Education

• MIT Sloan School of Management (1960)
• Stanford University Ph.D. in Marketing (1970)

Biography

David Aaker, hailed the “Father of Modern Branding,” serves as Vice-Chair at Prophet. He’s a recognized authority on branding, has developed several recognizable concepts including the Aaker brand vision model and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the science of marketing. In 2015, David Aaker was inducted into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements in marketing. In 2020, he was the recipient of the Sheth Foundation Medal for Exceptional Contribution to Marketing Scholarship and Practice.

Aaker has authored and published hundreds of articles and 18 books, including Owning Game-Changing Subcategories: Uncommon Growth in the Digital Age, Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles That Drive Success, Brand Relevance, Spanning Silos, Brand Portfolio Strategy, Building Strong Brands, and From Fargo to the World of Brands. His books have been translated in 18 languages and sold over 1 million copies. His words and teaching have offered guidance and inspiration to marketing leadership at many of the world’s leading brands:

“David Aaker has truly given the business world a gift: A highly concise and wonderfully cogent and insightful tutorial on the principles of brand stewardship and leadership.” —Joseph V. Tripodi, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Coca-Cola

David is an active branding consultant, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley and revered speaker and thought leader. He shares insights at conferences and meetings globally, as a LinkedIn Influencer and on his blog at davidaaker.com.

David’s Story

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

Be able to have some influence on management by encouraging the concept that brand is an asset.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I love to write books that have a conceptual challenge and potentially make a difference.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career? How have you managed or overcome it?

Getting articles as an academic at a research school is challenging. You have to be positive and stick with it.

Making decisions, especially important-feeling career decisions, is really challenging for people at all stages of their career. What strategies have you used to make career decisions?

I believe you have to know what you are good at and what organizations value and go in that direction. Following what interests you can be a mistake.

Education

• Bachelor of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering

Biography

Jasmina Aganovic is a cosmetics industry professional who is driving innovation in beauty. As the CEO of Arcaea, she leverages the power of expressive biology to create a new wave of beauty products that provide consumers with innovative and sustainably sourced ingredients. Prior to launching Arcaea, she was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Gingko Bioworks and the President of Mother Dirt, a skin microbiome brand that developed the first live probiotic and biome-friendly products for the skin. Jasmina has a degree in chemical and biological engineering from MIT.

Sabrine Ahmed Iqbal

Education

• MIT SB Mechanical Engineering ‘17
• MIT SB Theater Arts ‘17

Biography

Sabrine is a class of 2017 alumni who majored in course 2A (mechanical engineering with a focus in product development) and 21M-2 (theater arts). She worked in multiple industries throughout undergraduate experience through internships, MISTI, and UROPs. She was active in the MIT community as an actor in various Dramashop productions, captain of the MIT Chamak dance team, and as president of the MIT Bangladeshi Students Association. Her post college career has been spent at General Motors in the automotive industry, where she has had various technical and leadership experiences. She is a travel enthusiast, avid classical Indian dancer, passionate actor, & advocate for diversity & youth empowerment through mentorship and community activism.

Sabrine’s Story

What influenced your choice of undergraduate major? How has it shaped your career choices and professional ability?

I went into mechanical engineering because I loved building things with my hands. I always enjoyed working in machine shops in high school or tinkering around the house. The MIT course 2 experience was exactly what I wanted with hands on building and engineering in labs coupled with theoretical classes and concepts. After many internships that were not too hands on, I knew I wanted to work in an industry and in a career that allowed me to stay hands on. I also knew I wanted to work on a physical and tangible product so others could use what I made. This all led me to the automotive industry. This industry has really been an excellent blend of hands on engineering coupled with very technical problem solving all the while working on one of the most widely used consumer products in the world – cars!

Is there anything you wish you had done differently or more of while you were at MIT?

