Congratulations to Zhe Fu, a Civil and Environmental Engineering & Electrical Engineering and Computer Science doctoral candidate, who is amongst the top 30 women graduates or soon-to-be graduates in Mechanical Engineering chosen to participate in the Rising Star Workshop, held Oct. 3-4, 2024 at Carnegie Mellon University.
"I'm incredibly honored to have been selected the Rising Stars workshop," Fu says. "Attending the Rising Stars workshop has provided me with invaluable insights into the academic job market and the opportunity to connect with inspiring women in engineering who share a passion for research and mentorship. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned to further my career in academia."
The Rising Stars in Mechanical Engineering Workshop supports women graduate students and postdocs who are considering careers in academia. Participants gain career skills, connect with a cohort of their peers, and engage with mentors. This annual workshop rotates between MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and CMU.
This year, the seventh Rising Star workshop was held at CMU from October 3-4, 2024. Participants conducted academic job-finding workshops on the first day, with faculty mentors supporting students with application and interview skill-building. On the second day, participants learned about starting their academic careers (including writing young investigator proposals, work-life balance, hiring and mentoring students, performing academic service, networking, and developing high impact and reputation in specific and interdisciplinary fields).
Fu is currently working alongside professor Alexandre Bayen, affiliated with Berkeley’s Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) Lab, the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS), Center for Information Technology and Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), Berkeley Deep Drive (BDD) and California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technolog (California PATH). Fu is interested in using machine learning and autonomous vehicles to improve traffic mobility and reduce energy consumption.