Here, in our series on the latest EW BrightSparks of 2023, we profile Vanessa Kandodo, a Systems and Hardware Enabling Engineer in Intel’s Application Design Center (ADC).
Achievements
It was a colleague at Intel who nominated Vanessa, and they highlighted the impact she has already made:
“Vanessa has consistently demonstrated an extraordinary aptitude for engineering design, customer support, and project management. Despite graduating just over a year ago, her work has been crucial for both Intel and our extensive customer base. I am also proud to say that Vanessa’s involvement in outreach activities is helping to encourage the next generation of engineers and scientists.”
In her engineering role, we learned, Vanessa balances her time between two significant responsibilities: supporting customers in the embedded market with chip-down design of pre-launch Intel products and creating demos and proof-of-concepts of Intel’s latest technologies.
She works closely with customers, helping guide them through various design phases, such as schematic reviews all the way to powering on their hardware. Additionally, she has been heavily involved in the creation of demos and proof-of-concepts to showcase Intel technologies to customers and help assist field sales teams.
Vanessa’s nominator highlighted her contributions to key projects. For example, she played an important role in ramping promotion of Intel’s 4th Gen Xeon Scalable Processor. Part of the material required was a demo showcasing the built-in accelerator known as Quick Assist Technology (QAT). Vanessa’s engineering skills allowed the enabling and testing of the platform, as well as development of an application highlighting high-velocity cryptographic keys. Her involvement has enabled customers to better understand the technology.
Her collaboration skills were also highlighted, evident in her close work with Technical Sales Specialists and other Hardware Enabling engineers. She has also been part of the demonstration team previewing various technologies at industry events including Tech Show London and Intel Vision, an event that brings together business leaders and subject matter experts to showcase Intel technologies.
Her experience supporting customers allows her to serve as a dedicated platform application engineer, we learned – she provides information and advice to customers in different verticals and markets. And she has recently taken on a number of new customers, supporting them as they design with the next generation of Intel’s CPU, emphasising her versatility to successfully manage diverse projects.
Her nominator summarises her range of qualities:
“Vanessa Kandodo is a multidimensional talent whose contributions to engineering design, customer support, and community outreach are nothing short of remarkable. With an eye on sustainability issues, she is an invaluable asset to our team and an inspiration to the next generation of engineers.”
Also, before her time at Intel, at university, Vanessa’s skills were not unrecognised.
She received a First-Class degree in her BEng Engineering and Management degree, majoring in electronics, for example. And she received the Dean’s Commendation for Exceptional Performance from the University of Exeter, which is awarded to the highest performing students, after achieving a first in every module in her final year.
Vanessa was also awarded the Philip Booth Prize, which is given to two final year engineering students with the best individual projects. Sustainability being an important concept to her, Vanessa’s project explored ways to improve the existing lighting fixtures at the university to reduce energy consumption and whole-life carbon emissions. She developed a proof-of-concept to fulfill a vision of a more sustainable campus whilst also improving the safety and security of students at night.
Electronics Industry ViewpointStewart Edmondson, CEO of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), also shared his viewpoint on what he described as Vanessa’s strong entry.
“A strong endorsement from her colleague,” Stewart told us. “She has won several prizes and awards during her undergraduate studies, with strong evidence of engagement in STEM outreach and engagement activities.”
Community
Vanessa is also heavily involved in community outreach, showing a strong commitment to making STEM education accessible to everyone, regardless of their background.
For example, she was the President of Exeter University’s UpReach Social Mobility Society during her final year there. The society helped undergraduates from underprivileged backgrounds accelerate their professional development and access and sustain top graduate jobs.
She is now an active member of Intel Inspire, Intel’s STEM engagement committee which delivers interactive sessions to school children across the more deprived areas of Swindon with an aim to inspire interest in STEM in the next generation. The topics are diverse, relating to different areas of technology such as IoT, AI and robotics. She develops and leads sessions, visiting both primary and secondary schools to promote STEM activities.
Vanessa is also a core member of the Technical Women at Intel Network where she leads the University Engagement programme. This focusses on providing informative and interactive workshops on key industry topics with an aim to enrich the students’ knowledge and skillset to fit the needs of the industry.
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