Two EngSci alumni have received the 2021 Spirit of EngSci Alumni Award in recognition of their outstanding support for the Division’s mission and current students through significant volunteer service.
“On behalf of the Division, I would like to thank this year’s award recipients, Jonathan Chan and Azadeh Mostaghel, for their dedication to the EngSci community,” says EngSci Director, Professor Will Cluett. “Our program’s over 6,300 alumni span the globe and provide invaluable support through mentorship, in-class involvement and philanthropy that is critical to our mission. Our students benefit tremendously from the advice and expertise of those who have gone before them.”
Azadeh Mostaghel (EngSci 1T2, MASc IndE 1T5) has supported students through informal mentorship, her involvement in the Entrepreneurship Hatchery’s NEST program, and as a guest speaker and panelist. She also serves on EngSci’s Honours & Awards Committee, where she helps to identify and nominate outstanding alumni for the annual Engineering Alumni Network Awards, the Faculty’s highest honours for U of T Engineering graduates.
Mostaghel is an entrepreneur interested in the integration of engineering, science, business, and policy to meet our society’s rising healthcare demands. As the founder and CEO of ORCHID Analytics she is developing AI decision tools for more seamless and efficient healthcare operations. Mostaghel has over eight years of experience in healthcare, analyzing data and modeling to support decision-making, quality and process improvement initiatives.
Since 2014 Jonathan Chan (EngSci 8T4, MASc ChemE 8T6, PhD ChemE 9T5) has hosted over 35 EngSci students at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Thailand, as part of the Engineering Science Research Opportunities Program (ESROP). He has worked diligently to create a welcoming and supportive community for the students who spend the summer doing research in labs at the university, including hosting past and incoming summer students at the annual EngSci Alumni Dinner in Toronto.
Chan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and a co-founder of D-Lab at the School of Information Technology (SIT), KMUTT. He is the Director of the Innovative Cognitive Computing (IC2) Research Center at SIT, and an honorary Visiting Scientist at The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada. He holds an NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) University Ambassadorship and is a certified DLI instructor. His research interests include intelligent systems, biomedical informatics, and data science and machine learning in general.
Chan and Mostaghel shared their thoughts on mentorship and why they stay engaged with EngSci.
Why have you remained involved with EngSci and U of T Engineering as an alumna or alumnus?
Chan: I have always kept in touch with the University of Toronto and was a Visiting Professor there a number of occasions. My EngSci 8T4 classmate, Prof. Mark Kortschot, was the EngSci Chair for a period of time and both he and his son had visited me at KMUTT to initiate the ESROP connection. I enjoy working with EngScis and this is an excellent opportunity to interact and shape the new generation.
Mostaghel: Remaining involved in the EngSci community seemed like the natural progression to my involvement as a student. It has also given me the chance to see the new cohort of students, interact with them and watch as they blossom into amazing engineers who want to leave their mark on their community and society at large. I have also been privileged to be introduced to and discover the impact of the alumni who came before me and aid in their recognition in the U of T community.
What role has mentorship or professional community played in your own life? What do you think alumni can contribute to current students?
Chan: Ever since I came to Thailand back in 1999, I’ve been involved mostly in the academic setting, started with linkages with industry, and have maintained close contact with both academic and industry sectors. KMUTT fosters close industry ties and we provide training for the industry as well. As such, mentorship has been a major role since I came to Thailand. I strongly believe that alumni can share valuable experience with current students, both the positive and negative aspects, as we need to learn from successes as well as failures.
Mostaghel: I think our interactions shape who we are and how we see the world around us. I have been fortunate to have a few remarkable mentors guiding me through technical and business terrains. Their experience and support have allowed me to recover more quickly from a setback, avoid pitfalls, and be able to foresee and pivot.
U of T alumni are a vast resource of knowledge for current students, whether that knowledge is industry specific or life advice, we can all learn something new from one another.
What advice would you share with the graduating class?
Chan: Keep an open mind and keep on learning and you will find what you enjoy doing. The only difference is responsibility will become increasingly more important as you progress in your career. Nonetheless, if you enjoy what you are doing, then you will be successful.
Mostaghel: Believe in yourself and your abilities and always, always, always bet on yourself! Just because something hasn’t been done before, whether that’s at all or in a particular way, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And lastly, create the change you seek!