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Endowed fellowship brings graduate studies within reach

In 2013, Nima Firouzi’s father was in a car accident that caused significant injuries. Doctors used metal implants to replace his damaged bones, which left Firouzi wondering why there weren’t more options to use natural tissues for the reconstruction. So as she began her master’s in chemical engineering, she decided to add a concentration in biotechnology. Today, Firouzi is pursuing her PhD in chemical engineering at �ǿմ�ý, developing cartilage in a lab with the hopes it could one day replace compromised tissue and transform reconstructive surgeries.

“I’m trying to accelerate the process for other people so they don’t have to face the same problems my father faced,” she said.

Suraj Mhatre

Firouzi’s impactful work wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of others. As an international student from the Azerbaijan region of Iran, she relied on significant financial aid to pursue her education in the United States— a challenge that resonates deeply with Suraj Mhatre, PhD (GRS ’95, ’97, chemical engineering), who followed a similar path nearly three decades earlier.

Mhatre moved to Cleveland from India in 1992 to study process control and optimization. He fondly remembers his years at �ǿմ�ý as some of the most formative of his life—but had he not received a full-tuition scholarship, he would never have been able to pursue his education in the U.S. and meet one of the most influential people in his career: Coleman B. Brosilow, now professor emeritus of chemical engineering at �ǿմ�ý.

Nearly 30 years after earning his PhD, Mhatre is founder and managing partner of the supply chain and operations consulting firm My Supply Chain Group and has robust experience with major clients, including Shell Chemicals and Chevron Phillips Chemical. He credits much of his professional success to Brosilow’s guidance and, in honor of his mentor, endowed the Dr. Coleman Brosilow and Dr. Suraj Mhatre Graduate Fellowship at Case School of Engineering in 2021. He has since added to his commitment, bringing the fellowship to $2 million with the help of matching funds.

“Fellowships and financial aid help a lot, with the cost of housing and inflation going up,” said Firouzi, who received the fellowship in 2023. “The support means less stress for students and better mental health. It helps us focus on our studies instead of looking for extra work.” The result is exactly what Mhatre hoped for when establishing the fund. “My goal in giving back is to help students like me. I truly believe no deserving student should have to give up on their dream of higher education for lack of finances,” Mhatre said. “If the fellowship succeeds in attracting motivated graduate students to Case School of Engineering, it will help improve the school’s ranking among top research institutions—a win-win situation.”

Originally published in the winter 2024-2025 issue of Forward Thinking magazine