Shatad Purohit
PhD in Astronautical Engineering
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice that I have ever been given is to 'establish involvement without discrimination'. And, simply doing whatever is needed with total commitment and attention.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
One of the most significant accomplishments in my professional life is getting admitted to the Ph.D. in Astronautical Engineering with a specialization in Systems Architecting and Engineering at the University of Southern California.
What's your favorite impulse purchase from the past 12 months?
A few months back, I got a low-tech mobile phone as a replacement for my old phone, which fell in a small river stream during a trek. I first thought I would only use this phone for few days. But I started liking it now!
Please describe a little about your research and what excites you about it.
I am currently a Research Assistant in the Distributed Autonomy and Intelligent Systems Laboratory. My research interests are systems architecting, complex system analysis and design, modeling and simulation, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), and integration of digital twins into MBSE. My research is about finding efficient ways to develop complex systems, specifically in aerospace, defense, and automotive industry verticals. I see many opportunities to apply the research in the context of the increasingly changing socio-technical world of today. My studies allow me to look at the situations in the world in a multidisciplinary and holistic way. There are general tendencies to simplify the problem to fit the existing methodologies, but systems architecting and engineering focus on expanding the methods to address the complex problems without dumbing problems down.
If you could choose any other profession outside of engineering or computer science, what would it be?
I would choose studies of economics and ecology, as it is one of the most crucial challenges our generation faces worldwide. In general, ecological solutions are found to be against economic wellbeing, and economically feasible options are not ecologically sensitive. Therefore, it is essential to initiate the marriage of economy and ecology. If people see financial prosperity in ecological solutions, it can help scale the solutions rapidly, which is most required today. In my view, marrying economics and ecology is a transdisciplinary systems problem.
What are some factors that helped you decide to pursue your PhD at USC?
Before joining USC, I spent four years in the industry in the systems engineering domain. As a result, I was well aware of the ecosystem in terms of research, state-of-the-art, and best practices in academia and industry. When I was planning to come to the US, my first choice was USC due to the Systems Architecting focus of the program. This is the only program in the country with an explicit focus on systems architecting in the curriculum. Additionally, academics focus on model-based systems engineering, system-of-systems integration, engineering resilience, economics, case studies, machine learning, and advanced mathematics, which made the program most favored for me. I look at systems architecting and engineering as a necessary foundation to develop systems of the future. It should not be surprising to know that the domain originated in NASA. I enjoy working and studying the system's domain. Therefore, when I received the opportunity to pursue Ph.D., I readily accepted it. Additionally, the faculty members are the leaders in the discipline and are well known for their field contributions.
If you were to recommend to an incoming student 3 places to go in California/Los Angeles, what would they be?
I recommend Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park to incoming students because of the variety of ecological systems, terrains, and life forms they would get to see in these places. Mountains of Yosemite, trees of Sequoia, and landscapes of Joshua should not be missed by anyone living in California.
What is a memory you'll cherish about your time at USC?
I appreciate the incredible opportunities that I received in this fantastic university and in this beautiful country. It feels like a dream when a person like me from Latur, a small town from the diametrically opposite side of the planet, comes to LA, joins the astronautical engineering department, and starts working under the most sought-after researcher in the discipline.
On the first day of class in my MS program, I remember that on August 20, 2018, I had an appointment with Dr. Azad Madni. I prepared for the meeting as I wanted to ask whether any research assistantship opportunities are available in his lab. I already sent my previous research work and resume to him some time back. During the meeting, as I started speaking, before I could get a chance to ask, Dr. Madni offered me an opportunity to work with his team. This incident shaped my life the way it is today. Later I joined the Ph.D. program and received a full scholarship. It took care of many things for me.
I always liked studying the engineering and systems domain. At USC, I spend time exploring the vast world of engineering and collaborate with experts associated with various organizations such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Aerospace Corporation, General Motors, NSF, DoD, and US Air Force.
What's one thing about you that might surprise me?
I can cook three distinct types of Indian cuisines - Rajasthani, Gujarati, and Maharashtrian. Rajasthan is a northwestern state of India known for its arid region and Thar desert. The cuisines are shaped by the availability of ingredients in the area. People eat low heat food with a variety of milk products and sweets.
Gujrat is a mid-western state with various terrains, from the Rann of Kutch desert, Arabian sea coast, to Narmada river basins. Due to this, the cuisine has multiple ingredients ranging from gram flours, vegetables, spices, and snacks that vary widely in flavor and heat.
As we move from north to south, the spiciness increases in cuisines. Maharashtra is a southwestern state with Sahyadri western ghats and numerous rivers like Godavari, Krishna, and Tapi. This results in the availability of a variety of spices for the cuisines along with millets, native serials, lentils, fruits, vegetables, and traditional grains.
I cherish diversity and cook food with absolute involvement. In my view, cooking is like engineering complex systems. The final outcome is not merely a sum of its parts or ingredients. And to get the desired results, you need science and art.
What are your plans after graduation?
I wish to work on advancing the field of systems architecting and engineering through my research in model-based systems engineering and digital twins. In addition, I see possibilities to apply my skills in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industry.
Hometown (city, country):
Latur, Bharat (India).
Personal Website (if any):
www.shatad.com
Faculty Advisor:
Azad M. Madni.