PEY Co-op Edge Conference 2025

Saturday, October 4, 2025

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MY), University of Toronto

Check your email and/or visit the U of T Co-op Portal for registration information.

The 9th Annual PEY Co-op Edge Conference is your chance to gain insider knowledge, make connections and get career-ready, all in one full day of professional learning!

Throughout the day, you’ll hear directly from students returning from their PEY Co-op through interactive panel discussions and poster displays showcasing the projects and experiences from their summer and 12–16-month work terms.

There will also be an opportunity to build connections with peers, U of T partners, alumni and employers.

NEW

The ECC is excited to announce that we’ll be offering reserved spots for our Year 1 and Year 4 PEY Co-op students to attend the Edge Conference.

Programming

Poster and panel discussions with:

Students

PEY Co-op students returning from their work terms will discuss their experiences and learnings.

Employer Partners

Employer partners will offer insights— including what they look for when hiring co-op students.

PEY Co-op Alumni

PEY Co-op alumni will share their career stories and the impact the program had on their journeys.

Sessions on resources for graduating students

Engineering Alumni Network

Get to know the University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Network (EAN), a community of remarkable graduates known around the world as bold innovators and generous leaders.

It’s a great resource for advancing careers, discovering volunteer and mentorship opportunities and reconnecting with the faculty and alumni.

Graduate Studies

Learn more about how you can continue your learning at U of T Engineering.

Broaden your technical skills with the course-based Master of Engineering (MEng) professional degree program or engage in research under the supervision of leading faculty via the Master of Applied Science (MASc) program.

Career Exploration and Education with Student Life

The Division of Student Life aims to support all students and recent alumni in achieving their current and lifelong academic, personal and professional goals.

They can help you explore options within your degree, discover job opportunities, navigate career decisions and further your education, in addition to providing support with résumé development, interview preparation and building a professional online presence.

Event Agenda for Students in Years 1–3

Time	Item	Audience
9:30–10:00 a.m.	Student Registration/Check-in	Everyone
10:00–10:30 a.m.	Welcome	Everyone
10:30–10:45 a.m.	Travel to Sessions
10:45–11:30 a.m.	Year 1–3: Panel 1A Topic: How to Get Hired for Summer Co-op and PEY Co-op	Years 1-3
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.	Lunch Poster Presentations ECC Ask Me Anything Resource Table U of T Partners Resource Tables	Everyone
1:00–1:15 p.m.	Travel to Sessions
1:15–2:00 p.m.	Year 1–3: Panel 2A Topic: The Power of Professional Skills	Years 1-3
2:00–2:15 p.m.	Closing	Years 1-3
2:15–3:00 p.m.	Open Networking Poster Presentations	Everyone

Event Agenda for Students in Year 4

Time	Item	Audience
9:30–10:00 a.m.	Student Registration/Check-in	Everyone
10:00–10:30 a.m.	Welcome	Everyone
10:30–10:45 a.m.	Travel to Sessions
10:45–11:30 a.m.	Year 4: Presentation 1B Topic: Resources for Students from U of T Partners	Year 4
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.	Lunch Poster Presentations ECC Ask Me Anything Resource Table U of T Partners Resource Tables	Everyone
1:00–1:15 p.m.	Travel to Sessions
1:15–2:00 p.m.	Year 4: Panel 2B Topic: New Grad Pathway Prospects	Year 4
2:00–2:15 p.m.	Closing	Year 4
2:15–3:00 p.m.	Open Networking Poster Presentations	Everyone

Kindly note that attendance will be taken for each session as spaces are limited.

Check your email and/or visit the U of T Co-op Portal for registration information.

Student Panelists and Poster Presenters

Panelists

Aashlesha Khanna

Computer Engineering
AMD

About Aashlesha

Aashlesha is a Computer Engineering student in her final year of study. She recently completed a 16-month PEY Co-op internship at AMD in Markham, Ontario.

She worked as a Technical Program Manager Co-op on Data Center GPU NPI programs, where she led meetings with Power, Signal Integrity and Firware teams to align on project milestones and board procurement. She also worked on Product Lifecycle Management and managed internal supply-demand system for over 300+ builds across different Data Centre NPI programs. She later transitioned to a Power System Design Engineer Intern, where she developed a Python automation tool for efficiency calculations and power loss plots that reduced manual power analysis effort by 70%. A highlight was winning the AMD Intern Innovation Showcase Award.

This experience strengthened her skills in program management, power systems, and signal integrity, preparing her for new graduate opportunities in these areas.

Dante Capobianco

Computer Engineering
Meta

About Dante

Dante is a third-year Computer Engineering student. He completed his Summer Co-op with Meta as a Software Engineer intern. He was the only Canadian to intern in their 1st-year/2nd-year internship program. In this role, he spearheaded the end-to-end development of an NDA-restricted full stack application for the education industry.

