shankari ramnath

I attribute my success to consistency, curiosity, and having a clear sense of purpose in everything I pursue. Staying focused on long-term goals has helped me navigate challenges and continue growing both personally and professionally. I also believe that success is strongly shaped by the people around you. Having supportive mentors, colleagues, friends, and family who encourage growth, challenge you to improve, and believe in your potential makes a tremendous difference. Their guidance and support have helped me build confidence, overcome obstacles, and pursue opportunities that pushed me outside my comfort zone. Most importantly, I stay motivated by knowing that my work contributes to creating more sustainable technologies and a positive impact on society.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to pursue work that is both meaningful to me and impactful to society, and to never be afraid to take on challenges before I feel fully ready. That advice taught me that growth often comes from stepping outside my comfort zone and being willing to learn through new experiences. It has guided many of my decisions from pursuing graduate studies in power electronics to working on sustainable technologies for electric vehicles and clean energy applications. I’ve learned that long-term fulfillment comes from aligning your career with your values while continuously challenging yourself to grow. This mindset continues to motivate me to build a career that combines technical innovation, leadership, and meaningful impact on society.

My advice to young women entering engineering and technology is to believe in your abilities and not let self-doubt or societal expectations define your potential. This industry can be challenging at times, and there may be moments when you feel underestimated or out of place, but do not let that discourage you from pursuing your goals. Stay curious, continue learning, and be willing to take on opportunities even before you feel completely ready, because growth often comes from stepping outside your comfort zone. Surround yourself with mentors and people who support your ambitions, but also learn to advocate for yourself and trust your perspective. Most importantly, remember that your ideas, leadership, and contributions are valuable, and having more women in technical fields will only make the industry stronger, more innovative, and more inclusive.

One of the biggest challenges in the power electronics and electrification industry today is developing technologies that are not only innovative and efficient, but also scalable, reliable, and affordable for widespread adoption. As electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and grid storage technologies continue to grow, there is increasing demand for advanced power systems that can support sustainability goals while meeting real-world infrastructure and cost constraints. At the same time, this creates tremendous opportunities for innovation in areas such as energy-efficient converters, battery storage, wide-bandgap semiconductors, and intelligent energy management systems. What excites me most about working in Research and Technology at Cummins is the opportunity to contribute to technologies that can help reduce emissions, advance electrification, and shape a more sustainable future.

The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life are integrity, continuous learning, empathy, and purpose. I believe in being honest, working hard, and treating people with respect. I also value learning and growth because I believe there is always something new to improve and understand. Most importantly, I want my work to have a positive impact on society and contribute toward creating a more sustainable future.