Beginning our series on the latest EW BrightSparks of 2025, we profile Jadesola Adeleka, of Loughborough University and a Field Applications Engineering Intern at Renesas Electronics. She is also a UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) scholar.
Achievements
In her application Jadesola Adelekan highlighted the academic and technical progress made during her university studies and placement year.
Growing up in Nigeria, she told us, her school didn’t have access to electronics-focused programmes or tools such as Microbit or Scratch. Her early learning was mostly theoretical, and she gravitated towards Maths and ICT. Despite this, she said she always had a strong desire to innovate and build and found Electronics and Electrical Engineering increasingly captivating.
However, when she began at Loughborough University, she shared, she initially struggled with certain classes due to limited prior experience in programming and microcontrollers. But actively seeking support from lecturers and classmates, while also using online tutorials and YouTube videos, her persistence saw her improve her programming skills and she became comfortable working with MCUs.
By the end of first year, for example, she was able to contribute to her group sensors project by programming a humidity sensor. This was using Arduino to trigger a window to open when a threshold was passed. She achieved a First overall.
In her second year at university, she undertook a year-long group robotics project, where the students were tasked with modifying a Boe-Bot to follow a complex track and scan a large barcode.
Jadesola designed and implemented a custom PCB using DesignSpark and created a 3D-printed sensor bracket using SolidWorks and Siemens NX. These tools were new to her, and learning them took several iterations, but she found the process deeply rewarding.
“I improved my CAD and manufacturing skills, and the project taught me how to collaborate effectively within a team. Our robot won the end-of-year Olympiad competition, and our team received the department’s ‘Second Year Design Project Prize’ for best project, along with a cash award.
During her placement year at Renesas she was a Field Applications Engineering Intern. She has been involved in several technical projects.
One was developing a traffic lights demonstration board to showcase Renesas products at customer events and technical conferences. This project featured two main products: the RA microcontroller and the GreenPAK mixed-signal configurable logic device.
She designed the traffic light control logic using GreenPAK, incorporating a motorised car barrier that responded to the traffic light state. Subsequently, she designed PCBs using KiCAD and created 3D-printed parts using Fusion 360. Following a structured problem-solving approach, the deepened her technical skills and helped her gain confidence working with new platforms and hardware tools, she shared.
“Additionally, I modified an FPGA power sequencer tutorial using Verilog, which has since been used to help train other Renesas employees. I am currently working with the Renesas Security Evaluation team, where I am gaining valuable experience in embedded cybersecurity.”
Community
Over the course of her university studies and placement year, Jadesola actively contributed to the STEM community through a range of leadership, mentoring, and outreach activities.
For example, as a university student, she served as the course representative for her Electronic and Electrical Engineering cohort of around 30 students. As part of this, she created a course group chat to give students an avenue to seek peer support and offer course feedback. Afterwards, she presented this feedback at student-staff committee meetings, helping to improve course delivery. And also foster a more supportive, responsive academic environment.
Additionally, she has been serving as the Fundraising Officer on the Loughborough Women’s Engineering Society committee. Over the past academic year, she successfully secured £1,000 in funding from another department. This enabled them us to host networking events and skills workshops designed to support and empower female engineering students across the university.
During her placement year at Renesas, she expanded her engagement through mentoring and volunteering.
For example, as a UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) scholar, she mentored two students: an incoming UKESF scholar and a Welsh SPARC scholar. She provided ongoing support via calls and messages, offering a peer perspective to help them settle into their new environments.
For the UKESF scholar, she shared insights about her placement experience and offered advice on transitioning into a new role at her placement company, Renesas. For the Welsh SPARC scholar, she checked in regularly and offered guidance to help them adjust to life at Loughborough and living in the UK.
Additionally, in October last year, she volunteered at the 10th Annual IoT Security Foundation Conference. She supported event operations by managing the welcome desk, greeting attendees, and assisting with microphone duties during sessions.
This opportunity, she told us, also allowed her to gain insight into emerging developments in IoT cybersecurity while connecting with industry professionals.
Finally, as a STEM Ambassador, she has participated in outreach initiatives aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers.
At The Wren School, for example, she conducted mock interviews, contributing to helping around 150 students enhance their communication skills, improve their CVs, and build confidence for their future careers.
Additionally, she gave presentations to approximately 70 students at Knutsford Primary Academy and Marjory Kinnon School, where she shared her university and placement journey to demystify the electronic engineering pathway and encourage students to pursue careers in STEM.
She also enjoyed serving as a judge for the 2025 Young Coders competition, where she evaluated eight students’ Scratch programming projects. It was inspiring to see such creativity and technical curiosity in young learners, she shared.
Congratulations to Jadesola Adelekan!
See also: Elektra Awards 2025 – The Winners