I wish I had taken more classes outside of my major just to explore what the other disciplines were like at MIT. I was able to complete most of my required courses for both my majors by the end of my senior fall, so I decided to work while finishing my spring semester. However, in hindsight, I wish I had used the lighter course load to then take a few random courses or even just sit in on lectures by other famous professors with the spare time.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

The most rewarding aspect of my career is seeing something I worked on in a vehicle and in the hands of real customers. In just the three short years I’ve worked at GM, I’ve had the opportunity to work on many different vehicles. Any time I see a vehicle I worked on pass by on the road, the feeling of pride and joy is like none other! It’s also extremely rewarding to realize what a global company I work for. I have colleagues all over the world that I’ve closely worked with to produce vehicles that are unique to places like China, Korea, Brazil, the Middle East, etc.

Making decisions, especially important-feeling career decisions, is really challenging. What strategies have you used to make career decisions?

I have tried many different industries (infrastructure, data analytics, medical devices, aerospace) and types of roles (researcher, engineer, analyst) to weed out what I don’t like doing. I used almost every summer and IAP to take on a different type of role, be it research through MISTI or an externship through the alumni network. During my last semester at MIT, I even did a co-op at Wayfair in downtown Boston since I didn’t have as many classes to take. All these experiences showed me what industries or types of jobs I did not like, and they helped me narrow down to a sector I thought I would enjoy and thrive in. When it came time to find a full-time role, I knew better which types of industries to apply to, then after I got job offers I weighed the options based on the aspects most important to me such as having hands on work options, schedule flexibility, and location.

What professional development experiences or opportunities shaped your early career?

One-on-one mentoring significantly shaped my career path. In every role I’ve had, I seek out mentorship from my managers and those in leadership roles around me. These conversations have often exposed me to roles and paths I never knew existed. This has also been an excellent way to network and grow my connections within the company. Networking has directly led me to new positions in areas of higher exposure and responsibility that would have normally taken much longer to get to without networking.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun/relaxation/inspiration?

I am an avid dancer and actor, so I look for any and all opportunities to continue to perform around the community. Being active in the arts and performance space is crucial to helping me strike a balance between work and life. I also explore the food and culture scene around Detroit with friends to relax and de-stress from a long work week.

Do you participate in any volunteer/community service activities? If so, how do you balance your professional and personal responsibilities?

I am a mentor and chief of a First Robotics team at the Detroit Hispanic Development Center. During a competition season, from early January through April, I usually spend about 3 days a week on this. It’s an extremely rewarding experience especially since I am passionate about improving the education system, so I love to dedicate my time outside of work to this activity. There is definitely a lot of balance required in order to do this while also having a full time job and trying to juggle other personal commitments. The key is being open in your communication so that all those around you are of your time commitments and priorities. For instance, my coworkers and managers have always been very flexible and understanding if I need to prioritize First Robotics over work on occasion.

Last edited 2020

Michael Allshouse

Education

• MIT, SB in Mechanical Engineering (2008)
• MIT, MS in Mechanical Engineering (2010)
• MIT, PhD in Mechanical Engineering (2013)

Biography

Michael grew up in Dallas, Texas and made the journey north to MIT in 2004. At MIT, he enjoyed walking back and forth across Killian Court between the Mechanical Engineering and Math departments. After nine years in Cambridge, he returned to Texas to do a post-doc in the Physics department at the University of Texas (UT). He is now across the river at Northeastern University teaching Mechanical Engineering and pursuing research in ocean modelling and dynamical systems.

Michael’s Story

What influenced you to choose your major and career in Mechanical Engineering?

When I was a junior in high school, I saw a NOVA special on TV featuring 2.007. I was hooked when I found out not only would I get to design and build my own robot but it would get to participate in a class wide competition. Despite my robot getting eliminated early in the competition, I really enjoyed the math and physics application to understanding the world around us.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

I really enjoy the chance to apply some very theoretical concepts to try and better understand how the ocean works.  A major bonus in studying the world is the chance to (travel to) all corners of the globe to make measurements in person.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

With over 2/3 of the world covered in water and over half the world’s population living within 100km of the coast, the ocean and coastal processes play a big role in our daily lives and our long term future. The chance to interpret what is going on below the surface is exciting.

