Tell Me More: Coffee with Chris Yip

At NordSpace, Rahul  Goel (EngSci 1T6, UTIAS PhD student) leads what he hopes will be the first company to launch a commercial rocket from a private Canadian spaceport. Goel’s passion for both aerospace and entrepreneurship go all the way back to his time as an undergraduate right here at U of T Engineering — and he’s still a student today, working on a PhD at the University of Toronto Institute f...

Andrew Forde (MSE 1T1, MIE PhD 2T0) is a double graduate U of T Engineering, and a trailblazer at the intersection of industry and academia.  After completing his undergraduate in Materials Science & Engineering, Forde went to work for a variety of consulting companies, including Boston Consulting Group, IBM and Deloitte. A few years later, Forde became one of the first students to complete wh...

Since graduating from U of T Engineering, Luigi La Corte (CivMin 1T4 + PEY) has built a career that has ranged from construction to high finance. In 2022, he co-founded Provision , a company leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate and speed up the paperwork associated with large construction projects, and now serves as its CEO. Dean Yip spoke with him about how engineer...

U of T Engineering alumna Rumina Velshi (CivMin 7T8) is one of Canada's most prominent nuclear engineers. The former head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, she was recently appointed to the board of Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company. She is also a co-founder and principal at ZettaJoule, Inc., which is working to advance small modular nuclear reactors. Dean Yip s...

After graduating from U of T Engineering, Dr. Michelle Murti (EngSci 2T2) became a physician specializing in preventative medicine. She has worked for public health authorities across North America, and last September, she was appointed the Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto. Dean Yip talked to her about she applies her engineering training to help people live healthier lives.

Dean Yip chats with Jenya Doudareva (IndE 1T0 + PEY, MASc 1T3, PhD 2T1), a triple graduate of U of T Engineering who completed her PhD in 2021. Today, she works in Cloud and AI consulting at OnX. All three of Doudareva’s degrees are in industrial engineering, and she explains why this discipline is a great background for a career helping businesses find effective and ethical ways to deploy AI. She...

Support for mental wellness is a critical part of U of T Engineering’s commitment to fostering a healthy, inclusive and vibrant student community. Thanks to a generous gift from Loui Pappas (CivE 8T8, MASc 8T9) and his daughter Elena Pappas (ChemE 2T2), that support is being strengthened through a new campaign to raise funds for the Skule™ Mental Wellness Bursary. In this episode, Loui and Elena s...

Arlyne James (MechE 2T4) is founder and CEO of My Dorm Store , which she created while she was still an undergraduate student at U of T Engineering. The company, which began as an assignment in an engineering business course, has grown tremendously in just a few short years, and this fall provided services to more than 60 residences across Canada. James spoke with Dean Yip about what she learned a...

We tried something a little bit different with this month’s episode — we turned the tables on Dean Yip. Undergraduate student Mahmoud Rashid (Year 3 MSE) took a turn as host, asking Dean Yip questions about his journey through engineering, his life as a runner, what he likes to bake, and more.

Earlier this year, David Boroto (EngSci 1T8 + PEY) became the CEO of Engineers Without Borders Canada. Dean Yip speaks with him about his journey from South Africa to Saskatchewan to the University of Toronto and about how he’s using infrastructure engineering to impact and improve the lives of low-income communities in a sustainable way.

U of T Engineering Alumna Sofia Bonilla completed her PhD in our University of Toronto Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, having previously completed degrees in microbiology and environmental science. Her thesis focused on protein production, and she has since leveraged that expertise to become the founder and CEO of ALT-PRO, a company that is creating the next generation of...

After graduating from the University of Toronto, Melodie Schaffer (ChemE 9T1, MASc 9T4) had a successful career designing biomedical devices. More recently, she’s made big pivot to the world of offshore sailing. She is the first Canadian woman to complete a round-the-world sailing race, earning her the Canadian Rolex sailor of the year award for 2023, the Gerry Roufs Canadian Offshore Sailor award...

