Childhood

Growing up in Muscat, Oman was incredible. I was an outdoor kid, spending most of my free time exploring places on my cycle. I always had a passion for fixing things, well more about opening things up. I learned to solder in the sixth grade to the dismay of my parents because I would open up random remotes and old electronics lying around the house and practice soldering. In the eighth grade, I opened a small cycle shop where I was fixing punctures and providing tune-ups for my friends and kids around my block.

Undergrad

I decided to take up automotive engineering as my undergraduate degree which was the perfect fit for me. I would learn concepts in class and because of my curious mind and tendency to disassemble everything in my sight, I could reinforce concepts taught in class by taking apart my motorcycle.

For my undergraduate capstone project, I wanted to use all the skills I gained from overhauling my motorbike and integrate them with the concepts taught in class. I decided to design an engine. The "Royal Enfield Bullet" is a very popular and revered bike in India, known for its endless torque and bullet-proof reliability. At the time, they were only available in a single-cylinder configuration. I wanted to make a twin-cylinder version of the engine that would share as many parts as possible with the original engine.

Graduate

By the time I graduated with my bachelor's, it was evident that the automotive industry was in electric vehicles. I received an amazing opportunity to work on an Aerospace project in the United Kingdom to build the first Turbo Electric Distributed Propulsion (TeDP) test rig at Cranfield University in the UK.

After the successful completion of the project, I went on to do my graduate degree in "Thermal Power - Aerospace Propulsion" at the same University. My thesis was titled "Performance of a Submerged Closed-combined cycle gas turbine for a Nuclear power plant" to perform it I had to teach myself to code to create a program that simulates the power plant operation in MATLAB. Unfortunately, the thesis is restricted access so I can not post my results. But it did leave me with the opportunity to do my Ph.D. at Cranfield University on scholarship. However, I decided not to follow through with the offer for two reasons - I wanted to work in the commercial sector rather than academics and, more importantly, I fell in love with coding.

All throughout the different projects I have been a part of, I was always limited by budget constraints or not having the right equipment/infrastructure. But if I had an idea for a program, all I needed was a laptop, a place to sit, and a pair of headphones and I could create almost anything that came to mind. This realization made me feel powerful and passionate about programming, so I decided to pursue my master's in the US majoring in Business Analytics.

MBA in Business Analytics, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

As I already had a master's in science, the MBA in Business Analytics program offered the perfect combination of business studies and coding. I was able to maintain a 4.0 throughout the program while constantly improving my skills in coding, as well as learning new skills such as Arduino programming, 3D printing, and building Artificial Intelligence systems in my free time.

My curiosity for dismantling anything around me lives on but has changed with time. From mechanical and electrical, to the programs that connect and run the world, I am excited for where my passions will take me.