Farzaneh Shrafbafi, a professor of aeronautical engineering at Amir Kabir University of Technology and Shahid Sattari University of Aeronautical Engineering and the first Iranian woman to get a Ph.D in aerospace was selected from among the board members of Iran Air.

Farzaneh Shrafbafi, a aeronautical engineering professor will become first female CEO of #Iran's oldest airline, @IranAir_IRI. pic.twitter.com/rNw7Tknmlm - Sadegh Ghorbani (@GhorbaniSadegh) July 8, 2017

In an interview given to an Iranian daily back in 2014, Farzaneh told the newspaper that she was always a keen student of science. Her father who was Physics professor at Sharif University helped shape her interest in the field.

Fighting against all odds, Farzaneh did not give up her passion for science and kept pursuing her studies even after her marriage. She started with her masters after getting married and pursued her Ph.D as well.

"I attended my first class two days after I gave birth to my second kid. That day when I arrived late, the professor asked where I had been. "I just gave birth to a kid," I answered. They couldn't believe their eyes. Normally a woman stays home ten days after delivery. But it was not the case with me," she said in an interview with the daily newspaper.

Farzaneh's reign as the CEO of Iran Air will be seen as another step towards women empowerment in the country. In a country where women still have to face many restrictions Farzaneh's appointment as the CEO is a refreshing change.