As the former Head of the UK Government Office for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and now the Chief Strategy Officer at EscherCloud, Sana Khareghani used the technical and management skills she first learned at SFU to build the team from the ground up, and deliver a ten-year national AI strategy to strengthen the ecosystem across the UK. SFU’s computing science program has made a huge difference in allowing Khareghani to tackle a task of this magnitude. This program is where she initially learned to code, manage various ongoing priorities, and work in a team to develop solutions to problems. In fact, it was the teamwork and comradery at SFU that have forged some of her favourite memories of campus. Khareghani advises that there is nothing better than computing science for those who like to solve problems and apply logic to challenges, even if you have no prior experience in coding. It is also important to be yourself in the field and ask questions, especially for young females, as diversity of thought, background and experiences is the only way for the field to continue to progress and change the future to one that is fit for all of us.

Arvin Amini is currently working at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a leader in the microchip industry, as a Silicon Design Engineer. Eventually, he plans to start his own biomedical company to make an impact in the healthcare industry. Amini found opportunities to help his peers learn new skills and provide STEM education to young students by starting SFU Robot Soccer. In his role, he led the group through the development of multiple prototypes and built a complete team of functioning robots. It was his work with the club that helped secure him a co-op position with Tesla. SFU’s biomedical engineering program was the perfect start for Amini to achieve his goals of learning new skills to better society and make the world become a more accessible place.

Sumreen Rattan co-founded Moment Energy while she was studying at SFU. Her team is transforming the Canadian cleantech landscape by repurposing electric vehicle (EV) batteries into energy storage systems that can store sustainable power, such as solar and wind. Moment Energy is the only Canadian company that works directly with major automotive companies, like Mercedes, to repurpose old EV batteries. This is central to their core mission of accelerating the world’s transition to renewable energy. “You can have a positive impact on the environment and a successful business. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other,” says Rattan. Rattan continues to make her mark as a woman in STEM. Just last year Rattan was accepted into the RBC Women in Cleantech Accelerator and was recognized as one of 20 emerging leaders selected by Clean50.

Jeffrey Leung is a full-time Software Development Engineer at Amazon Vancouver, a job he secured before graduation. During his time at SFU, Leung completed five co-op work terms with industry leaders, such as SAP and Samsung, and was involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities. Reflecting on his student experience, Leung is most proud of co-founding SFU Surge, an organization that enables tech students to access engaging knowledge-sharing opportunities and craft valuable industry connections. Leung believes it was these experiences that helped prepare him for a versatile career in agile software development across a wide variety of specializations and technologies that could improve the lives of others.