Alumni Spotlight

For Nimrat Gill, the goal was clear early on: to build a career in the space industry. While there was no single roadmap to get there, her time at the Faculty of Applied Sciences helped build the foundation and profile to turn that goal into reality.

Today, Nimrat is a Payload Software Systems Engineer at MDA Space, where she helps ensure complex systems operate as intended from the software and operations sides. Her responsibilities include reviewing technical documentation, analyzing system behaviours and working closely with her team to align multiple system requirements. As a Junior Systems Engineer, Nimrat's role is built on constantly asking a critical question, "What happens if ..."

Many of the skills needed to answer that question were developed gradually through hands-on learning during university. Concentrating on systems engineering enables Nimrat to explore the various areas of engineering. Looking back, one of the most impactful experiences was completing her Capstone Project with four teammates to develop an autonomous following robot. More than just interface design, the project required the integration of hardware, software assembly, tool work and prototyping. Nimrat describes the eight-months project as an opportunity to experience the full process of turning an idea into a working product while learning how to iterate quickly.

Her co-op experiences further strengthened that foundation. Working with Dr. Michael Adachi in the Nanodevice Fabrication Group as a research assistant introduced Nimrat to applied research and the dynamics of a strong technical team. During her second co-op as a systems production engineer at Acura, she gained practical experience in soldering, debugging and operating laser machinery. 

Outside of engineering workplaces, Nimrat also gained valuable experiences as a robotics instructor at Sparks Academy, where she mentored young students in coding, hardware challenges and robotics competitions. One especially rewarding moment was leading the students at a competition in Toronto, where she saw their confidence and abilities grew over time. Those lessons in leadership and adaptability continue to influence the way she works today.

If Nimrat could return to her time at SFU, she would encourage herself to get involved in more clubs and design teams, where some of the most valuable learning happens outside of the classroom. Even without a direct path, meaningful opportunities can be created through self-learning. 

Have you ever wondered how small experiences at university — student projects, co-op placements and voluntary community engagement — can add up to something much bigger? 

For Oshi Mathur, who graduated from the School of Engineering Science with a bachelor's in biomedical engineering in 2014, each step at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) has played a role in shaping the cross-functional leader he is today. 

While studying biomedical engineering, Oshi found the co-op program to be a defining part of his academic experience. The co-op placements allowed him to explore fields beyond his core area of study, including Computing Science. It gave Oshi a deeper understanding of how technical skills connect with real-world industry, shaping his adaptability and collaborative approach across multiple tech organizations.  

Beyond academics, Oshi was actively involved in the SFU community. During his time at university, he served as a teaching assistant, orientation coordinator, community advisor and information technology support technician. After graduation, Oshi continued giving back by becoming a board member of the alumni association and now serves as the Vice President and Co-chair of Finance.  

Over the past decade, Oshi has built a career across multiple biotech companies, taking on roles that bridge engineering, operations and product strategy. His biomedical engineering training laid a solid foundation, drawing from mathematics, physics, physiology and more. This background prepared him to collaborate effectively across teams and approach complex problems with perspectives that drive stronger solutions.  

Looking back, Oshi emphasizes the power of knowledge in enabling individuals to prepare and pivot meaningfully. He also encourages students to stay informed and remain adaptable amid the intertwining political, technological and economic shifts.  

Graduated with a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering and a Minor in Computing Science in 2023, Joanna Giannopoulos’s time at SFU is described as obtaining real-world experience beyond the classroom settings. 

Joanna actively participated in student teams to broaden her horizons. She joined the SFU Satellite Design Team (SFU SAT) in 2017 and served as the president from 2021 to 2023. It was through this team that she first discovered her passion for RF engineering. Being involved in the team allowed Joanna to be first exposed to various fields through projects, as opposed to textbooks, which certainly helped her develop an interest at an early stage and towards her future career. 

One of the highlights of Joanna’s academic journey at FAS was the first testing of her team’s ground-penetrating radar capstone project, a sensor system used for groundwater table monitoring. Seeing the system perform exactly as the simulations and calculations predicted was a moment of achievement. 

Outside of coursework, Joanna experienced her first RF with the SAT’s high altitude balloon team up on the roof of the ASB, where she was amazed by the budget Software Defined Radio (SDR) setup that could pick up a repeater all the way in Ladysmith. These experiences fueled Joanna’s passion, and today she works as an RF Engineer on systems that communicate between Earth and Venus at Rocket Lab. 

Apart from school activities, Joanna gained valuable technical skills through co-op. The software engineering co-op at Rostrum Medical Innovations and an R&D co-op at Orbital Research Ltd. provided her experience with high-frequency electronics and test equipment, while building up practical and soft skills, including interviewing skills and confidence in the job application process. 

Reflecting on her journey, Joanna highlights the importance of project work. She believes it is one of the best elements you can have on your resume because it demonstrates your ability and knowledge. These projects don’t have to be extracurricular; just take advantage of the projects in coursework and try to do something interesting and challenging with them!