Nike Folayan facts for kids

Dr. Nike Folayan is a brilliant engineer and a leader who helps make the engineering world more diverse. Born in 1978, she is a specialist in telecommunications engineering. She also co-founded and leads an important group called the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK). This group works to encourage more people from different backgrounds to join engineering in the UK.

Her Journey in Engineering

Education and Early Career

Nike Folayan studied electronic engineering at the University of Kent, where she earned her master's degree. She then went on to get her PhD from the University of Sheffield. Her PhD research focused on designing antennas, which are devices that send and receive radio signals.

After finishing her studies, Dr. Folayan started her career as a Communications Engineer at Mott MacDonald. She worked on designing radio systems for tunnels. She also helped set up communication systems like CCTV (security cameras) and public address systems (like loudspeakers for announcements).

Working on Big Projects

In 2013, Dr. Folayan joined Parsons Brinckerhoff as a Systems Integration Consultant. This means she helped make sure all the different parts of large projects worked together smoothly. She worked on very important infrastructure projects, which are big building projects like roads, railways, and stations. Two of these projects were Crossrail, a major new railway line in London, and the upgrade of Victoria Station.

By 2016, she was promoted to Associate Director at WSP. In this role, she led teams working on communications and control systems for railways.

Championing Diversity in Engineering

Dr. Nike Folayan is passionate about making engineering a field where everyone feels welcome and has a chance to succeed.

Awards and Recognition

In 2008, she won the Precious Award for being an "Inspiring Leader within the Workplace." In 2012, she was recognized in the Powerlist, which names Britain’s 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage. She has also given important speeches, like the keynote address at the Higher Education Academy STEM conference in 2014. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Dr. Folayan is a trustee at the Engineering Development Trust, an organization that helps young people get into engineering. She is also part of diversity groups for the Science Council and Transport for London. She helped create the Royal Academy of Engineer's strategy to make engineering more diverse. In 2017, she spoke at a conference called "9% is Not Enough," which highlighted the need for more diversity in engineering.

The Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK)

Founding and Mission

In 2007, Nike Folayan and her brother, Ollie Folayan, started the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK). Dr. Folayan continues to be the chairperson of this organization. AFBE-UK works to encourage and support people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds to pursue careers in engineering.

Promoting Engineering Careers

AFBE-UK has gained recognition for its important work. In 2011, Vince Cable, who was a government minister at the time, attended an AFBE-UK seminar. He praised the organization for encouraging partnerships in engineering and supporting young people in science and technology careers.

In 2012, AFBE-UK launched a video campaign called "Making Engineering Hot." This campaign aimed to make engineering more appealing to the Black and minority ethnic community. In 2016, Dr. Folayan organized an event called "Transition." This event helped university students in London prepare for engineering jobs through workshops, CV reviews, mock interviews, and engineering challenges.