Alum spotlight: Ashlesha Tiple

Countless episodes of the Science Channel series How it's made taught Ashlesha Tiple ('22) that chemical engineering is everywhere. The TV show helped develop her childhood curiosity into an undergraduate study track, a master's degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon, and ultimately, a career path.

Today, as a data and modeling scientist at Procter & Gamble (P&G), Tiple sees how chemical engineering is found in our most recognized and reliable household products. Tide detergent, Pantene hair care, and Dawn dish soap are a few of the brands in P&G's extensive portfolio.

Tiple's work has two main focuses: improving a product's quality and its manufacturing process, both achieved with chemical engineering tools.

"We already have a process for manufacturing a product, but we want to minimize the cost and the carbon footprint, and maximize the profit," says Tiple. "And we are using process systems engineering skills to make the process more sustainable."

Tiple estimates that about 80 percent of her job responsibilities refer back to knowledge she developed at CMU.

"I didn't do a lot of mathematical modeling during undergrad–CMU really helped me develop new skills in mathematical modeling, process simulation, and optimization," Tiple says.

The robust master's curriculum has helped Tiple as she continues learning on the job. Currently, she is exploring computational fluid dynamics for a project. She credits two graduate courses with giving her important foundational knowledge that she applies as a professional: Advanced Process Systems Engineering and Production with Ignacio Grossmann and Supply Chain Optimization with Chrysanthos Gounaris.

CMU also helped her establish soft skills that were crucial for kickstarting her career, particularly learning the differences between industry and academic settings.

"Professor Gounaris helped me understand how to present my work in a more concise, result-oriented manner," says Tiple. "When we're in school, presentations are mostly about showing our work and describing what the experimental process looks like. In contrast, when we present to someone from industry, it's about showing what we achieved."

CMU's industry connections set the stage for Tiple's big break. For her independent project, Tiple embarked on her first collaboration with P&G, focusing on the paper-making process. The P&G representative for her master's project later hired her. Tiple joined the company one month after her December 2022 graduation.

During Tiple's time at CMU, she delighted in meaningful friendships, valuable mentorship, and the excitement of campus life. She recommends the chemical engineering master's program for the chance to study with esteemed researchers and be experimental with the curriculum–Tiple mixed in some machine learning courses during her studies.

"There are hard skills, there are soft skills, and there's the personal side of things," Tiple says. "I think Pittsburgh is a really nice place to be, and I got to meet so many new and amazing people–I gained a lot of things, and I had fun doing it."