Associate Director, myCHOICE at UChicagoGRAD

Elahe Ganji, Ph.D.

 The myCHOICE Associate Director, Dr. Elahe Ganji, leads the development and administration of exploratory and educational myCHOICE programming (i.e., seminars and mini-courses). 

Elahe leads the bi-weekly “What Can I Do with My PhD?” seminar series and works with Amy to design and run myCHOICE mini-courses. Since joining myCHOICE in 2023, she has played a key role in sustaining the program’s offerings, engaging students, and maintaining its mission during the merger with UChicagoGRAD. She earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and was a Beckman Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois. Throughout her academic career, Elahe has advanced STEM education and workforce development through leadership roles in national and local organizations, including Women in Engineering, the Perry Initiative, and the University of Illinois 21st Century Scientists Working Group.

myCHOICE Communications Intern

Mercy Kerubo Omwoyo

Mercy is a Communications Intern on the myCHOICE team, where she supports career development programming for STEM PhD students and postdocs through newsletter creation. She brings expertise in educational technology and accessible learning design from her PhD research in Computer Science at the University of Chicago, where she studies how gamification and curriculum design make complex computing concepts more engaging and accessible to learners. With prior research experience at Northwestern’s TIDAL Lab and a UX/UI Segal design certificate plus apprenticeship on LinkedIn’s Product Design team, Mercy understands how to translate technical concepts into clear content. Currently conducting research in the CANON Lab at UChicago, she is passionate about creating resources that help trainees navigate diverse career pathways.

myCHOICE Communications Intern

Asad Kaleem

Asad brings a communication style grounded in clarity, design thinking, and strategic outreach to the myCHOICE team. In his role, he develops digital content, creates visual assets, and supports messaging efforts that connect STEM trainees with impactful career-development programs and resources. Alongside this work, Asad is a Research Assistant at the Development Innovation Lab (DIL), where he supports data-driven research projects focused on development and policy outcomes. This experience has further strengthened his analytical rigor and ability to translate complex evidence into clear, actionable insights. His prior work across academic institutes and businesses has strengthened his skills in analysis, communication, and cross-functional coordination. Asad is especially interested in using data-informed storytelling to make career information more approachable and to empower trainees to navigate a wide range of professional pathways with confidence.