Everyone wants to succeed, but many forget to ask, "Where do I want to be?"

For me, that answer is to become an industrial engineer specializing in energy storage systems, additive manufacturing, and their applications. It took a lot of time, thought, and advice to figure this out. To explain my journey, I must start a few years ago.

My name is Maryam Mottaghi. My strong interest in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics led me to choose metallurgy and materials science and engineering at the University of Tehran (UT)—the oldest and most prestigious university in my country—because of its excellent curriculum. Later, I truly discovered the value of engineering and how it can improve people’s lives. I am proud of my choice and consider it one of the best decisions I ever made.

During the first few semesters of my B.Sc., I was especially drawn to courses in electrochemistry. This passion led me to work on the project “Electrodeposition of Ni-Graphene on Cu Base” in Professor Saremi’s corrosion laboratory. Working with several graduate students on this project introduced me to the research environment and its challenges.

This project and my coursework further fueled my passion for engineering and its real-world applications. I then took part in a nationwide entrance exam for graduate studies, and ranked 21st among thousands of students. I began my M.Sc. in materials science and engineering at University of Tehran. While working on various projects, I realized the importance of being involved in every step—from design and fabrication to measurement. Because of the fabrication limitations in my country, I chose to work on “3D printing of Li-ion batteries” for my M.Sc. thesis under the supervision of Professor Seyed Farshid Kashani-Bozorg and Professor Farzad Khodabakhshi. In my thesis, I explored how 3D printing of anodes could improve both power and energy density. The project had five phases: preparing materials, designing an anode using SolidWorks, 3D printing the anode, testing its performance, and simulating the experiments with COMSOL. This experience deepened my interest in energy storage, additive manufacturing, and simulation.

During my master’s, I also learned SolidWorks and programming languages like MATLAB and Python through self-study. I also gained hands-on experience in materials characterization, especially with X-ray diffraction (XRD), and became skilled in using the equipment.

Before graduating, I was offered a position as a research assistant at the Center of Technology Intelligence at Sharif University of Technology. There, we explored new technologies and developed innovative products and services for various industries.

Based on all these experiences, I believe that becoming an expert in my research area as an industrial engineer will help me achieve my ultimate goal. Engineering presents new challenges every day, and I love solving these problems. Being on the cutting edge of science allows me to help improve people’s lives. This passion for innovation and my research background make this career my ultimate professional goal.

That is why I decided to pursue a Ph.D. I searched for a university that could provide the resources and equipment needed for my experimental research. I discovered Dr. Pearce, a professor in the ECE Department and IVEY Business School at Western University, and chose to join his cutting-edge FAST lab!

I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. at Western University in the FAST lab under Dr. J. M. Pearce’s supervision, working on 3D printing for solar energy. I am actively reviewing research papers in this field and have written literature reviews on topics such as 3D printing of batteries literature review, Silicon based batteries:FAST literature review, and Lignin-based energy storage devices literature review.

Background