Bringing an Innovative Mindset to Tesla
AJ Shirude (MEM '16) talks about his role as a senior engineering program manager and how his experience in Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program prepared him for where he is today.
Electric cars have skyrocketed in popularity the past few years. According to the International Energy Agency, more than 1.8 million electric vehicles were registered in the US in 2020, more than three times as many as there were four years earlier. There are several reasons for that growth, but a primary one is the benefits the vehicle provides, both for the driver and the world as a whole. Electric cars produce zero emissions, yet still can reach top speeds with high horsepower.
Tesla is a leading brand in the marketplace and was among the first auto manufacturers to strictly produce electric cars. Tesla is also where Ajinkya "AJ" Shirude (MEM '16) is a senior engineering program manager, a role he's held for the past year.
“Tesla has an innovation-driven approach to problem solving and is challenging the status quo,” Shirude said. “It's a wonderful experience to be part of a company that's disrupting industries and witness the growth firsthand.”
Shirude brings that same innovative mindset to his daily work. As part of the battery engineering team, he collaborates with different teams and helps take ideas from a concept phase all the way through mass production. Currently he's working to support Tesla's Model S, Model X, and Semi vehicles.
To succeed in his role, Shirude must think ahead through the lifecycle of a product. He also has to be organized to condense complex information and present it in a way where risks, opportunities, and tasks are clearly delineated.
He honed both of those abilities in Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program.
"I was at the point in my career where I wanted to start getting involved in big picture planning while still being close to core design activities," he said. "MEM seemed to have the right balance of management as well as technical coursework that would help me achieve that."
Shirude completed MEM's part-time program while working in product development at Navistar, a company focused on the truck and transport service industry. Working full-time while earning his degree helped him develop organizational skills. Through MEM, Shirude learned to connect the dots between product and profitability, and the program helped him understand different leadership styles and how to adapt to different styles in order to succeed.
"MEM gave me a chance to understand the product lifecycle better," he said, "which in turn has led to me coming up with better questions to ask at work."
MEM helped Shirude get to where he is today. He's pursuing work he's passionate about at Tesla, and he enjoys living in the San Francisco area — both of which provide enjoyable perks.
"The Bay Area has good weather year-round and a culture of promoting new ideas to make them into a reality," he said. "Plus, it's nice having the ability to drive some of the best electric cars in the world."
