Rajeev Kulkarni
Q. What does your company do?
A. The company designs, develops, manufactures, and markets three-dimensional (3-D) printing, rapid manufacturing, and prototyping systems and materials that enable three-dimensional objects to be produced directly from computer data. Our customers use its systems to produce physical objects from digital data using computer-aided design (CAD) software, or other digital-media devices, such as engineering scanners and medical scanners.
Q. What academic degrees do you hold?
A. – BE in Engineering, University of Pune, 1992
– Honors Diploma in Computer Science Management, National Institute of Information Technology, 1993
– M.S. in Engineering, University of Florida, 1996
– M.B.A., Entrepreneurship and Marketing, The Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, 2004
Q. What is the purpose of the Lee College of Engineering Board of Advisors?
A. We strategize on the college’s growth plans, academic direction and on graduating “industry ready engineers.”
Q. What changes have you seen in the college and UNC Charlotte?
A. Student growth within the engineering school has been high. The quality of research is increasing.
The overall institute has increased focus on creating brand awareness, which is a positive direction.
Q. What is exciting at the college?
A. The quality of research improving is the most exciting development. As part of Five Ventures, and involvement in the tech transfer office, I have seen several new inventions that have a high application and revenue potential.
Q. What do you see in the future for the college?
A. Increased ability to attract star professors to the college as a result of high-quality research, thereby enhancing the brand value. Creating a globally integrated and adaptable workforce that can rapidly respond to changes in the outside market. Increased industry partnerships to link students directly to real projects and real responsibilities.
Q. What are your thought about the football team?
A. A football team will help bring the alumni back to the institute and possibly attract more alumni funding for other programs. And…a team to cheer for!
Your Engineering Career
Q. Why did you become an engineer?
A. My parents, who were both engineers, motivated me. It also helped that all my friends joined engineering programs.
Q. What skills have been important in your career?
A. Critical thinking and problem solving skills. Applying knowledge to real-life problem and applications.
Ability to communicate ideas. Always open to accept new methods and direction. Ability to invent and innovate.
Q. What changes have you seen in the profession during your career?
A. Engineers 10 to 15 years ago were expected to solve technical problems. However, both the “work” and the “nature of work” have tremendously changed in the past decade. Work is now global, collaborative, multi-disciplinary, connected and high-tech. Engineers today are simply expected to do more. Today, in addition to being a critical thinker, a problem solver and an innovator, they must also be an effective collaborator, and communicator.
Q. What is the most exciting project you ever worked on?
A. As an engineer and engineering team lead, I have developed completely new 3D-Printing and Rapid Prototyping products from scratch and brought these disruptive innovations to market. These breakthrough products have decreased the product-development cycles across the globe thereby re-defining how product development happens. As a result, I have helped my company earn millions of dollars in revenue, all of which is very exciting.
Q. What is the best career advice anyone ever gave you?
A. By my wife – “That it would be best to complement my engineering education with a M.B.A..” After completing the M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, it added several new facets to my expertise and opened several opportunities that otherwise would not have materialized.
Q. What do you like best about your job?
A. To be able to innovate and bring new products to market! The fact that my team has razor focus on creativity, innovation and freedom of experimentation makes my job exciting.