Graduate Alumni Network for Engineering and Technology - GRADIENT
GRADIENT works to foster collaborative networks, mobilize graduate alumni expertise, facilitate strategic dialogues, initiate mentorship programs, and establish international exchange opportunities for engineering faculty and graduate students.
We will also work with entrepreneurship incubators, coordinate fundraising campaigns, and organize alumni-led workshops.
The Goals for GRADIENT
- Build collaborative networks by uniting alumni, faculty and student with shared experiences and goals
- Utilize diverse alumni expertise from industry, academia, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits to set collective goals and create actionable strategies
- Launch mentorship programs linking experienced alumni with current and recent graduates
- Create international exchange programs for faculty and students with alumni to enhance global understanding
- Launch incubators and internships for alumni to mentor students
- Organize alumni fundraising campaigns for scholarships and research
- Host alumni-led workshops and seminars to share expertise
Future Plans
- GRADIENT Global- to connect traveling faculty with local alumni, virtual events, e- participation
- GRADIENT EmpowHERed- to celebrate trailblazing women alumni
- GRADIENT ACE- Alumni Collaboration and Engagement for crowdfunding GRADIENT activities
- GRADIENT Ag Newsletter - Annual 25 notable COE alumni recognition graduated 25 year ago (Starting with Y2K grads in 2025)
GRADIENT E-Board members:
- Director- Dr. Ehsan Tarkesh Esfahani (Univ of Buffalo)
- Secretary- Dr. Abdullah Saad (Bard)
- Treasurer- Dr. Thihal Ponnaiyan (UToledo)
- Events Chair- Association of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Students (AMGS advised by Dr. Anju Gupta) and COE graduate student (UToledo)
- Communications Chair-
Liaisons-
- GRADIENT MentorLab: Dr. Ali Kiapour (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Mohammad Masoomi (SanDisk), Dr. Eyaad Odeh (Environmental corporate law director), Dr. Honghao Tan (Changan US)
- GRADIENT Global: Dr. Anupam Saxena (IIT Kanpur)
- GRADIENT EmpowHERed: Dr. Gayathri Sivaraman (Crane Currency)
- Outreach and Partnerships Chair- Dr. Ahmad Javaid (UToledo) and Govind Giri (ConAgra Brands)
GRADIENT Launch Committee-
- Chairperson: Dr. Ehsan Tarkesh Esfahani (Univ of Buffalo) and Dr. Hossein Sojoudi (UToledo)
- Volunteers and Coordinators: Association of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Students (AMGS advised by Dr. Anju Gupta) and COE graduate student
- Event Coordinators: Dr. Alex Spivak (UToledo)
- Marketing and Guest Relations Officer: Dr. Ahmad Javaid (UToledo) and Dr. Yuan Hu (Davis College)
- Content and Program Directors: Dr. Anju Gupta (UToledo) and Dr. Thihal Ponnaiyan (UToledo)
For more information, contact:
Dr. Anju R Gupta
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Principal Investigator and Founding Director of NSF ADVANCE at UToledo
419 530 8213