Pursuing an Interest in Cleantech

Saumya Mishra received her Bachelor of Engineering degree in 2010, and for the past five years worked within the oil, gas, and chemistry industries. During that time, she developed a growing interest in clean technology.

She turned to Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program to pursue her new passion. Since starting MEM, her fervor has turned into more of an obsession. After two quarters in the program. Mishra has already taken the lessons learned in the classroom and applied them to help create smart cities that run on cleantech. Now she's excited to pursue a career as a product manager in the energy sector where she can develop products and potentially launch a startup that makes an impact on society.

“I am brimming with confidence that this is the right place to do so,” she said. 

The foundation of her excitement is blockchain technology. Put simply, blockchain is a decentralized way of storing data. Instead of a centralized database administrator – think the owner of an Excel spreadsheet – many copies of this data exist on multiple computers spread out across a network. New data can’t be added unless a majority of those locations agree it is valid. This creates a heightened level of data security and accuracy.

It also allows for smoother, easier, and faster processing of payments to those who use renewable energy to generate electricity. Additionally, when their personal use is less than their demand, they can sell it back to the grid to where the need is greater. This decreases the need for electricity generation.  

Mishra did not have experience with blockchain before MEM, but she was quickly introduced  this past summer while working with MEM director and Professor Mark Werwath and MEM executive in residence Mark Johnson. At the time, Johnson was the director of energy and utilities innovation at Blockchains, a company striving to use technology to better protect and empower individuals, and he was looking for assistance on his company's Smart City Project. The goal is to streamline energy-use data collection to provide insights for future tasks. 

“This project was a brilliant entrance to the world of cleantech and blockchain,” Mishra said. 

Inspired by that experience, Mishra enrolled in NUvention: Energy, a course Werwath teaches that brings together students from across Northwestern to develop ventures in sustainable energy and clean technology. 

“It’s a perfect match for me to get my hands dirty, in terms of pitching for ideas that I am hoping can be the foundation for my successful startup launch,” she said. 

That is just the kind of initiative the MEM program is designed to spark. Its goal is to bring experienced professionals together to develop management and leadership skills while deepening their engineering foundation. 

That is exactly what it is doing for Mishra. 

“What appealed to me most about MEM was its multidisciplinary approach, where the curriculum focuses on combining core business principles with graduate-level engineering education," she said. "I was looking for somewhere I could advance my engineering background along with management, quantitative analysis, and behavioral science (capabilities). MEM provides all that and much more.

“MEM is a place for immense learning and opportunities – if you keep an open mind for new ideas, have a curious approach, and have a knack for solving problems."