What do I do with this PhD?

panel discussion + mixer

This event will take place Monday evening, May 27, 5:45–6:45 in MY150, followed by a reception (with drinks + finger food) from 7-8 pm on the fifth floor of the Myhal Centre. All are welcome!

Whether you’re a postdoc considering your future, a PhD student looking ahead to graduation, or a master’s or undergrad student mulling whether to pursue a PhD, we invite you to a panel discussion on the career pathways of PhDs, and how to prepare for those options. We’ve assembled a panel of four PhDs who’ve followed very different paths. Come join us for what is sure to be an engaging discussion, followed by an hour to network and meet the panelists.

Panelists:

Professor Emily Moore was appointed Director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education at the University of Toronto in 2018 after more than twenty years in industry. Emily started her career at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada scaling up new materials and processes from the lab to manufacturing, then spent 10 years at Hatch, a global engineering firm serving the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors where she led international teams to develop new product and service offerings and to deliver major projects. Emily holds a BSc in Engineering Chemistry from Queen’s University and completed a Doctorate in Physical Chemistry from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. When she is not researching and teaching engineering leadership, Emily serves on several corporate boards, including Metrolinx.

Ardevan Bakhtari is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics Engineering in 2002, followed by his Ph.D. in 2006, with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and its applications in advancing sensing technologies. Following the completion of his doctoral studies, Dr. Bakhtari assumed the role of Director of Research and Development at Promation Engineering, a subcontractor to Atomic Energy of Canada. In 2008, driven by his entrepreneurial spirit and vision for innovative solutions, he founded Scentroid, a pioneering company specializing in instrumentation for the nuclear and environmental monitoring sectors. Under Dr. Bakhtari's leadership, Scentroid has emerged as a trailblazer in developing cutting-edge technologies tailored to address the complexities of air quality monitoring across diverse industries.

Alison Olechowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice. After graduating from Queen’s with her undergrad in Mechanical Engineering, Alison completed her masters and PhD at MIT. She then worked for one year at UofT as a professor in the teaching stream, before starting her tenure stream career in 2018. Alison’s research lab aims to improve engineering design via the interaction between designers and new technology. She teaches courses in design and manufacturing.

Ramy Rashad is a professional aerospace and staff software engineer in the Research & Technology group at Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC). His industry experience spans a variety of Canadian companies, including P&WC, Bombardier, Solar Ship Inc, and Brican Flight Systems. Dr. Rashad received his PhD from UTIAS where his research focused on computational aerodynamics and numerical optimization. He also holds an MASc from UTIAS on the topic of high-order finite volume methods. He earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from McGill University. Dr. Rashad currently leads initiatives in scientific machine learning and multidisciplinary design optimization for the development of advanced propulsion systems.