2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, empathy is emerging in literature as a vital leadership skill for engineers. Traditionally viewed primarily through a technical lens, engineering roles now demand a more holistic approach that integrates emotional intelligence with technical expertise. Empathy, often overlooked in engineering education, stands as a critical attribute for effective leadership and collaborative problem-solving. Engineers entering the workforce today may find themselves working on diverse teams in multinational companies for customers they have never met in person, and be expected to deliver excellent work under tight deadlines. Under such conditions, they must be prepared and enabled to connect with others who have different backgrounds and experiences than they do, quickly understand perspectives that differ from their own, and solve problems with the end users’ and other stakeholders’ interests at the forefront of their minds. This paper includes a narrative literature review of research on empathy in engineering leadership education and development. It examines the Zachry Leadership Program at Texas A&M University as a case study of how empathy can be introduced into engineering leadership curriculums, describes the teaching approaches faculty in that program use to help students understand and develop this skill, and identifies ongoing challenges, particularly with assessment. Finally, it presents planned future research in which graduates of the program will be asked about the importance of empathy in both student organization leadership positions and their current professions and roles; which aspects of the course on empathy were most helpful; and whether they felt fully prepared to be empathetic leaders when they graduated.

This practice paper is aligned with the LEAD division’s “design” strategic priority. It will introduce ideas and foster discussion around ways that engineering leadership development programs can integrate empathy as a core leadership skill.