Celebrating women in leadership is an important step towards bridging the opportunity gap and serve as role models for the next generation of women leaders. By recognizing and honoring the achievements of women in leadership, we can help to break down barriers and create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
Read about Bhatti and Zhang’s significant contributions to the college and ECE and how they are helping shape the future of the next generation of engineers.
As associate chair, Bhatti leads ECE’s support for faculty entrepreneurship and manages programs for the School’s large group of corporate partners and affiliates. She is an experienced entrepreneur in her own right, co-founding a company based on her research in detecting wrong-patient errors in radiology.
Bhatti also has been dedicated to instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in students. She has coached more than 50 student startup teams and another 30 clinical and translational researcher teams in a National Institutes of Health commercialization accelerator. Most recently, she joined the new class of the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) program at Drexel University. The intensive national program aims to help women in STEM fields elevate their leadership skills and effectiveness.
Bhatti said her own path to leadership was somewhat unexpected, and it demonstrates the power of encouragement from people who see your potential.
“I didn’t ever think that I would go into any academic leadership role at all; it never crossed my mind. And then I was encouraged by [former school chair] Magnus Egerstedt to join his team. [Provost and former ECE Chair] Steve McLaughlin also encouraged me. I don’t look like him; he doesn’t look like me. But he encouraged people in his unit. He brought me into strategic planning for the unit. So, you need people who encourage you. They don’t have to look like you, but there has to be some connection.”
Zhang’s work focuses on systems-level interdisciplinary problems in wireless sensor networks, Internet of Things, biomedical engineering, structural health monitoring, and intelligent monitoring and diagnostic systems. Her passion for research and education includes extending engineering education beyond the technical skills her students will need to succeed. She has devoted significant time and attention to helping students develop communication, presentation, and leadership skills — which she said are just as critical for successful careers.
Over the last two years as a Provost’s Teaching and Learning Fellow, Zhang has worked to build a toolbox of strategies to strengthen teaching in blended, face-to-face, and online environments. She also has turned her attention to enhancing her own leadership skills as a new member of the Georgia Tech Emerging Leaders Program. This initiative builds the capabilities of up-and-coming campus leaders with workshops, retreats, and 360-degree evaluations.
Zhang has had female mentors throughout her career, starting with her Ph.D. advisor, Alice Agogino. At Georgia Tech, it was the College’s ADVANCE Professors — first Mary Ann Weitnauer and later Kim Kurtis and Pinar Keskinocak — who provided critical support. In particular, Zhang credited Weitnauer with offering guidance and encouragement in her first years as an assistant professor for helping her overcome setbacks and build her research program. She said she values leaders, mentors, and colleagues who promote an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion that ensures women and minorities have access to equal opportunities and resources for success.
“When I was an assistant professor, I felt very isolated. That's why I really appreciate Mary Ann’s help and encouragement. As a junior faculty member, I tended to focus on developing my own research program and working with my students. Now that I am more senior, it's time that I provide more service to others.”
Learn more about the other women leaders featured here.
]]>