Episode #139 with Zainab Adigun

The Swinging Palm Trees Podcast

In today's episode I'm in conversation with Structural Engineer Zainab Adigun. Zainab shares how her early love for buildings put her on her career path, talks about the mindset of an engineer, her passion for calculations, problem solving and redoing modules, the importance of Net Zero and sustainability, and the excitement her role gives her. She discusses the challenges she faces as a Black woman from the naysayers, how she deals with imposter syndrome, the importance of educating the youth and her advocacy for STEM. Zainab also talks about her faith, what being Yorùbá means to her, and of course, she shares the quote that continually inspires her.
Zainab Adigun, a Senior Structural Engineer at Carbon Clean, is making a significant impact in the construction and engineering industries. With a passion for sustainability and a dedication to innovation, Zainab plays a crucial role in a company that is mitigating the impact of climate change through innovative modular carbon capture solutions.
Zainab volunteers as a board member for the Association for Black and Ethnic Minority Engineers (AFBE) where she is the team leader for the Making Engineering Hot which works with young people from black and other ethnic minority groups to expose them to careers in engineering. Recently, Zainab was listed as one of 100 Finalists for the Top Women in Engineering 2022 Awards as recognition of her contribution in encouraging females to consider a career in engineering. She won the CN & NCE Inspiring Women in Construction and Engineering awards in 2022. Zainab has also recently won the Institution of Engineering and Technology( IET) Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Prize Award in 2023. She is also a member of the IET, and the prize is awarded to an inspiring engineer working in the UK, who is able to engage and encourage young people’s involvement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Zainab loves structures around the world and explores different structures as a structural engineering presenter and contributor and has been featured on BBC News, National Geographic Channel and the Science Channel . From pyramids in Cairo, Egypt and enormous German Bunkers in Calais, France to large residential development projects in the UK. Zainab wants to know all about it and take you on the journey of exploring them with her.

Thanks for listening to the episode. I'd like to thank my guest for their time, insight and being a great sport!
I would also like to thank my producer, Ashanti Omkar, for all her hard work.
If you'd like to be a guest, drop me a line at [email protected].
Keep Rising & Thriving. Aṣẹ!