Yewande Akinola
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Yewande Akinola | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 (age 41–42) 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]
Career
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]