Yaqub Adediji is a third year Ph.D. student in Materials Engineering within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.  Yaqub is a renewable energy, climate, and sustainability enthusiast.

Yaqub has shown leadership and initiative, working with several reputable sustainability organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund, Blue Integrated Partnerships, and Summer Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change.  Yaqub has won numerous awards and made significant contributions towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) into the atmosphere via renewable energy.

Yaqub grew up in Nigeria in a community with terrible air quality.  Every day he walked home from school and by the time he got home his clothes would be covered in soot. He developed respiratory problems because of the terrible pollution.

Yaqub’s humble beginning reinforced his aspiration to work on behalf of others and become active in changing the world for the better. His life goal has always been to help cities, communities, companies, and households transition from fossil-fuel-based systems to clean energy sources to reduce GHG emissions and tackle climate change.

Yaqub’s PhD research focuses on developing novel corrosion detection and monitoring systems for cables used for renewable energy systems, resulting in five technical report publications, six conference presentations, and one filed patent which demonstrates the impact of his research.

Among other initiatives, Yaqub worked on a project to make Magueyes Island, Puerto Rico more sustainable and energy-independent while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by installing micro-grids with wind turbines and photovoltaic solar panels.

He collaborated with five young people from states in the U.S. to create a 15-minute mini-documentary on YouTube titled “Vulnerable: Climate Change, Identity, and Human Life”. In this documentary, the creators shared personal stories of how climate change has affected them, and explained their drive to tackle this challenge so others do not suffer similar fates.  The film is also a call to action to motivate others to tackle climate change and promote sustainability worldwide.

As a Senator in the Graduate Student Council representing the Materials Engineering Department, Yaqub represents materials engineering students and advocates for the prioritization of sustainability at Auburn University.