What is the biggest challenge you encountered in your career?

The biggest challenge in my career was learning how to communicate science and technical details in a way the people can understand my research.

What professional development activities did you participate in when you were in school and early on your career?

Both written and oral presentations of my work were important as a grad student. I also had the chance to guide the projects of a couple undergrads while at MIT.

What professional development activities do you participate in now?

Learning how to run large teams of people is a skill that I am doing my best to improve in. Having both a big picture perspective and a detailed understanding of the work is a juggling act that I work on regularly and discuss with mentors at my school.

Looking back on your experience at MIT, what advice would you give yourself if you knew then what you know now?

Learn how to code well (and that doesn’t include Matlab). Coding has become essential both in research and in industry and having a background in basic computer science is invaluable.

What advice would you give to current students that are interested in pursuing a Mechanical Engineering major and career?

Make sure to take courses in all the different disciplines within Mech E. I would not have envisioned going into fluid mechanics when I first arrived. I came in thinking I would go into robotics, but the combination of math, physics, and practical applications drew me in to researching fluid mechanics. Do both a UROP and an industry internship. Experiencing both research and industry is so valuable when making a decision on which direction you will take after graduation.

Do you have any tips for networking or job searching for current students and recent graduates?

Networking for most people is awkward. Networking for many scientists is painfully awkward. That said, the best work I have done has come through collaborations with scientists from other universities. Make sure to smile.

What is the best career advice that you have ever received?

If you find something you are interested in and passionate about to study, keep an open mind, things will generally take care of themselves.

What does “work-life balance” mean to you and what do you do to maintain a work-life balance?

I do my best to make sure I am regularly engaging in exercise, church, with family and friends, and work. I have found that when one of the three non-work components starts to slide, work quality suffers. This often means losing a bit of sleep, but that’s been the case since I got to MIT.

What do you like to do outside of work (e.g., to relax, for fun, as a hobby, on your free time, etc.)?

My wife and I run road races occasionally. I like to cycle outside of Boston.

Do you participate in any extracurricular or volunteer opportunities? If so, how do you manage your time and balance your professional and personal responsibilities?

We do our best to help out at church and any of the outreach programs that they have.

Last edited 2018

Education

• MIT, BS Mechanical Engineering, 1990
• MIT Sloan, Executive MBA, 2023

Biography

Dheera is an academic orthopaedic spine surgeon, currently practicing at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. She also is a philanthropist and entrepreneur, having worked with Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization, in addition to being a founder of Orthopaedic Link, a non-profit that matches unused orthopaedic implants with surgeons and hospitals in developing countries. She is currently enrolled in the Executive MBA Program at MIT Sloan, Class of 2023.

Dheera’s Story

What influenced your choice of undergraduate major? How has it shaped your career choices and professional ability?

I arrived MIT thinking I would major in biology and then apply to medical school, as I have wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon since I was 10 years old!

But once I arrived at MIT and started taking my freshman reqs, I realized I really enjoyed the math classes, and was disappointed when they were finishing. I also was fortunate to work on a prosthetic project in Woodie Flowers lab, which got me thinking about mechanical engineering as a major. I’ve always loved working with my hands, so it seemed like a good fit!

What influenced your choice of graduate programs? How have they shaped your career choices and professional ability?

Once I got going in my Course 2 classes, I realized that I had found my people! I also was struggling in my premed classes, and getting a bit disillusioned about my ability to be successful in med school. So I decided to abandon my childhood dream and go to graduate school in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. This was actually a very formative time for me- I was working side by side with orthopaedic surgeons in the lab, which was exciting. But I realized that while they could walk onto my turf (the biomechanics lab), I couldn’t just walk onto theirs. And I realized that I really really wanted to do that. So I came back to my childhood dream and applied to medical school.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

I love helping people and fixing their problems! I do a lot of scoliosis surgery, which involves long (~12h) surgeries that loosen and straighten up the spine. They are very involved in all aspects, most importantly the impact they have on patient’s lives.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career? How have you managed or overcome it?

