Renu Dalal

I attribute my success to determination and hard work. Those are the two qualities I learned from my parents and my husband. It's just about keeping on going. If you do fail, recognize that, acknowledge it, and learn from it. Failure is a reality, learn from it, get up, and move forward. My PhD taught me to keep on doing the same work again and again and keep myself motivated, even if you work in silo for years on the tiniest problem.

The best career advice I ever received was 'Don't sell yourself short.' This came from the CEO of a company during my first interview after my MBA. He told me, 'I like you, and I want to hire you, but I feel like you're overqualified for this job.' He said, 'I know you need this job, but don't sell yourself short.' At the time, I was thinking, but I like the job, and it was my first job, so I felt like I couldn't be choosing. But he was right. He told me I could just go out and look more, that it doesn't matter, and to search on a larger front. He even hired me after that, too. Looking back, I realize he was telling me I could go out and look at opportunities on a larger scale, and that advice has stayed with me.

My advice to young women entering my field is: don't shy away and speak up. Sometimes, being a woman and being a woman of color, we just don't see our own value. Even after so many years, I feel like we as women feel our idea is stupid, or our solution is stupid, or this is so normal. This is how it should be done because in our minds, we are always solution seekers, and we always think this should be done in this way, and this is the only way of doing it. But you never know - when you put it on the table, you might be the only one having that wonderful idea. Just speak it out. Don't sell yourself short.

There are ample opportunities in my field right now. People are saying AI is there and there are jobs cutting, and I'm going against the numbers, but there are opportunities. Some jobs are changing, some tasks are being automated, and some traditional roles may shrink — but at the same time, new kinds of jobs are emerging that many people are not talking about or even looking for yet. This is actually why my work exists. Even in the realm of work I'm doing, because of AI and so many technological changes, we're talking about green energy, grid resiliency, data storage, and data centers. Because of AI and other technological shifts, companies need different kinds of skills than they did even a few years ago. The challenge is not just whether jobs exist; the challenge is whether people understand where the new opportunities are and how to prepare for them. My advice to students and job seekers is to stay curious and pay attention to what companies are actually seeking. The paradigm is shifting, and the people who keep learning will be better positioned to move with it.

The most important value to me personally and professionally is being ethical. In my personal relationships, that means being honest, respectful, and thoughtful in how I treat people. Professionally, it means doing my work with integrity, being transparent in my decisions, respecting boundaries, and being accountable to my colleagues and stakeholders. In my job, I feel like this comes up every time. Being respectful when you're communicating with others is also important.