Apart from internship experience, Dante founded CapoDev, a startup bringing tangible improvement to your everyday routine. Right now, they are building a job platform to help students find work with ease.

He has won the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Top Student Award with a top 3 grade and is an RBC Tech Scholar in AI Engineering as a top 5 AI Engineering student and an Engineers Canada National Leadership Scholar.

Dante finds value in helping other students. He was a GEARS mentor, and is currently a TA for the APS100: Orientation to Engineering course.

Beyond this, Dante has experience as a Deep Reinforcement Learning Researcher on the Autonomous Drone Racing design team, building control algorithms & contributing to cutting-edge research papers.

Iva Guo

Materials Science and Engineering
EllisDon

About Iva

Iva is a fourth-year Materials Science and Engineering student minoring in Engineering Business, who recently completed a 16-month co-op at EllisDon. As a Building and Material Sciences Intern, she worked on concrete thermal control planning for various EllisDon projects, developed tools for tracking concrete performance and coordinated the dissemination of technical lessons company-wide.

Kareena Jain

Civil Engineering
Hydro One

About Kareena

Liam Cadieux

Engineering Science
WSP Canada

About Liam

Liam is a third-year engineering science student in the robotics major, pursuing certificates in communication and engineering leadership.

During his summer work term, he worked as a communications engineering student for WSP Canada. During his co-op, Liam developed communications systems specifications for the Calgary Green Line LRT project. In addition, he did project and vendor coordination, developed internal tools and acted as an area lead for WSP’s student social and career development network.

Tanmay Patel

Engineering Science
RBC Capital Markets

About Tanmay

Tanmay is a fourth-year Engineering Science student majoring in Robotics and minoring in AI. He completed his PEY Co-op at RBC Capital Markets on the AI and Algorithmic Research desk. His focus was on reinforcement learning for agency trading, classical optimization for portfolio execution and the development of AI-driven trading signals.

In addition to his co-op at RBC Capital Markets, he has also worked on bioinformatics research at CAMH, multi-agent robotics at the Technical University of Munich and space robotics at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Along the way, he's co-led research efforts on motion planning and control at aUToronto, UofT's self-driving car team.

His experiences span a range of fields but are unified by a passion for research and for pushing the boundaries of what's currently possible. Tanmay hopes to pursue a career in research at the intersection of robotics, AI, and possibly other exciting fields.

Poster Presenters

Alexander Lay

Computer Engineering
Tenstorrent AI ULC

About Alexander

Andrea Y.N. Tan

Engineering Science
Champer Lab

About Andrea

Andrea is a third-year EngSci (2T7) student in the BME option.

During their summer co-op work term, Andrea worked as a research assistant at Champer Lab, Center of Bioinformatics, School of Life Science, Peking University. During Andrea’s time there, they worked with two PhD students on three experimental projects using Drosophila (fruit flies), investigating Cas9 Fusion Protein, Two-Locus TARE Drive and CRISPR Toxin-Antidote Half Recessive Lethal Gene Drive. Additionally, Andrea also learned techniques to apply gene engineering to Arabidopsis (rockcress) and Anopheles (mosquitoes). This was an invaluable wet lab experience, allowing Andrea to work with multiple model organisms while pursuing an undergraduate biomedical engineering degree.

Arnav Talwani

Engineering Science
Canadian Space Agency

About Arnav

Arnav is a third-year Engineering Science student specializing in Biomedical Systems Engineering and minoring in both Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering and Robotics & Mechatronics.

He recently completed a summer work term at the Canadian Space Agency as a Systems Engineering Intern with the Sun-Earth Space Systems branch, working on the High-altitude Aerosols, Water and Clouds (HAWC) mission as a part of NASA’s larger Atmospheric Observing System mission. As a part of his role, he engaged in database design and requirements management for the HAWCsat satellite, alongside pioneering a proprietary AI development project. He is interested in health care, bioinformatics, proteomics and genomics and systems design and engineering, leveraging cross-disciplinary skills and knowledge to design tools, systems and products from the ground up.

Fiona Sun

Industrial Engineering
FedEx

About Fiona

Fiona is a fourth-year Industrial Engineering student at the University of Toronto. She completed her 12-month PEY at FedEx as an Associate Sales Operations/Solutions Analyst, where she led an information systems automation project and collaborated on cross-functional initiatives to design and implement GTM strategies and standardized frameworks to reduce friction and enhance organizational efficiency.

Imani Macharia

Materials Science and Engineering
City of Ottawa

About Imani

Imani is a third-year Materials Science and Engineering Student, pursuing a minor in bioengineering.

During her four-month summer co-op, she worked as an Engineering Student for the City of Ottawa, under their Water Meter and Billing Operations department. There, she performed water meter sizing requests and conducted static main pressure calculations for senior engineering staff and private companies. Additionally, she evaluated the installation of new devices to improve water consumption throughout the city.

