Co-funded by the
European Union
Combining sustainable engineering with social work? Find out how an InnoEnergy Master grad makes a difference!
Kiran Raj Rajan was born to be an engineer, being raised in a family of electrical engineering businessmen. However, his life took an unusual twist when faced with the decision of following in his father’s footsteps (joining his company) or striking out on his own. He chose the latter. This new path led him to EIT InnoEnergy Master’s programme in Sustainable Energy Systems (SELECT), where he found the perfect catalyst to pursue his passion for combining social work with engineering. Now he has landed an engineer’s dream job working as an electrical integrator at ASML B.V. in the Netherlands. We caught up with Kiran to hear about this exciting job and find out if his new path is everything he’d envisioned.
Choosing a different path… and a different kind of education
“I believe that technical competence and application of core engineering principles will help solve the majority of problems we face. This drove me to choose the EIT InnoEnergy Master school, where the emphasis is beyond books and exams. I found myself in one of the finest schools in Europe, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology – studying both in Sweden and The Netherlands. This international mobility was added value by enabling me to be eligible in two different job markets within the EU.” He continues, “The programme was ideal and exceeded my expectations. I helped tackle real-world energy challenges during projects with eminent industry partners, from Germany to Sri Lanka to Haiti. Another highlight is the entrepreneurship training during the ESADE summer school – rare in a technical master’s program.”
An engineer’s dream job
Kiran shares how he landed his new role at ASML: “As an EIT InnoEnergy student, finding a job is not a hard task. I received multiple offers, even during my studies. But why choose this one? Easy! The ability to work on complex systems at the forefront of silicon chip manufacturing/patterning (semiconductor lithography machines used by leading chipmakers such as Intel, Samsung and TSMC) is an engineer’s dream. My main responsibilities are to influence the definition and design on integration, manufacturability, testability and reliability of the electrical architecture, electrical modules and electrical infrastructure. I have the privilege to work on these multi-million-dollar systems every day!”
Making a difference
Aside from his new job, Kiran is working part-time on a project in Haiti for rural development with colleagues from MSc SELECT. He is also an active volunteer for the EIT InnoEnergy CommUnity, contributing to the network that has supported him on his journey. Kiran has spent his student career being very involved with organising useful events and served two years in the India National Service helping others. He adds, “I believe in a holistic approach to one’s skill set and persona. I get pure satisfaction combining the abilities of my engineering skills with social work – and a key future goal is to be an entrepreneur and give back to society. After my time in the programme, and being involved with all these inspiring individuals in the EIT InnoEnergy network, I am even more motivated to design and engineer products that have a lasting impact in the real-world and its inhabitants.”
