As manager of Siemens GT Risk Management Organization, Petya Georgieva Fernlund, ’06, leads a global team responsible for ensuring the quality of the gas turbine engineering products. In her position, she oversees strategy and the portfolio; coordinates on root cause analysis and quality issues resolution; works on risk analysis and management; and supports the professional growth of employees within her organization. Previously, she worked three years as a quality manager, leading a team of managers for different Siemens gas turbine high-risk and high value development projects. She was the quality manager for the rapidly developing, fast-to-market program for a particular Siemens gas turbine engine.
While working toward her doctoral degree, Fernlund was a research associate in UCF’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center. In this role, she worked in collaboration with industry and academia, and conducted research and led the development of advanced materials and processes in the areas of: nanomaterials synthesis and consolidation, thermal spray processing and developing coating and bulk nanocomponents using plasma spray, metal/ceramic nanocomposites, surface engineering of materials, and more. She performed simulations of materials properties and performance, and correlation with experimental data.
She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in chemistry and physics from the University of Sofia in Bulgaria, and earned her doctoral degree in materials science and engineering at UCF in 2006.