 The most difficult challenge I have faced has been being a distinct minority in my field (orthopaedic surgery is still about 90% male, spine surgery over 95% male). This had made a lot of things difficult, but I allowed it to impact my confidence and hold me back in many things. Unfortunately I still struggle with this in some ways, but I have tried to just put my head down and do good work for my patients. This has made all my sacrifices worth it.

Making decisions, especially important-feeling career decisions, is really challenging for people at all stages of their career. What strategies have you used to make career decisions?

I have been fortunate to have a really sensitive gut! Many of my life decisions have been made based on gut feelings. When I don’t have these feelings I am a bit lost.

What professional development activities do you find really useful these days?

I am so lucky to be back at MIT getting my Executive MBA at Sloan! It’s been great to learn new things, none of which we learned in medical school, and nearly all of which are very relevant in my day to day life.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun/relaxation/inspiration?

I still play tennis a lot! I actually have been hitting on the MIT courts, which has been a blast from the past. I also love to cook and travel and hike.

Education

• MIT – Bachelor Of Science, 21W – Writing & Humanistic Studies
• University of Wisconsin-Madison – Master of Arts, Journalism, 

Bio

Bill Andrews is an award-winning science journalist with more than 15 years of experience writing and editing features, news stories, videos, and podcasts. For five years, he’s been a senior editor at Quanta Magazine, part of the staff that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting, where he leads the coverage of theoretical computer science. Before that, he spent seven years at Discover, and he’s also worked at Astronomy magazine, Mayo Clinic, and the Wisconsin State Journal (not to mention The Sports Authority, GameStop, and The Palace Diner).

Bill received his bachelor’s degree in writing at MIT and his master’s in journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And despite his name and appearance, he was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and speaks fluent Spanish. He lives in New York City with his wife, their son, and her cat.

What influenced your choice of undergraduate major? How has it shaped your career choices and professional ability?

I was definitely in the minority getting a writing degree at MIT, but once I realized that’s what I wanted to do for a living, it just made the most sense to focus on getting those skills. I use many of the lessons I learned about writing and editing every day, and the work ethic I developed just attending MIT is also extremely valuable in journalism. In terms of career choices, I feel like the MIT name definitely helped me stand out when applying for jobs, and using my MIT alum address has helped getting scientists to respond to interview requests.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

Anytime I can see that the work I’m a part of has made a difference. Sometimes that means getting letters from readers telling us how much a story meant to them, or how they finally learned a concept they’d always struggled with. Other times that means hearing from students (and former students) who were inspired to enter a scientific discipline because of our coverage. Occasionally, I’ve also seen a story make a difference on a larger scale, influencing policy or public opinion in a larger way. But even when a story seemingly does none of these, and seems to fade into the ether, it’s still rewarding simply seeing a polished bit of published writing. Every week, I have a new little success story I can point to.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career? How have you managed or overcome it?

You don’t go into journalism to make money, and it can be hard (especially at first) seeing your former classmates achieve a kind of financial success that feels impossible. But you can take comfort in the value of the work you do, the difference you’re making in the world and the satisfaction that comes from doing anything difficult. It’s also not impossible to find steady, well-paying work, if you’re willing to put in the time, so while there aren’t many rich journalists, there aren’t too many starving ones either.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

If you want to be a writer, you need to practice two things: writing and reading. Take every opportunity you can to develop your writing style, your voice, your approach to reporting and interviewing — but also, make sure you’re reading as much as possible, learning from what works and figuring out why the rest doesn’t.

What career advice do you have for current MIT students, or those interested in entering your industry?

