Welcome to “3 Questions with …”, a recurring feature on the Career Center blog. We’re asking alumni of all graduation years and career interests to share a bit of their experiences and advice.
Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan MSEE’10, Global Chairman of the IEEE Humanitarian Activities Program
1. In just a few sentences, please tell us about your current job/graduate program/vocational endeavor.
I’m a technology leader and a social innovator best known for technical and business innovations in addressing global humanitarian and sustainable development challenges. I founded the technology-based Humanitarian engineering program “Brahmam” (meaning knowledge) aimed at solving universal challenges and improving the living conditions of marginalized communities globally. For close to two decades, I have been involved in key leadership roles in leading science and engineering programs to solve pressing global humanitarian challenges. Currently, I serve as the global Chairman of the IEEE Humanitarian Activities Program of the world’s largest technology and professional organization the IEEE. In this role, I spearhead a portfolio of global programs to inspire, connect and engage more than 400,000+ technologists across 160 countries to leverage their skills for social good. Most recently, I have been elected as the 2023 Global President of the IEEE Eta Kappa Nu ( HKN), a top global society in engineering, science, and technology since 1904 making me one of the youngest presidents in the history of HKN.
2. How did your time at Tufts influence your career journey?
My journey to Tufts started in India in 2008 where I was involved in developing technological solutions to help children with Autism. I was excited to get admitted and pursue my master’s in electrical engineering at Tufts University. Tufts provided a great environment, excellent academic advisor, and world-class facilities to pursue my dream and passion to serve marginalized populations. The state-of-the-art research facilities, bar-raising academic leaders, and interdisciplinary cultural experience at Tufts university truly prepared me to gain both the technical and leadership skill to become a global citizen. Sitting at Tufts, I designed and delivered one of the large-scale Information systems to track disabilities in South India. The success and experience from that program were instrumental in motivating me to spearhead global programs throughout my career focused on solving a wide range of universal challenges including education, disabilities, healthcare, digital transformation, and sustainable development challenges. Tufts offered foundational research opportunities and an enriching learning environment both played an integral part in my career journey. This experience at Tufts empowered me to deliver innovative programs by combining my engineering skills and passion to serve marginalized communities globally.
3. What advice would you offer to a student who wants to pursue a career path like yours?
Never give up on your dreams. Be persistent. Tufts offers a portfolio of resources to equip yourself with the right skills and networking to become a global citizen. Find a mentor who can guide you on your career aspirations. Tufts Alumni are a strong network of great leaders from different domains and a great place to find your mentor. It’s always Day 1, keep learning new technologies in your field of expertise and have fun with what you do.
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