Materials engineering doctoral student wins prestigious award for advancing PepsiCo climate goals

His consulting work for the Choice of a New Generation is helping to amplify the voice of a new generation of sustainability innovators. 

Following his second Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps fellowship in as many years, Yaqub Adediji, a doctoral student in materials engineering, has been awarded the organization's 2024 Climate Corps Fellow Collaboration Award for helping PepsiCo achieve its ambitious climate goals, including reducing value chain emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2040. 

The Collaboration Award recognizes Adediji's success in facilitating climate and energy initiatives across organizations and the EDF network. Adediji's research focuses on developing non-destructive corrosion monitoring and detection systems for aerospace and renewable energy systems. His work with PepsiCo this summer yielded proposals for new tactics aimed at motivating suppliers in developing  decarbonization action plans, created models and tools that identifies emissions contributors and recommends decarbonization levers and assessed the true costs of carbon reduction for the beverage and snack giant. 

"I am deeply honored to receive the Collaboration Award from the Environmental Defense Fund for my dedication and hard work," Adediji said. "I want to express my gratitude to God for this opportunity, and a heartfelt thank you to my advisor, Dr. Zhongyang Cheng, for his unwavering support. I’m also incredibly grateful to my amazing team at PepsiCo, as well as my Engagement Manager, for their guidance and collaboration.”

The award is the latest to spotlight Adediji's rising reputation in the renewable energy and sustainability field. In 2022, he was named a Purdue Climate Fellow and awarded the Eunice Foote Award for his work on a highly praised project involving the design and installation of microgrids in Puerto Rico. Earlier this year, he was also named the Outstanding Graduate Student for the Department of Materials Engineering.

“Receiving the Collaboration Award also reinforces my commitment to driving meaningful change through innovation and collaboration," Adediji said. "Moving forward, this recognition inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of my research and sustainability consulting, ensuring that we develop solutions that support the broader goal of transitioning to cleaner energy and more sustainable practices.

"It also highlights the importance of teamwork and cross-industry collaboration in tackling the complex challenges of climate change. Working with Auburn University, PepsiCo and the Environmental Defense Fund has shown me the power of partnerships in accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and I am excited to explore future opportunities that allow me to apply my expertise in materials engineering to global sustainability efforts."