Make sure you’re working on your skills as much as you can: Become the best writer and the best reader you can. But also, do your best to learn how the industry works so you can actually get paid for these skills. This means looking for internships, developing networks, even becoming a part of the community (via resources like the National Association of Science Writers and The Open Notebook).

Do you have any tips for networking or job searching for current students and recent graduates?

Never be afraid to write to a writer or editor to ask for advice. If they’re too busy to write back, they won’t, but they won’t begrudge you the ask — and you never know who will respond. If you’re actually looking to start working in the field, you’ll need to have examples of published writing (called clips) you can send along, to prove that you can actually do it. And as in any writing-based career, all forms of communication are mini-auditions, so make sure you’re avoiding typos and grammar issues in your cover letter, email, Slack messages, etc.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun/relaxation/inspiration?

I’ve always liked theater, so living within walking distance of Broadway has been a lot of fun (if not great for my bank account). I also like to read, play video games, watch movies, travel to destinations both exotic and familiar, and just generally hang out with my wife and son, who are pretty cool.

Last edited: August 2024

Education

• MIT – Bachelor of Science, 10B – Chemical-Biological Engineering
• University of Wisconsin-Madison – Doctor of Philosophy, Chemical Engineering, 

Bio

Yiqun is currently the Strategy & Operations Alliance Lead for the Flagship/Pfizer Alliance at Flagship Pioneering. In this role, she leads a cross-functional team that works across research, innovation, business development, legal, finance, IP, etc. to create and execute on new product ideas that will make an impact on patients. 

Prior to her current role, Yiqun co-founded two Flagship Platform companies and led one of them from the concept generation stage through NewCo (Series A) creation and execution.

She spent ~4 years at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, where she led projects in strategy, scenario planning, and due diligence.

What influenced your choice of undergraduate major? How has it shaped your career choices and professional ability?

I wanted to major in an engineering discipline and fell in love with biology. So Chemical/Biological Engineering was the best choice for me, where I was able to combine my interest in the sciences with the practical and translational aspects of an engineering major. Now that I am almost 20 years out of my undergrad, I feel that having a ChemE degree has opened up many doors — there were multiple avenues for career growth that I was able to pursue based on my experience from MIT.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

Working with really smart people who inspire me to learn more everyday, and who equally want to make a positive impact on patients. One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been the ability to continually learn and adapt my skillset and role. 

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I had a health scare in my personal life, and it taught me what it’s like to be a patient. There are still so many unsolved/unmanaged diseases that plague patients today, and I believe that through innovation and science we can continue to improve patient outcomes.

Making decisions, especially important-feeling career decisions, is really challenging for people at all stages of their career. What strategies have you used to make career decisions? 

I believe it’s really important to talk to a broad range of people, and truly listen to their experiences. I have found that people often make judgements about a job/company/role etc. that they don’t have direct experience in, but infer based on their own experiences. I think stepping outside of your own “bubble” and trying to get a diverse view, especially from people who have direct experience with a particular area can open your eyes and give you new career perspective.

What professional development experiences or opportunities shaped your early career?

I feel that the extracurriculars at MIT were extremely helpful to help me understand at an early point in my career the types of things I was and was not interested in. I think the ability to experiment at MIT without the full commitment was critical to helping me shape my career path. I also think that my consulting career right after PhD was very helpful to shape the entry point into my current career.

Last edited: May 2025

Natalya Bailey

Education

• San Diego State University, BS Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, 2008
• Duke University, MS Mechanical Engineering, 2011
• MIT PhD AeroAstro, minor in Technology and Public Policy, 2014

Biography

Dr. Natalya Bailey is the CEO and co-founder at Accion Systems, which provides in-space propulsion engines for satellites and spacecraft. An Oregon native, Dr. Bailey completed her doctorate in space propulsion at the Space Propulsion Laboratory at MIT where she helped invent the first working prototype of an ion engine technology for small satellites, which would become the first product at Accion. Prior to MIT, she invented a new chemical rocket technology that she turned into a space startup. Dr. Bailey also has an M.S. from Duke University and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from San Diego State University. She sits on the Board of Youth CITIES, when she mentors middle and high school students on entrepreneurship and community building. For her contributions to entrepreneurship and the space industry, Dr. Bailey has been awarded Forbes “30 Under 30”, MIT Tech Review’s “Innovator Under 35” and Women in Aerospace’s Initiative, Inspiration and Impact Award.

