Sixteen undergraduate students from UCL’s Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering have been selected for the prestigious Semiconductor Talent Award, a national programme delivered by the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) to nurture the UK’s next generation of semiconductor engineers.
The 2025/26 cohort comprises over 300 students from more than 30 UK universities. Each award holder receives a £4,000 bursary, one-to-one mentoring, and exclusive industry development opportunities to help them build successful careers in the UK’s growing semiconductor sector.
The Award is part of the Government’s Semiconductor: Skills, Talent and Education Programme (STEP), designed to strengthen the UK’s talent pipeline in a field central to technological innovation and economic growth.
In September, recipients attended induction events held across the UK - in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, and Glasgow - featuring speakers from industry, academia and government, including Arm, Siemens, CSA Catapult, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
UCL’s award recipients are enrolled on BEng and MEng Electronic & Electrical Engineering programmes and represent one of the largest university cohorts recognised in this year’s awards.
UCL EEE Semiconductor Talent Award holders 2025/26:
Aayush Charan
Alexander Semkovski
Ayo Awonaya
David Zatica
Emily Brookfield
Hamdi Abdulle
Isley Hamilton
Joshua Lopez
Maja Khalid-Effiom
Mathew Thomas
Muhammad Dawod Galili
Nahid Hossin
Samuel Kuti
Taosif Mohammad
Wissem Ben Haj Hammouda
Yeswanth Godavarthi
The Semiconductor Talent Award forms part of a broader pathway from schools outreach to careers in semiconductor engineering. After their first year, participants can apply for a UKESF Scholarship, which offers paid work experience and further bursaries through industry placements.
The initiative run by UKESF aims to help build a skilled and diverse workforce ready to drive the UK’s semiconductor future.
Links
- More about the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF)
