Shrey Garg

Shrey Garg is interested in computer science because he finds technology endlessly fascinating. He took this passion to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University to hone his skills and help people around the world.

“I have always wanted to improve systems, especially for the challenges we face as a society,” Garg says. “Through the use of computers, we can develop many solutions to cater to those issues.”

Garg was proactive in learning how he could help solve big-picture issues through his involvement in the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, or GCSP. The program builds multidisciplinary competencies and provides a range of experiences to prepare graduates to solve grand societal challenges as defined by the National Academy of Engineering.

In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Garg was a student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College and obtained a minor in sustainability.

“People always ask me, ‘Why sustainability?’” he says. “I want to live in a more sustainable world, and there is no better start I can get than by learning about it in more detail.”

Garg has applied the skills he developed in computer science and sustainability through many opportunities, including leading hackathons with the student organization sunhacks and participation in the Engineering Projects in Community Service program, known as EPICS. In EPICS, he helped plan RISOME, a sustainable multigenerational housing community in Phoenix, and Bridge2Africa, an interactive e-learning platform to increase access to education in South Africa.

One of Garg’s most impactful professors has been Ariane Middel, a Fulton Schools associate professor of computer science and engineering. Middel guided Garg on his honors thesis, which simulated optimal tree planting in Phoenix to maximize the trees’ potential to reduce heat stress on the region’s pedestrians. 

Another pivotal experience for Garg was participating in the DAAD RISE fellowship in Germany. Garg’s summer research experience at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences involved working on a software-defined networking controller for operations, research and teaching with Martin Stiemerling, a professor of telecommunications networks.

After graduation, Garg will begin a job in Phoenix as a technology consultant at Ernst and Young, an accounting firm where he also completed an internship. In the future, he wants to obtain a Master of Business Administration degree and solve the type of big challenges that GCSP prepared him for.

Garg says, “I want to start my own climate technology company to solve climate challenges.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2024 class here.