Natalya’s Story

What influenced your choice of undergraduate major? How has it shaped your career choices and professional ability?

My choice of undergraduate major goes back to when I was a child. I grew up in Oregon and had a trampoline in my backyard. I would spend hours lying on it gazing at the stars thinking a lot about aliens and how there has to be other life, given all the stars out there. I also enjoyed math and had a knack for it. My high school guidance counselor suggested combining my interests in math and outer space by studying aerospace. I started my academic journey at San Diego State in aerospace engineering and it culminated in a PhD from MIT in AeroAstro. I knew I wanted to work professionally on a new aspect of in-space propulsion for a long time. That started at MIT where I was fortunate to meet my co-founder Louis Perna. My academic career led me directly to where I am today at Accion.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently or more of while you were at MIT?

I really enjoyed my minor, Technology and Public Policy, and wish I had taken more classes outside of AeroAstro.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

What I didn’t know when I started is that the industry would change so much. Today I’m right in the middle of a transition toward commercial space, which I find very exciting and rewarding. Preparation and passion are critical to where I am today, but there’s a bit of luck in the fact that #NewSpace is taking off.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

There’s a great deal more we can learn about our own planet by sending more satellites into orbit. The combination of more smallsats and artificial intelligence, for example, is already uncovering new insights about poverty distribution, crop yield potential, climate change, and more. Thinking further ahead, I believe the survival of our species is going to require that we have the means to live off-planet. While that may eventually mean other planets, I can also see strong potential in space stations or some combination of both.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career? How have you managed or overcome it?

Growing up, the assumed gender roles for my brother and I were evident when something needed to be repaired, as an example, he was the one tasked to help or was shown how to do it. I made it all the way to graduate school without any tinkering or hands on experience with building. When I went to grad school I had to move away from the more theoretical work and had to build and test experiments. I had a big learning curve, but I signed up for classes, found mentors for support and gained experience that way.

Making decisions, especially important-feeling career decisions, can be challenging. What strategies have you used to make career decisions?

I don’t pretend to know everything already about my business or career. I surround myself with mentors and have reached out to them frequently at all stages of my career and will continue to do so.

What professional development experiences or opportunities shaped your early career?

As an undergrad student, I started and led the SDSU chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau (aerospace honor society). I ran a NASA program in grad school and had a leadership role at GA3 in the MIT AeroAstro program. I also participated in business plan competitions. Throughout my academic and professional career, I have mentored others and volunteered which introduced me to wonderful people.

What professional development activities do you find useful these days?

I believe in lifelong learning and am constantly challenging myself to learn new things. Recently, I learned the programming language Go. I take online classes, read or listen to books for leadership development and management, talk to experts, and attend workshops, which are plentiful in the Boston area.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

Find a peer group or community that you can join. They can help you learn how to synthesize the advice you receive from others and be a sounding board for all kinds of issues.

What career advice do you have for current MIT students, or those interested in entering your industry?

My best advice is to dive in and take some chances. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, knowing you can always ask for help when you need it.

Do you have any tips for networking or job searching for current students and recent graduates?

Stay on the mailing lists and attend talks and events you find interesting. Keeping plugged into the community has been really rewarding.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun/relaxation/inspiration?

I have a two-year-old daughter and a husband with a pilot’s license, so there’s lots of adventure and inspiration just spending time with my family.

Do you participate in any volunteer/community service activities? If so, how do you balance your professional and personal responsibilities?

