Najma Akpanoko

Najma Akpanoko is a PhD student in civil engineering at Vanderbilt University, where she researches wearable technologies to monitor physiological responses and predict heat stress in construction workers. Drawing from her background in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Physics from Spelman College, Akpanoko combines engineering, data science, and public health to inform infrastructure design and policy for vulnerable communities.

Before starting her doctoral studies, Akpanoko worked at Procter & Gamble in Supply Network Operations for Always Liners. In her role as a Process Engineer, she led a strategic initiative that eliminated $4.68 million in non-performing inventory by streamlining plant operations, introducing a category run-out strategy, and building automations into inventory management systems. She later served as a Supply Chain Manager, overseeing end-to-end product flow across North America.

Akpanoko’s experience also includes contributing to the Dragonfly space mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, where she enhanced planetary exploration tools through image-based terrain classification. At Agility Robotics, she developed Computer-Aided Design models to reduce foot sole degradation in humanoid robots.

Dedicated to sustainability and equity, Akpanoko co-leads a climate education program and community garden through the Climate Leaders Academy and presented climate adaptation work at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai. As former National Pre-College Initiative Chair of the National Society of Black Engineers, she expanded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics access to over 3,000 students globally.

Akpanoko is a Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation fellow, Bill Anderson Fund fellow, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green associate committed to building climate-resilient infrastructure and mentoring future engineers.