The Taheri family has established a unique UToledo legacy.
Three members — older brother, Masood, younger brother, Mohsen, and Mohsen’s wife, Sajedeh — each have completed their mechanical engineering graduate degrees under the leadership of Dr. Mohammad Elahinia at The University of Toledo.
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And now Nasrin Taheri is extending that familial legacy to No. 4.
The younger sister in her family, Nasrin is a Ph.D. student studying mechanical engineering with Elahinia.
When she first considered where to apply for the Ph.D. program, her brothers were happy to offer their suggestion: The University of Toledo.
“I became interested in my brothers’ experiences with the graduate program at UToledo and how happy they were working in Dr. Elahinia’s lab,” Nasrin said. “Following my brother’s advice, I applied for the Ph.D. program at UToledo and now have the chance to work on my Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Elahinia, a pioneer in the field of shape memory materials.
“At UToledo, I’m working with cutting-edge research facilities in the field of advanced manufacturing, and I am extremely excited to explore new opportunities in this field.”
Nasrin’s journey is really a continuation of what her brother, Masood, started.
Originally from Isfahan, Iran, Dr. Masood Taheri received his master’s degree in 2013 from UToledo and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
“My journey at UToledo started with the tremendous support from the department, particularly my advisor Dr. Elahinia and fellow graduate students. As a 22-year-old international student, I felt clueless when I arrived in the U.S. in August of 2011. Everything was new to me. But my advisor and the senior students in the lab helped me settle in quickly and smoothly.”
Now a staff software engineer at Luminar Technologies in San Francisco, Masood credits UToledo for helping him learn how to approach a challenging research problem systematically and effectively.
“Dr. Elahinia always encourages entrepreneurship and data-driven innovation in research, and I believe that’s the key takeaway for me when I graduated from UToledo,” he said. “In all the positions I have had since my graduation in 2013, I have always benefited from the idea development and analysis skills I learned and practiced at UToledo.”
Dr. Mohsen Taheri, who received his master’s degree in 2015 for UToledo and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, is now an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
Nasrin Taheri
“Dr. Elahinia is one of the reasons I decided to pursue a career in academia,” he said. “I have always envied his positive impact on his students’ lives. I hope to have similar impacts one day as an educator and scientist.”
And Mohsen’s wife, Dr. Sajedeh Taheri, who received her master’s degree in 2016, and recently completed her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, said UToledo also holds a special place in her heart.
“Like the other Taheri family members, I had the privilege of being admitted to the master’s program at UToledo in 2015 and working under the supervision of Professor Elahinia,” she said. “I also got married during my time in Toledo.
“My husband, Mohsen, and I were members of Dr. Elahinia’s research group at the time, and we always remember UToledo as the place where we started our personal and professional lives together. I deeply appreciate the support from UToledo and especially Dr. Elahinia.”
Looking back at his time mentoring and working with the Taheri family, Elahinia, a professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, said they have each stood out.
“I have been fortunate to advise more than 100 students, postdocs and visiting faculty in my academic career. The three members who have graduated are among the strongest members of the group,” he said. “They have made unique continuations to the field of advanced manufacturing of functional materials and are quite successful in their current roles.
“What distinguishes this group is their hard work, commitment to each other, their endless pursuit of knowledge and strong ability to network.”