Kalash Bhaiya

Computer Engineering
Science Corporation

About Kalash

Kalash is a second-year Computer Engineering student, currently completing a Summer Work Term as a Software Engineering Intern at Science Corporation, a cutting-edge neurotechnology company based in the Bay Area.

She has contributed to the development of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing infrastructure for the company’s neural interface device, SciFi. Her role involves designing and implementing automated testing pipelines, developing Python-based tooling for hardware–software integration and ensuring system reliability across deployments. This experience has given her the opportunity to work closely with both engineers and researchers, while engaging directly with the company’s founders and leadership team.

In addition to her professional work, she is interested in the intersection of neuroscience, machine learning and hardware systems. She founded a nonprofit, the Fun Learning Youth Foundation, which develops accessible AI-powered tutoring tools for underprivileged students. My academic and extracurricular experiences reflect my broader mission to build impactful technologies that blend engineering innovation with real-world applications.

Kerry Du

Computer Science
Environment and Climate Change Canada

About Kerry

Khondoker Intiser Alam

Electrical & Computer Engineering
AMD

About Khondoker

Kyla Tan

Materials Science and Engineering
Gerdau Long Steel

About Kyla

Kyla is a fourth-year Materials Science and Engineering student, pursuing a Minor in Advanced Manufacturing, a Minor in Engineering Business, and a certificate in Forensic Engineering. They recently completed a 16-month co-op as a Rolling Mill Intern at Gerdau Long Steel in Whitby, Ontario.

During their internship, Kyla designed factory components, led failure analysis meetings and developed a Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) for the reheat furnace to improve operational efficiency. Through this experience, Kyla gained hands-on exposure to manufacturing, quality control and continuous improvement in a fast-paced industrial environment.

Liyu (Laura) Tao

Engineering Science
Robot Vision and Learning Lab

About Liya (Laura)

Mya Zahra

Computer Science
Air Canada

About Mya

Sharat Krishnan

Computer Science
Groq

About Sharat

Sharat is a fifth-year Computer Science student. Over the course of his degree, he has developed a strong passion for the intersection of technology, systems and AI, combining both academic learning and hands-on projects.

He recently completed a 16-month PEY Co-op at Groq, where he worked as a Software Engineer in Hardware Infrastructure. In this role, he gained exposure to system design, infrastructure development and aspects of hardware design. His work involved driving AI tools and workflows.

Beyond his co-op, Sharat has pursued independent projects and learning experiences to explore creative applications of system design and AI.

Shreya Madhan

Engineering Science
Sanofi

About Shreya

PEY Co-op Conference 2024 (300 x 300 px)

Shruti Anand

Engineering Science
Innovative Biomaterials Lab

About Shruti

Tife Asaba

Industrial Engineering
Scotiabank

About Tife

Tife is a third-year Industrial Engineering student, pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science with a minor in Engineering Business. She recently completed a Global Banking and Markets Summer Analyst role at Scotiabank, where she rotated through both Sales & Trading (Capital Markets) and Investment Banking.

During the summer, Tife gained first-hand exposure to the fast-paced world of global finance by supporting live transactions, analyzing market activity and contributing to client deliverables. Her rotation across these divisions strengthened her technical skills while also providing valuable insight into client relationship management and the broader dynamics of capital markets. The experience solidified her passion for finance and her ambition to build a career at the intersection of markets, strategy, and innovation.

Tife is eager to continue developing her skills and leveraging her experiences to drive meaningful impact in global markets.

Um Ul Baneen Kazmi

Civil Engineering
Ontario Power Generation

About Baneen

Baneen is a fourth-year civil engineering student with an interest in Water and Construction Engineering. She completed her PEY Co-op as a Project Support Intern with Ontario Power Generation’s Nuclear Sustainability Service Department in their Darlington, Pickering and Tiverton locations. Over her 16-month placement, she worked on large building projects related to Nuclear Waste Fuel Storage.

Alumni and Employer Panelists

Ajeya Madhava Rao Vijayakumar

Skoll/MBA Student
Rotman School of Managment

About Ajeya

Ajeya is a Jeffrey Skoll BASc/MBA candidate at the Rotman School of Management. With a background in Mechanical Engineering specializing in Mechatronics and Solid Mechanics, Ajeya brings strong analytical and problem-solving skills to his MBA journey.

He recently completed a summer internship with BMO in Retail Credit Strategy & Analytics, where he worked on customer resiliency models and credit risk analytics.

Ajeya’s goal is to combine his technical expertise with business acumen to drive impactful, data-driven decisions in consumer banking.