Prandtl Dynamics is a company recently founded by U of T Engineering undergraduates. Over the past year, they have been making headlines by doing something that many established aerospace companies cannot yet do: develop effective, acoustic-based strategies to neutralize threats from Uncrewed Aerial Systems, also known as drones. Dean Yip spoke to Michael Acquaviva (Year 4 EngSci) and Anna Poletae...

Both during and after his time at University of Toronto Engineering's Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Mina Shahid was heavily involved in Engineers Without Borders. The experience led to a successful career in international development, and today he is the co-founder and CEO of Numida. The company offers digital financial services to micro and small businesses in East Africa...

Immediately after graduating from the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Kristina Menton was recruited by what would become Pivotal, a company that is changing the face of aviation. Today, she is the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Flight, leading the development of new kinds of personal aircraft, such as the BlackFly and the Helix. She has also stayed involved wi...

Since graduating MechE 8T8, Vince Arone has held senior roles at a number of technology companies. Most recently, he has entered the exciting world of battery electric storage systems and DC fast chargers. Dean Yip talks with Vince about this fast-growing industry, and how he has now brought some of that tech back to campus as part of the Landmark renovation. They also discuss the importance of su...

After earning her BASc and her MEng in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry at U of T, Liane went on to apply her knowledge and skills as a senior manager in health and life sciences consulting at Deloitte.  She has returned to U of T Engineering to serve as president of the Engineering Alumni Network, where she is working to help the next generation of engineering leader...

Carlos de Oliveira and Michael Gray are co-founders of Cast Connex, an industry leader in the architectural and structural use of cast steel components in the design and construction of building and bridge structures. Cast Connex recently made their mark on the Las Vegas skyline by contributing to the development of Sphere at the Venetian, the world's largest spherical structure.  Podcast tran...

Raylene Mitchell is an IBET Momentum Fellow and a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering.  Under the supervision of Professor David Sinton (MIE) and Michael Ross (ElecE 0T8), the Industrial Research Chair in Northern Energy Innovation at Yukon University, she is researching energy storage solutions in Indigenous communities. Raylene sat down with Dean Yip to discu...

U of T Engineering alumna Eva Lau is co-founder of Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the next evolution of computing and its applications. Today, she leverages her experience to help early-stage transformative tech companies achieve internet scale.      Eva sat down with Dean Yip to discuss innovation, the importance of mentorship, what she enjoys most about w...

Shrey Jain just completed his Bachelor's of Engineering Science with a major in Machine Intelligence, and is among the more than 1,000 U of T Engineering undergraduate students who will walk across the stage at Convocation this month. Over the past few years, Shrey has worked on a number of high-profile projects relating to AI and its implications for our society, work he will be continuing af...

Nika Shakiba completed her PhD in our Institute of Biomedical Engineering in 2017 and is now an Assistant Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on stem cells — using systems biology to understand how they work, and synthetic biology to engineer new therapies for regenerative medicine. Podcast transcripts can be downloaded at ⁠...

Jenna Usprech completed her PhD at U of T's Institute of Biomedical Engineering in 2018, specializing in tissue engineering. Today, she is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. She spoke to Dean Yip about student wellness, science communication, and classroom strategies that promote critical thought. Podcast transcript...

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of our Faculty, Dean Yip is joined by two guests who can offer some perspective on the past, present and future of Skule. Marta Ecsedi (CivMin 7T6) was the first woman president of the U of T Engineering Society, also known as EngSoc. She has gone on to champion a more inclusive engineering profession through a series of leadership roles, including here at t...

Herman Colquhoun completed his master’s degree in Human Factors at U of T Engineering, and eventually went on to spend more than a decade at IBM, where he is a design principal leading the design of the IBM Quantum Premium Partner Experience. He is also a member of the leadership team for the Racial Equity in Design initiative at the company, the co-chair of the IBM Canada Black Experience, and co...