I am passionate about giving back to the community. I volunteer with and am now a board member with Youth CITIES (http://youthcities.org). Based in Boston, Youth CITIES helps middle and high school students to bring change to their community by applying entrepreneurial principles and creative problem-solving skills..

Last updated 2019

Steve Baker

Education

• MIT, S.B. in Architecture (1984)
• MIT, M.Arch. (1988)

Biography

Steve Baker is founding principal of Baker | Wohl Architects, an award-winning professional architecture firm located in downtown Boston. He cofounded BWA in 1994 with fellow MIT architecture alumna Margaret (Garet) Wohl. BWA’s practice focuses on affordable housing, academic and institutional work, and mass transit projects.

Steve has won several design awards, including as Associate Architect to Kyu Sung Woo Architects (Design Architect), the Boston Society of Architects’ 2011 Harleston Parker Medal for 10 Akron Street Graduate Housing at Harvard University. He is known for his expertise in construction delivery, especially in public sector and adaptive reuse projects. His major built projects include 10 Akron Street at Harvard; Lincoln Way, a new 70-unit affordable housing site in Cambridge; Anderson Regional Transportation Center, an intermodal rail and bus terminal in Woburn; and revitalization of Newtowne Court, a 268-unit affordable housing renewal project in Cambridge. He recently completed the renovation of Massachusetts Hall, the oldest building on the Harvard campus, and which contains the offices of the President, Provost, and other leaders of the University.

Prior to founding BWA, Steve was a sole practitioner from 1992 – 1994, and before that, an Architect and later Senior Associate of Woo & Williams from 1984 to 1992. While at Woo & Williams, Steve worked on projects in both the United States and Korea, including the international competition-winning design for the Seoul Olympic Village for the 1988 Olympic Games. He holds undergraduate and Master of Architecture degrees from MIT and also studied at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Steve’s Story

What influenced your decision to major in Architecture at MIT?
I came to MIT with the intention to major in architecture. I don’t know when I decided to pursue architecture, but it goes way back. I remember as a kid being fascinated by watching construction sites and how the buildings were put together. I worked some construction when I was in high school as well; that experience convinced me that I wanted to be in an (air conditioned) office, not in the hot summer sun on a building site.

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Architecture?

When I came to MIT as an undergraduate, I was more or less committing to obtaining an M. Arch degree if I wanted to practice, because MIT did not offer an undergraduate professional degree program. That didn’t bother me: I liked school and would have pursued an advanced degree wherever I studied. The other part of the question is why stay at MIT for the M.Arch? I stayed because 1) I was given an attractive aid / RA / TA package, and 2) because I could finish in fewer terms than anywhere else I might have studied.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

Without a doubt, the most rewarding aspect of my career is getting buildings built. I’ve never been a “paper architect”; I like the process of turning an abstract idea (the design) into concrete reality (the building). As frustrating as the construction process can be at times, it is still incredibly satisfying to go back to a completed project and see it working as you intended.

What motivates you to do the work that you do?

I’m motivated by a desire to make the world a little bit better place for the people who will experience the buildings I work on. Architects are incredibly lucky in that regard: we can literally see how our effort changes the world. It may not always be glamorous or glitzy work, but you can make a positive difference in people’s lives. That is very satisfying.

What is the biggest challenge you encountered in your career and how did you overcome this challenge?

I think the biggest challenge most architects face if they are in a leadership/ownership role is marketing yourself and getting work, and I am no exception. No matter how good a designer you are, if you can’t get work, you won’t succeed. I am not a natural salesman: to me, a lot of selling looks like bragging. I did a couple of things to overcome this: first, I partnered with Garet Wohl. We realized very early on (before we started BWA) that our skills were complementary. She was better at marketing, I was better at finance. We were both good designers, but we had different strengths there, too. It was a good partnership. Second, I tried to learn from mentors who were good at marketing how they did it. I picked up techniques that I could do that fit my own personal style.

Looking back on your experience at MIT, what advice would you give yourself if you knew then what you know now?

