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Uma Jayaram

Uma Jayaram with her Academy of Engineering Excellence award.

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, 1991
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1988
Induction year: 2024

Uma Jayaram M.S. ‘88, Ph.D. ‘91 is a trailblazer in the field of mechanical engineering. Her journey began at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, where she was the first woman admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This achievement sparked a desire to continue breaking barriers in the field, leading her to pursue graduate studies at Virginia Tech.

At Virginia Tech, Jayaram was profoundly influenced by her Ph.D. advisor, Arvid Myklebust. His leadership of the computer-aided design lab served as a source of inspiration, instilling in her a sense of vision and purpose. The ACSYNT consortium, which incorporated major aerospace companies, taught her the value of co-creation with external partners, keeping her work relevant and industry-focused. This experience later became instrumental when she initiated the VATC consortium at Washington State University.

Her master’s and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech have been instrumental in shaping her career trajectory, which spans academia, start-ups, and corporations. An American Society of Mechanical Engineers fellow, Jayaram’s contributions span diverse sectors, including media and entertainment, engineering design, manufacturing, aerospace, and gaming. A defining moment in her career was at Intel Sports, where she led the engineering team in transmitting the first streams from the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Pyeongchang, Korea, using their True VR technology. Jayaram is currently the global head of Partnerships for Academia and Industry Research (PAIR) at Electronic Arts.

Current town:
Los Gatos, California

Hometown:
Durgapur, India

Professional roles:

  • Global Head of PAIR, Electronic Arts, 2023-Present
  • General Manager of SEED, Electronic Arts, 2020-2023
  • Managing Director and Principal Engineer, Intel Corporation, 2016-2020
  • Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, & Executive Vice President, VOKE, 2010-2016
  • Associate Professor, Washington State University, 2004-2015
  • Assistant Professor, Washington State University, 1997-2004
  • Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, & Executive Vice President, Integrated Engineering Solutions, 2003-2013
  • Co-Founder and Director of Software Development, Translation Technologies, 2000-2003

Professional awards:

  • Mechanical Engineering Society of Distinguished Alumni, Virginia Tech, 2019
  • Invited Speaker at Harvard Kennedy School, 2019
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, International Society of Agile Manufacturing, 2012
  • ASME Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2012
  • Teaching Excellence Award, Washington State University School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, 2010

Boards and committees:

  • Advisory Board Member, Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2020-Present
  • Board Member, VOKE Inc., 2013-2016
  • Board Member, Pullman United Way, 2012-2015
  • President, SN Hall, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 1985

Personal awards:

  • Felicitation Award, Washington State University India Student Association

Why did you decide to come to Virginia Tech?
I was the first woman admitted to the mechanical engineering department in my undergraduate college, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. When thinking about graduate school, I wanted to continue that legacy and stay in mechanical engineering. Virginia Tech had renowned professors and extensive resources available to graduate students. Also, as an undergraduate, I enjoyed the fluid mechanics and design aspects of mechanical engineering, and the thought of building expertise in those areas was very appealing. All of these, along with a graduate student scholarship that was awarded, made Virginia Tech and the mechanical engineering program an easy choice for me.

Who influenced you during your career and/or time at Virginia Tech?
Arvid Myklebust, my Ph.D. advisor, had a profound influence on my time at Virginia Tech. His establishment and leadership of the computer-aided design (CAD) lab served as a source of inspiration, instilling in us a sense of vision and purpose. 

Equally impactful was the ACSYNT consortium, which incorporated major aerospace companies such as Boeing, Lockheed, GE, NASA Ames, and NASA Langley. The consortium taught us the value of co-creation with external partners, keeping our work relevant and industry-focused. This experience later became instrumental when my colleagues and I initiated the VATC consortium at Washington State University.

Lastly, the warm and cordial environment in the CAD lab, fueled by Myklebust, has shaped my approach toward team building and leadership. I have always aimed to foster the same level of camaraderie in teams and groups I've led since then. 

I've continued to stay in touch with Myklebust over the decades and am grateful that his influence remained as a personal mentor and well-wisher. Even after all these years, I maintain a strong connection with him. It was an honor to have him present at my induction into the Mechanical Engineering Society of Distinguished Alumni in 2019 and when I delivered the Engineers’ Week Distinguished Lecture at Virginia Tech in 2024.

How did you decide what to major in at Virginia Tech?
I chose to major in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech due to a combination of personal ambition and academic interest. Being the first woman admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, I felt a strong desire to continue breaking barriers in the field. This personal drive was matched by my interest in fluid mechanics and design. Added to this were the unique opportunities at Virginia Tech, such as the chance to conduct research under renowned professors and the extensive resources available for engineering students. These factors collectively influenced my decision to pursue my major at Virginia Tech.

What's one of your favorite memories from Virginia Tech?
One of my favorite memories from Virginia Tech is my Ph.D. graduation ceremony. My husband, mother, and three-month-old daughter were at the ceremony. I cherished the culmination of five years of hard work and dedication, the promise of a new start professionally and for our family, and the tremendous optimism for the future. I also remember feeling deeply grateful for all the opportunities that had made that moment possible.

As a Virginia Tech student, did you hold a scholarship, assistantship, or fellowship? If so, what did it provide for you and what was the impact of it on your life?
At Virginia Tech I held a research assistantship that provided me with the financial ability to obtain my degrees. Without the assistantship, I would not have had the financial means to attend college in the United States for my graduate studies. 

How have you utilized your Virginia Tech degree in your career?
My Virginia Tech degrees have been very important for what I have been able to achieve in my career. My career journey has had a distinctive footprint spanning academia, start-ups, and corporations. I have held a variety of roles, such as professor, entrepreneur, co-founder, chief operating officer, technology executive, and general manager.

My Ph.D. and M.S. from Virginia Tech gave me the credentials, expertise, mindset, and life-long learning abilities to thrive in the ever-changing landscape of tech trends and breakthroughs, as well as roles and responsibilities. Coupled with the discipline and teamwork expected of us in the program, this has allowed me to excel in each of these roles while having the courage and agility to drive and thrive in new domains even when the opportunities were barely visible.

What was the moment in your career that you felt like you made it?
This moment was at 2 a.m. one morning in 2018. Our Intel Sports team was in the Santa Clara conference room in Silicon Valley when we saw the first streams from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea, come through using our True VR end-to-end technology.

It was the culmination of many things and dimensions of work — technology breakthroughs, product innovation, operational discipline, systems thinking, collaboration across teams and geographies, the ability to pivot to a plan B when needed, and paying attention to every small detail. 

As the person leading the engineering team there, I was proud of how we had delivered flawlessly on the world stage and, more importantly, crossed the challenges and pressure with tenacity, grace, and kindness.

We went on to enable virtual reality experiences over the next 10 days that covered about eight of the Olympic events and Rights Holding Broadcasters in about 10 countries with all the required localization enabled.

Please note: Inductee spotlight is as of the year of their induction.