In this week’s Alumni Spotlight, we speak to Jean McAdam, who studied Computer Engineering in UL’s Faculty of Science and Engineering and went on to complete an MBA in UL’s Kemmy Business School.
Having grown up in Limerick with a love for numbers and logic, encouraged by her equally numerically inclined parents, a future in engineering seemed like it might always be on the cards. Jean talks us through her UL experiences and impressive career to date, which has led her all over the world and back to Limerick, as Marketing Director and Business Development, Industrial Robotics, at Analog Devices.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I’ve lived in Limerick most of my life, and don’t see myself leaving any time soon. I’m married to a Galway man, Ray, also an engineer, and we’ve three kids ranging in age from 15 down to 10 years old.
I’ve always had a keen interest in sport, both playing and following, and enjoy keeping fit/active when I can. I grew up playing tennis, basketball & then tag rugby. Currently, I coach a lively bunch of 38 U11 camogie players, play LGFA and run (very slowly) occasionally too.
Why did you choose Computer Engineering ɫƵ?
As a child, I was always trying to figure things out. How something worked, why something didn’t work, and whether there might be a better way to do something.
I was immersed in numbers growing up – my mother taught economics & maths, and my father was an electrical engineer, so I didn’t lick it off a stone! I even remember being taught to count in binary (a computer engineering numeric system containing just ones & zeros) as a child during long car journeys.
Through school, I always enjoyed and generally did well at the subjects that “made sense”. Not being great at producing long (or at least quality!) essays or remembering things off by heart, and not being remotely creative or artistic, I gravitated towards subjects involving numbers and logic - so much so, that my leaving cert options were physics, applied maths and accounting.
Attending an all-girls school (Salesians Secondary School in Limerick) meant that the number of students in those classes was very small, combined with great teachers, which set me up nicely to continue a STEM-related course in college.
Even though UL was nearly on my doorstep growing up, it wasn’t purely convenience that made the selection. I was familiar with it, which certainly helped, but the strong reputation UL graduates had in industry and the 8-month Co-op placement all helped seal the decision for me.
What did you enjoy most about the course?
Being honest, I got quite a shock in first year when I could no longer just cruise through, relying on my numeric brain to get good grades. I quickly realised that a numeric aptitude wasn’t a rarity in an engineering course, but instead a bare minimum!
I enjoyed the course more with each passing semester, as subjects grew more specific to computer & electronic engineering topics, reassuring me that it was the right area of engineering for me.
As I progressed through my degree, I formed some really strong friendships within the class, which I think is essential to get anyone through those late nights spent in the lab or the long days in the library.
I’m really lucky to still be close to many of that gang today – although our meet-ups have changed slightly over the years, from our undergraduate times spent in the stables & nights out in town, to weekends away or ski trips when we finally started earning money and now to get-togethers during the day in child-friendly locations, surrounded by our offspring!
What did you enjoy about UL? What is student life like here?
Being local, I had two experiences of undergraduate UL – I lived at home until coop & then moved to campus accommodation after returning to complete my degree. The UL campus was nearly a little micro-society of its own, and I absolutely loved that when I lived there! Between the sports facilities and the social spaces, there was very little need to leave the campus, and I never walked far before meeting someone I knew!
The clubs and societies ɫƵ truly enriched my experience, not just by offering new hobbies and outlets in a fresh environment, but by helping me develop key management and organisational skills. Most of the clubs or societies were entirely student-run, often by undergraduates, which gives solid hands-on experience that I now actively look for when hiring and interviewing others.
How did UL support you throughout your studies?
At the time, our course was within the ECE department. I remember being struck by how different the academic environment was compared to secondary school. It was my first real experience of staff being genuinely 'on your side'. The culture was incredibly supportive—they weren’t just teaching us to pass exams but were truly invested in helping us grow into well-rounded engineers.
Tell me about your own career journey so far.
Having spent Co-op working for Analog Devices in their Boston facility, and the summer between third and fourth year too, I accepted a graduate position with them in Limerick and started my career in an embedded programming applications role.
I spent a few years working on customer evaluation solutions in the applications department and then under the CTO office. As a centralised organisation, our “customers” were the business units within the company. After a few years of business development, stakeholder management and strategy building in that team, I moved to the Industrial Automation business unit to use the skills I’d built in those areas with external customers.
Six years on, I’m working with a variety of Analog Devices’ Industrial Automation customers, initially focused on control and connectivity systems within a factory or process setting, and more recently, I have changed roles to focus on helping Analog Devices’ robotics customers to solve their most complex challenges.
This role not only leverages my technical expertise and problem-solving abilities but also allows me to connect with people daily, being exposed to new cultures, fresh perspectives, and enriching experiences around the world! Over the past few years, I’ve travelled extensively around Europe, the US and Asia.
What or who inspired you to pursue engineering?
As I’ve mentioned, my dad was an engineer and certainly an inspiration to study engineering. While he’d never have pushed me in any particular direction re school subjects or college course, he understood the value of studying and pursuing a career that suited my skillset, and above all, something I enjoyed.
How has your studies ɫƵ contributed to your career?
Computer engineering was only the start of my relationship with UL. As my career evolved to include some business aspects, Analog Devices encouraged me to formalise my business knowledge.
In 2020, I started the executive MBA program in the Kemmy Business School. Obviously, this coincided with COVID, so unfortunately first year was fully online. I enjoyed the opportunity to gain knowledge in such a new area, and the diversity of industries within the course was especially enlightening, having only been exposed to Analog Device’s business model and methodologies until that point.
I do still have nightmares of trying to pay attention during online lectures, while my three kids were all in the background doing their homeschooling activities, and looking back now wonder if I’d be able to handle that situation again!
Do you have any advice for other women who might be considering a career in engineering?
Engineering is an incredibly rewarding field, and it's so important that more women feel empowered to pursue it. Some areas of engineering are finally levelling out in terms of gender, but even if you find yourself in a room where you’re the only female, don’t be afraid to speak up and share your ideas – diverse voices are vital for any team or project to succeed!
In college, don’t be afraid to ask questions and never apologise for doing so!
For anyone, gender aside, I’d say to surround yourself with people who believe in you – ideally a group who’ll drag each other through project work, who’ll hype you up after a failed exam and who’ll bring chocolates to late-night study sessions. Find your crew - it makes all the difference!