GradEL workshops are a chance for students to hear firsthand from professionals across a range of industries and academia. The workshops below are interactive, two-hour, one-time sessions that provide insight into the real-world experiences of MIT faculty members, industry business leaders, and more.
The Science of Charisma: First Impressions
You only get one chance to make the right first impression. Within a few seconds, people judge your level of intelligence, trustworthiness, friendliness and social success. This happens in an instant, yet it can impact the way you’re perceived from then on. How can you make sure you never miss, especially when the stakes are high?
This practical workshop gives you concrete tools to make great first impressions both online and IRL, using researched-based science on which actions are effective and why. Learn exactly how to give a great handshake, avoid the common pitfalls of the “engineer voice profile”, emanate the body language of a good friend, and discover how to select and use the mic and signal-compression technologies of online calls properly.
Leaders: Dr. Oliver Niebuhr, Associate Professor of Communication and Innovation at the University of Southern Denmark; Olivia Fox Cabane, bestselling author of The Charisma Myth, previously Director of Innovative Leadership for Stanford StartX.
Systems Thinking for Technical Leadership
As engineers, we are trained to think about physical systems, but technical leadership involves navigating complex social structures as well. In this workshop, we explore how systems thinking tools can help leaders to integrate social and technical considerations, and support interdisciplinary collaboration and decision making with a particular focus on sustainability.
Leader: Dr. Emily Moore, leader in engineering education and leadership development, Director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education (ILead) at the University of Toronto.
Persuasive Communication for Technical Leaders
How do you get others to act on your ideas? In this interactive GradEL workshop, learn and practice persuasive communication strategies that technical leaders use every day – whether it’s advocating for resources, influencing design decisions, or navigating tough conversations. Come ready to experiment with communication frameworks that sharpen your ability to make your voice heard and your ideas stick.
Leader: Rachel Moore Best is passionate about translating skills, frameworks, and proven theory into actionable guidance for her students’ and clients’ current challenges. Her dynamic, hands-on approach to education has led her to teach in multiple arenas, including graduate-level negotiation courses for MIT, creative university programs, youth conferences, government agencies, and corporate audiences.
100-Day Plans For Any New Job: A Leader’s Perspective–
The first 100 days of any job is a critical time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Learn from the Hiring Manager’s perspective how to prioritize between gaining job knowledge, developing a peer network, and exceeding expectations in execution. Review and improve examples of real starting assignments and 100-day plans to inform your own.
Leader: Linda DuCharme, Former President of ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company
Resolving Non-Technical Showstoppers in Complex Systems
What issues do you think emerged when designing the world’s first worldwide satellite comm system? No, not Starlink. We’re talking about Globalstar, launched in the late 90’s and still operating today!
Learn from the Globalstar Sr. VP and Chief Engineer who made it happen, Professor Emeritus Joel Schindall. Hear about the unique design and collaboration challenges they encountered. Through hands-on case study exercises, you learn how to execute multi-dimensional trade offs.
Leader: Professor Emeritus Joel Schindall, Globalstar Sr. VP and Chief Engineer, MIT Bernard Gordon Professor of the Practice of Product Development founding director of GEL and GradEL
Technology and Finance
Explore cutting-edge methods for assessing the economic potential of emerging technologies. Learn key financial tools like Net Present Value (NPV), Real Options Analysis (ROA), and Portfolio Management to make informed R&D investment decisions. Gain insights into risk assessment, resource allocation, and strategic financial planning to optimize technology portfolios and drive innovation sustainability. Don’t miss this opportunity to align technology strategy with business success and gain a competitive edge in the market!
Leader: Prof. Olivier de Weck, Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Associate Department Head of Aero Astro (Course XVI)
Engineering Curveballs: How to Navigate the Unexpected
What happens when you face a technical challenge that no class or training ever prepared you for? In this interactive workshop, learn problem-solving techniques like root cause analysis, problem definition, and the power of asking the right questions. Then, put your skills to the test with industry guests as they share real, unexpected challenges from their careers—guiding you through an investigation to develop and refine solution proposals.
Secrets to Taking Charge of Your Next Role
Are you prepared to “hit the ground running” at your next internship or in a new role after graduating? Learning how to “take charge” and actively engage with your new responsibilities is an important skill to master. This workshop helps you understand and build this skillset as it relates to your future goals. Hear from a panel of MIT Grad Students as they share their experiences and advice on successfully kickstarting their careers.
World-Class R&D for Geographically Distributed Markets–
This workshop gives a high-level view of where R&D fits, strategically and organizationally within the enterprise. It looks at some of the issues in operating across cultures and highlights how cultural differences may lead to product development solutions that optimize for different value equations. This is brought to life by a group exercise that looks at developing a simple cleaning product across two geographies.
Leader: Reza Rahaman, Managing Director, Technical Leadership and Communication Programs (UPOP, GEL, GradEL, CommLab)
Reimagining the Hearing Aid Industry – the Case of Eargo
From garage to IPO, MIT alumn Danny Shen shares his story of founding Eargo, a company that challenged an industry of entrenched incumbents to reimagine the hearing aid industry and break down barriers to adoption. This is an interactive workshop where product and strategic questions faced by the founders are presented and discussed.
Leader: Danny Shen, Funder and President of Ruby Robotics, Serial Entrepreneur
Making Informed Tradeoff Decisions: What Do Stakeholders Care About?
Learn how technical leaders make important tradeoff decisions while taking into account the engineering results, the business impact, and the variety of stakeholder needs that come with all challenging issues.
Leader: Joia Spooner-Fleming, Global R&D Senior Executive
How Women in STEM Lead
A panel of women in science, technology, engineering, math, manufacturing, and design share the unique challenges they’ve experienced and the unique value they’ve provided in their technical leadership careers.
Leader: Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D panel discussion hosted by Monica Pheifer, Principal Lecturer, GradEL