Dana Murdoch

Mechanical Engineering MASc Student
University of Toronto

About Dana

Dana is a MASc student with the Bazylak Lab in the MIE department, researching water electrolyzers for hydrogen production in the sustainable energy field. She completed her undergraduate degree at U of T in Materials Science and Engineering. Her PEY Co-op was at e-Zinc Inc., where she was a Battery Development Intern working on the zinc-air batteries for long-duration energy storage.

During her undergraduate studies, she performed research on engineered nanostructured photocatalysts for solar fuels, as well on electrodeposited nanocrystalline alloys using advanced microscopy techniques. Dana was also the Thermal Lead for Space Systems with the U of T Aerospace Team, focusing on modeling and analyzing thermal simulations for a CubeSat satellite.

Emily Dawe

Nuclear Engineering-in-Training
Hatch

About Emily

Ernesto Díaz Lozano Patiño

Sr. Climate Risk Engineer
Stantec

About Ernesto

Ernesto is a Sr. Climate Risk Engineer at Stantec. His work includes completing climate risk assessments for multiple types of assets and different scales, spanning from facility-level projects to consulting for the provincial and federal government on developing novel systems-based approaches for climate resilient infrastructure. He has also completed corporate and project GHG inventories and mobility electrification GHG assessments.

During undergrad, Ernesto served as the founding President of the U of T CECA/NECA Student Chapter and as the President of the U of T Engineering Society (2015-2016).

As an alumnus, Ernesto has been actively involved in several roles. He served on the College of Electors of the Governing Council and has also participated in various mentorship and volunteering events with the faculty. He was an Arbor Award recipient in 2024.

Graeme Aylward

Senior Analyst
Birch Hill Equity Partners

About Graeme

Jeffrey Huang

Supervisor Meter Data Management
Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

About Jeffrey

Jeffrey is a supervisor in IESO's settlement department, overseeing the revenue data and ensuring the timely and accurate settlement of Ontario's electricity market. He is experienced in Ontario's power system wholesale electricity market, interties with neighbouring jurisdictions and various IESO programs for participants. Jeffrey is a 1T5+PEY graduate from University of Toronto Engineering Science program, with a major in Energy Systems and a minor in Business. He also earned his MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

Stephen Holyk

Senior Manager
LEA Consulting Ltd.

About Stephen

Steve is a proud U of T alumnus having graduated in 2000 after completing a PEY term. As a Senior Manager at LEA, Steve has been actively involved in recruitment and skills development.

With over twenty years experience as a Professional Engineer in Ontario, Steve has been a part of a diverse range of structural projects. His portfolio includes specialized institutional facilities such as university buildings, healthcare centers, museums and underground transit stations. Passionate about helping students bridge the gap between academic achievement and professional success, Steve joins us to share valuable advice on how students can stand out in a competitive job markets and offers practical insights into what employers look for during the hiring process.

Tayte Gossling

Human Resources Business Partner
RJC Engineers

About Tayte

Tharsiga Selva

Campus Talent Team Lead
Geotab

About Tharsiga

Tharsiga is the Team Lead for Campus Talent Acquisition at Geotab, where she leads efforts to attract and develop early career talent. She plays a critical role in building and evolving the company’s Campus Program, connecting students and recent graduates with meaningful opportunities in technical and non technical fields such as Software Development, Data & Analytics, Embedded Engineering, HR, Communications, Marketing & more!

Vanessa Bottero

Hardware Architect
Videri

About Vanessa

Vanessa, a Mech 2T2, completed her PEY placement at Geotab as a Design Verification Intern, working on system validation and testing. After graduation, she joined the startup Videri as an Electrical Designer, where she contributed to circuit design and product development. She was promoted to Hardware Architect, a role in which she now drives hardware design for new and existing products, focusing on system architecture, supplier integration and product reliability. Through Videri, she’s had the opportunity to travel to places like Austria and New York.

Zahra Kandola

Sales and Trading Associate
National Bank Financial

About Zahra

Zahra graduated from the Engineering Science program in 2023, majoring in Machine Intelligence and minoring Engineering Business. Having completed her PEY at National Bank Capital Markets in Interest Rates Trading, Zahra returned to the same group to work full-time in Fall 2023.

In her current role at the bank, Zahra is responsible for building out the electronic-trading and auto-quoting business on the Interest Rate Trading desk, with a primary focus on the electronification of Canada bond trading.

During her undergrad, Zahra worked as a Peer Coach at the Engineering Career Centre. In addition, she was Co-GM and a paddler on the engineering dragon boat team, Iron Dragons. She continues to competitively paddle.

Photography

Photographs may be taken at the PEY Co-op Edge Conference, including images of identifiable panelists and/or attendees. The images may be edited and/or used in University of Toronto materials in any media without further notice to the people depicted, and they may also be provided to participating individuals and organizations for their use.

If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform the staff at the registration table when you arrive at the PEY Co-op Edge Conference.