I would tell my undergraduate self to go somewhere else (other than MIT) for graduate school. Even though I had a very positive experience in the M. Arch program, I think I would have benefited from having the broader exposure of a different set of design faculty. I realized this after a year in the M. Arch program and adjusted for it by taking classes at the GSD, where I was exposed to some very different design theory.

What advice would you give to current students that are interested in pursuing Architecture as a major and/or career?

If you intend to go into traditional practice, make sure you get some work experience in a professional practice before committing to a graduate program of study. The professional practice of architecture is very different from the theoretical approach taught in many architecture schools; it is more mundane and subject to many more constraints. Some “real-world” experience will inform your later education and allow you to put the theory you are learning in context. And it will help you to confirm that architecture is what you really want to do with your life before you invest in the graduate degree.

What is something that you did not do at MIT that you wish you had done while you were here?

I should have taken a class at the Sloan School in marketing! As I noted above, if you can’t market yourself to clients, you can’t really succeed in professional practice. I’m not sure whether a marketing class would have helped me when I was younger, but it certainly would not have hurt. More generally, there so many interesting things are going on at MIT; I wish I’d taken time to learn and do more outside of the confines of the architecture program. It would have been great to learn something about marketing. I also wish I’d taken a class or two in Civil Engineering.

What is the best career advice that you have ever received?

The best career advice I ever received was to understand the concept of sunk cost. In other words, what is in the past is in the past; don’t keep pursuing a goal or objective simply because you’ve already invested so much into it. This is easy to understand in the abstract but difficult to put into practice: it’s hard to walk away from a significant investment of time, money, or energy and say, “well, that didn’t work.” But we all need to do it, especially architects: often you start with an idea for a design, and you keep pushing and pushing the idea even though it isn’t working. You assume that because you’ve invested so much into it, you’ve got to keep going. Sometimes the right answer is to stop and start over (or do something else altogether). Oddly enough, this advice came from a peer (a fellow alumna of MIT), not a mentor: she told me this when I asked her why she was leaving architecture to go to business school. It was good advice, and I often use it, by asking myself if I’m doing what I’m doing because I think it is working, or because I’m emotionally invested in the outcome. If the latter, I have to reassess.

What does “work-life balance” mean to you and what do you do to maintain a work-life balance?

I think my basic goal in this area is to be productive with my time, in whatever I’m doing. When at work, I want to make sure I’m using my time wisely. The same is true in non-work situations. As senior principal and owner of BWA, it would be easy for me to get sucked in to the office and work all of the time, but I know that isn’t healthy. I need to make time for myself to do important but not urgent things like exercise and recharge. I don’t have a rigid work schedule, but in order to maintain a balance, I do try to set a goal for the average number of hours per week I work. It also depends on the season and what I’m working on: if I’m really engrossed in a project, I will often work longer hours because I’m enjoying what I’m doing. During summers, I tend to work a bit less and spend more time enjoying outdoor activities in the nice weather. I also build my schedule to ensure some balance: I try to block out time each day for exercise, and I work remotely (or not at all, if my schedule permits) on Fridays from May through October. I also manage my other activities to avoid weekend commitments as much as possible.

Last edited: 2018

Dr. Grey Batie (he/him, they/them) is a nuclear engineer in the Applied Radiation Detection group, within the National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). 

Prior to this role, Dr. Batie was a post-doctoral fellow in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP), supporting the NNSA’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development Office in Washington, DC.

As a doctoral student at the University of California-Berkeley, their research focused on developing novel methods to design and operate spent fuel reprocessing facilities to enable the detection of inadvertent or deliberate hold up of special nuclear material.

While obtaining their master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Batie conducted research in fetal magnetocardiography. Their work involved the assessment of optically pumped magnetometers as a cost-effective alternative to superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) for evaluating fetuses with life-threatening heart arrhythmias.

They have completed internships at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences, and PNNL. Dr. Batie’s interests include recruitment, retention, and advocacy for minority students in the sciences.