9/22/2021 Bill Bell
POETS -- the Center for Power Optimization of Electrothermal Systems -- launched a new Future Technical Leaders program this Fall. Eleven PhD students who plan to pursue career leadership positions at technology focused companies make up the first cohort.
Written by Bill Bell
POETS -- the Center for Power Optimization of Electrothermal Systems -- launched a new Future Technical Leaders program this Fall. Eleven PhD students who plan to pursue career leadership positions at technology focused companies make up the first cohort. They are from the University of Arkansas, Howard University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Stanford University.
The one-year program exposes students to industry leaders through a weekly webinar series, where speakers share career advice and provide brief primers on several business leadership topics. Fellows also grow their skill set through a variety of activities such as pitching ideas to an industry panel, writing a technical white paper, and giving and receiving 360-degree evaluative feedback. The program's evaluation study will measure how students' mindsets and skill sets grow over the course of the program. In the long term, participants in the program will gain tools and strategies to be able to successfully lead technical teams in industry.
Participants from The Grainger College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering include:
- Tarek Gebrael, who mentors undergraduates and participated in the Illinois Mentoring Excellence Program.
- Yashraj Gurumukhi, who collaborates with engineers at Ford on thermal management of charging systems and batteries for electric vehicles
- Cary Laird, who is a past president of POETS Student Leadership Council.
“Tech leaders need a holistic approach to solving the most pressing challenges in industry. POETS has taken that approach to great effect over the last several years in the technical and research aspects of electrified mobility. What’s new is the recognition that great researchers are not de facto great leaders. We want to be very intentional about ensuring that a select group of our graduate students develop leadership skills to carry into their industry focused careers,” said Andrew Alleyne, POETS’s director and a professor in Grainger Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering.
“We’re preparing the decision makers of the next few decades, so we want them ready for technical leadership and for the C-suite with the soft skills, business acumen, and the professional networking they need.”
POETS focuses on increasing power density in electrified mobility -- that is, the amount of power that can be delivered in a given weight or amount of space. It launched in 2015 with an $18.5 million award from the National Science Foundation. That initial support has been followed by $30 million in additional funding from NSF and others.