take up to three years.

According to Lorna Richardson, Head of Customer Engagement at Alstom, Dhake achieved IRSE (Institution of Railway Signal Engineers) competence and delivered safety-related works in record time.

"Smital Dhake rapidly applied her Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) expertise and has solely made an enormous impact already in a highly professional manner," Richardson said.

"She regularly takes on much more complex tasks above her role and delivers them with full commitment and with a high level of accuracy. Her meticulous approach to problem-solving and critical thinking on design have made Smital an asset to Alstom and the wider railway industry where innovation and sustainability are key to growth," Miftha added.

Inspiration for women who wish to pursue a career in STEM

Smital Dhake's hard work and perseverance, which led to her win, is described as an "enormous inspiration" to young women who are considering pursuing a career in the science, tech, engineering and maths (STEM) category.

"This award means so much to me. It will inspire me to keep up the hard work, and I hope it also inspires others who are new to the industry. I am truly grateful for everyone who has helped me through my journey. I've had wonderful mentors, colleagues and managers. I am truly honoured," she was quoted as saying in railuk.com.

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