Alumni Who Inspire: Zahra Ronaghi

This month's featured alum, Zahra Ronaghi, graduated with an M.S. in electrical engineering in 2013. Ronaghi now serves as senior manager of solutions architecture and engineering at NVIDIA.

Our Alumni Who Inspire series is a program created to honor the alumni community of the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources here at West Virginia University. This month we’re honored to feature electrical engineering alumna Zahra Ronaghi and highlight her legacy.

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Ronaghi graduated with an M.S. in electrical engineering in 2013 before going on to finish her PhD in Biomedical and Medical Engineering at Clemson University in 2016. She continued her academic tenure as a postdoctoral fellow at the Berkeley Lab in the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program (NESAP) for Data and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

Ronaghi now serves as senior manager of solutions architecture and engineering at NVIDIA, a leading multinational company offering technology solutions for increasingly complex computational challenges. We caught up with Ronaghi to hear about her experiences during her time at Statler and the lessons she learned while she was a WVU student — and share her advice for other Mountaineers preparing for life beyond college.

Q: We’re excited to have the opportunity to speak with you and welcome you back to the Mountaineer family, Zahra! Can you tell us what brought you to WVU and Statler College in the first place?

A: It really is quite simple. I chose WVU after learning more about the electrical engineering department from my uncle who lived in Morgantown at the time. I became interested in the WVNano Graduate Fellowship program, a program offered at the time that combined nanotechnology and engineering. It was part of a new direction at WVU supporting Ph.D. graduate students in STEM disciplines to ensure lifetime career success through comprehensive career training. As one of a cohort of six graduate students supported by the program yearly, I also received a fellowship stipend for interdisciplinary research on biosensors with co-advisors from electrical, computer engineering and biomedical engineering. This fellowship was funded through the West Virginia University Research Corporation, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and National Science Foundation.

New programs are exciting. How did you explore your intellectual and academic interests while part of the program and what specific activities have you been involved with?

As soon as I joined, I became involved in engineering-focused student organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). It was important to me to expand my professional network, and I knew that student and professional organizations could help me do that. My involvement exposed me to the broader engineering community—I volunteered, organized and planned several regional and even some national sessions at the SWE Annual conference. I loved being part of SWE and organizing interdisciplinary events. Networking with professionals from different fields and mentoring other students not only helped me grow as a leader, but also reinforced the value of collaboration across disciplines.

These first exposures really created a steppingstone into belonging in professional organizations. For example, I’ve continued my involvement with IEEE and was named a fellow in 2023.

Thank you for sharing about your involvement with professional organizations; indeed, our students have an opportunity at WVU to be involved with over 450+ organizations on campus! This is a great opportunity for integration and career development.

Speaking of career development, can you share some of your most memorable experiences as a student?

I strongly believe that WVU provided excellent facilities and hands-on opportunities to develop a variety of skills throughout my graduate program. One highlight for career development was my biosensor research project, which was inherently interdisciplinary and involved collaborations with faculty from electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.

This fellowship experience and interdisciplinary problem-solving gave me valuable exposure to collaborative research environments. Additionally, the hands-on aspects of the research—such as protocol development and simulation analysis—helped me develop practical skills in designing, implementing and evaluating complex engineering systems. Taking the WVNano entrepreneurship course and participating in the related workshop were incredibly valuable experiences. They introduced me to the basics of entrepreneurship and innovation and helped me understand how scientific research can be translated into real-world applications. 

I also learned a lot about different imaging techniques and image processing algorithms through my work with nanoparticles. This complemented my graduate level courses in electrical and computer engineering which involved circuit work like designing and fabricating a wide-bandwidth amplifier that we were able to test in the lab afterward for real-world exposure!

Thank you for highlighting how your experience was supported! Statler really prides itself on research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Working in such environments can also be challenging, too. Did you have any setbacks at WVU that taught you valuable lessons? How did you overcome them?

Since the fellowship was a new program, there was a lot of learning and adapting along the way. We often had to share feedback and work together to improve the experience for everyone. Sometimes this meant figuring things out as we went, which could be challenging, especially when getting exposed to new domains and courses outside my main area of study. These experiences taught me the value of flexibility, open communication and being proactive in seeking help or sharing suggestions. 

However, being part of this new program meant there were a lot of opportunities to contribute ideas, share feedback and help shape the experience for future students. I enjoyed collaborating with classmates and faculty, and I hope that my involvement in interdisciplinary projects and workshops helped create a more supportive and innovative environment.

Thank you, Zahra. Your contributions to bettering this graduate fellowship program were certainly experienced by further generations of students including several of your peers from our college. Speaking of support and giving back to peers, how do you stay connected to your alma mater? And why is it important to you to stay connected?

I hope future students remember my time at WVU as an example of being open to new experiences and embracing interdisciplinary learning. I want them to see that it’s okay to step outside your comfort zone, try new courses and get involved in different projects—even if it means facing a few challenges along the way. I also hope they remember the importance of sharing feedback, supporting each other and helping to shape the program for those who come after. Most of all, I want them to feel inspired to make the most of the opportunities at WVU, just as I did, and to leave their own positive mark on the community.

If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to follow in your footsteps, what would that be?

It would be to stay curious and open to learning from every opportunity, even the unexpected ones. Don’t be afraid to explore new fields, take on challenging projects or ask questions when you’re unsure. Some of the most valuable experiences come from stepping outside your comfort zone and collaborating with people from different backgrounds. Embrace feedback, support your peers and remember that your journey is unique—so make the most of it and enjoy the process!

The Alumni Who Inspire! Program in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources recognizes alumni for their dedication to their professions, our college and West Virginia University. The program was launched in fall 2023 as a monthly discussion board with alumni of the College. Like Ronaghi, there are so many Statler alumni here and around the world with amazing stories. Join us next month to learn more about our community and their inspiring journeys. Let’s Go!

---