Yewande Akinola | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 Ibadan, Nigeria |
| Alma mater | Cranfield University University of Warwick |
| Employer | Laing O'Rourke |
| Known for | Design Engineering |
Yewande Akinola (born 1984) is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in sustainable water supplies. She works as Principal Engineer for Laing O'Rourke and hosts television shows about engineering for Channel 4 and National Geographic.
Yewande Akinola was born in 1984 in Nigeria. As a child she designed model-sized houses. [1] Her father, J. M Akinola, was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works of the old Western Region in Nigeria. [2] Yewande Akinola studied Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology at the University of Warwick, which she completed in 2007. During her degree she was a mechanical engineer for Thames Water, where she worked on clean water treatment sites. In 2007 she was employed by Arup Group as a Design Engineer designing water supplies and water management systems. Whilst working for Arup, she earned a master's degree from Cranfield University in 2011. [3]
Yewande Akinola is interested in developing water and sanitation for underdeveloped countries. [1] She has worked on projects in the UK, Africa, Middle East and East Asia. [4] She is the founder of the Global Emit Project, which mentors young people who are interested in engineering. [5] [6]
In 2010 Yewande Akinola presented Titanic: The Mission for Channel 4 [7] and National Geographic Society. [8] In 2012 she judged the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering competition to create a trophy. [9] That year, she was shortlisted and won the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award. [10] She has also presented for CBeebies and Yesterday TV. [11] [12] [13] Yewande Akinola has appeared on BBC Radio 4. [14] In 2014 Yewande Akinola designed a Rainwater Harvesting System. [15] [16]
In 2013 Akinola worked with Girl Guiding UK to encourage more young women into engineering. [17] She featured in a Royal Academy of Engineering campaign "Designed to Inspire". [18] She was featured on the QEPrize 2014 campaign "Create The Future". [19] She delivered a keynote talk at the 2016 Ada Lovelace day celebration. [20] She featured in the Institution of Engineering and Technology 2017 campaign "Portrait of an Engineer". [21] In 2021 she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering [22]
1998 - Nigerian National Mathematics Award [2]
2009 - UK’s Society of Public Health Engineers Award for Young Rising Star [3]
2012 - Exceptional Achiever Award by the Association for Black Engineers (AFBE-UK) [2]
2012 - Young Woman Engineer of the Year from the IET [23]
2013 - Management Today’s top 35 women under 35 [24]
2014 - PRECIOUS Award for Outstanding Woman in STEM [25]