TOP 100 Aerospace & Aviation Professionals to Follow on LinkedIn 2022: 36. Elizabeth Barrios

36. Elizabeth Barrios

Structural Materials Engineer @ NASA | IAF Young Space Leader | Space Enthusiast, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

36. Elizabeth Barrios

Average Post Engagement: 81.2

Country:

United States

How LinkedIn has helped you in your careers or businesses:

LinkedIn has helped me expand my network and brainstorm on technical activities with like minded people around the globe. It has helped keep my on top of cutting edge research and it is my hope to continue to use the platform to turn my expertise into making me a subject matter expert in my area. It has also helped me help others find their way in the space industry, and while not a business or related explicitly to my career, that is my proudest accomplishment from my use of LinkedIn.

Tips on how to Thrive on LinkedIn:

1-2 x/month. My goal is sharing knowledge and opportunities to students and YPs. My goal is to support diversity geographically in the industry.

What I use Linkedin for:

LinkedIn has been a place for me to continue learning about the space industry as I move through different stages of my life. As a student, it was a place where I connected with other students and was able to network and learn about the different types of working going on in the industry. I had a world-wide network that I could lean on to get through the hurdles that surround grad school. I drew inspiration from the people that I met and stayed engaged with on LinkedIn. It also surprisingly taught me how to open up and engage more in person – which as an introvert, has most definitely been a learned skill.

As I entered the professional world over the last year, I still drew inspiration from my network but I have also been able to use LinkedIn to stay on top of cutting-edge research in my area and make connections to brainstorm about new ideas. However, I think my proudest moment which is unrelated to a business venture or my own career, is how I have been able to help others find their ways in the space industry and find a way to get their foot in the doors. I realized that I started to turn to LinkedIn to provide mentorship to students and to enlighten my network about cool research and internship opportunities because I would honestly not be where I am today without the mentorship and opportunities I found as a student.

Number of Followers:

2,005

Industry:

Aerospace

Who am I:

I am passionate about the space industry to my core and it drives me to continue advancing our future workforce as well as the technical progress of the industry.

What I do:

I am a materials engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center where I am a subject matter expert in the failure analysis of avionics and EEE parts for the space and defense industry. I also do R&D for electronic materials.

Why you should follow me on Linkedin:

By following me on LinkedIn, you will be aware of many opportunities throughout the international space community – from development programs to funding & research opportunities. I hope to also inspire those not in the space industry, but want to be, to find their path and take a leap of faith and join our fantastic community.

Who I follow on Linkedin

I follow as many space companies, associated universities, and associated technical professionals as I can. I want to constantly stay up to date with state of the art in the industry and figure out where I might have ideas to jump into new research endeavors. For example, my alma mater, The University of Central Florida and their Nanoscience Technology Center are constantly making great progress towards material development for the space industry. Continuing to follow them, I find new contacts to form collaborations with. I also follow the Space Generation Advisory Council and the International Astronautical Federation to keep up to speed with global events. One person in particular, Minoo Rathnasabapathy, has also been an inspiration in this regard and comes to mind first.

Minoo Rathnasabapathy

Research Engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Elizabeth’s Successful Post

Reactions: 117

Comments: 6

Check out Elizabeth’s post here

❝This is a hard one because 2022 was a great year for professional growth for me. Earlier this year, my favorite LinkedIn post was related to my invitation to be a speaker on an international panel at the International Astronautical Federation’s Anniversary Celebration in Paris. Since then, I was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Wernher von Braun Memorial Dinner in Hunstville, Alabama and I think that this is probably my new favorite post. I was able to speak on many aspects of diversity and where, as a young professional just entering the industry, I see the future of space exploration going. To have my opinion valued by some of the most notable and influential leaders in our industry was a feeling that I will never forget and will always use as fuel to keep moving forward. Learning that through all of my hard work and many sleepless nights to get where I am at today, and that through my deep passion for this industry I was positively impacting not only the international community but also my local community…well, there are not quite enough words in any language to describe how that felt and how it validated that I have found my place in the world.❞

Elizabeth’s Successful Post

Reactions: 384

Comments: 16

Shares: 3

Check out Elizabeth’s post here

❝My most successful post by numbers would be when I shared my selection as Top 100 Women to follow on LinkedIn with my hoodie. I am not entirely sure why it was my most successful but I think it is because as an industry, we are so supportive and encouraging to our peers when they have successes. Talking with folks from other industries, there is not quite the same family feel that we have in the aerospace industry. So I honestly think this is my most successful post because of everyone I am connected with and having the virtual encouragement that I am doing good work and to keep working hard for the industry.❞

Matt Higa

Founder, Pineapple EMPIRE

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