Once an advisor, now a friend
Engineering alumnus Nathan Khosla is grateful for the connection he made and has kept with faculty member Nisha Shukla.
When Nathan Khosla first met Nisha Shukla, he had no reason to expect that his relationship with this new advisor would be any different from others he had had. But more than 10 years later, he knows that is not the case. In March, while back in Pittsburgh for a visit, he spent almost three hours reconnecting with his former professor.
Khosla earned his bachelor’s degree in nanotechnology in 2014 and his master’s degree in chemical engineering in 2016. He formed a unique, lasting, and beneficial relationship with Shukla, a special faculty member from the Engineering Research Accelerator, who served as his advisor for both the undergraduate and graduate research he conducted while he was a student at Carnegie Mellon.
“When I tell someone about her, they don’t believe me—they think I’m exaggerating,” said Khosla.
When I tell someone about her, they don’t believe me—they think I’m exaggerating.
Nathan Khosla, Two-time alumnus, College of Engineering
He says that while many advisors give you an assignment and maybe some gentle advice along the way, Shukla is different. She is more attentive and more assertive.
“Why aren’t you talking—speak up!” she admonished him once after presenting his research.
Her approach was not always gentle, but her strong example held incredible lessons for Khosla.
“She taught me that you don’t get what you don’t go for, and that you must choose your battles and then execute your intentions fearlessly,” said Khosla.
Those early experiences working in Shukla’s lab also gave him a greater appreciation for doing research. He believes that it would have been easy to float through college classes without seeing how it all ties together, but conducting research forces you to make those valuable connections.
“Research helps you learn how to think, how to be comfortable with uncertainty so that you’re better able to approach a problem which you may not be able to find the answer to,” said Khosla.
Research helps you learn how to think, how to be comfortable with uncertainty so that you’re better able to approach a problem which you may not be able to find the answer to.
Nathan Khosla, Two-time alumnus, College of Engineering
After he earned his master’s degree, he worked in industry as a research scientist for Lockheed Martin. He worked at their Advanced Technology Center, which was the research arm for their space systems.
He and his team got to work on anything that was new at the Palo Alto, California facility. He worked on nanoparticles, bio-produced materials, additive manufacturing of electronic circuits, and antenna design for the international space station.
He says there was a lot of fun and freedom in the work, but the freedom also meant that he had to be able to speak up to push for his ideas. He had to avoid what he sometimes witnessed in other colleagues who were not able to stand up for themselves.
“Nisha gave me the confidence I needed. She would tell anyone anything if she believed it was the right thing,” said Khosla.
He’s currently on leave from Lockheed Martin while he pursues his Ph.D. at ETH Zurich. His research in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Bioscience there involves finding ways to adapt the complex chemistries in laboratory-based diagnostic tests into more user-friendly, self-administered tests that can perform as well as their more expensive and less accessible lab test counterparts.
He says the work could create greater equity in healthcare by making diagnostic testing tools available in more places, such as those where electricity is not as readily available. The challenge is making these new diagnostic devices as reliable as what is currently provided in laboratory testing.
Nisha set a strong example for that aspect of his work life too.
“She had incredible quality standards, which also rubs off on you,” said Khosla, who values that ability to avoid compromise and stay focused on end results.
When he completes his Ph.D. in the fall, he will decide whether to return to industry or seek fellowship funding to complete the research on the diagnostic devices in the hope of seeing it through to completion and development of an actual product.
Khosla learned you don’t always realize what relationships will last but given the unexpected and positive influence that Shukla has had on him, he is thankful that he was both open to her guidance and fortunate to maintain their friendship.