Class of 2025: Sejal Gupta solves the equation for pursuing a career in research

Name: Sejal Gupta

Majors: Computational modeling and data analytics (CMDA) and mathematics

Hometown: Leesburg, Virginia

Plans after graduation: Ph.D. in applied mathematics at the University of Washington

When Sejal Gupta applied to Virginia Tech back in 2021, she was approached by the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program (CHDP), a four-year pilot program combining a structured disciplinary education with an open-ended, collaborative, and transdisciplinary discovery process. Her acceptance into the program — which came before her admissions decision from Virginia Tech — cemented her desire to become a Hokie.

“I was hoping to get into VT because of the program, and then when I did, it kind of felt like a no brainer,” said Gupta. “I was accepted into this pilot program, and they believed in me — it just made sense.”

“On top of that, there was CMDA.”

The right data science program

While she was somewhat cautious about the CMDA program, which was still a relatively new major when she enrolled at Virginia Tech, Gupta soon discovered that it wasn’t lacking in legitimacy.

“It felt pretty grounded in that it wasn't just a data science program being tossed together,” said Gupta. “I could tell that there was much more of a math background to it, and it just felt more well developed than a lot of other data science programs.”

Witnessing seniors in the program, Gupta was convinced that she had found the right program. As a mathematics major, she appreciated the math influence in CMDA, but also picked up computer science skills that she came to value.

“It’s been really good to me,” said Gupta.

Doing things differently in the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program

As a student in the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program, Gupta had a much different classroom experience than many of her classmates outside the program. Each year, students in the CHDP are assigned what is essentially a Capstone project. In teams, they work on a problem — determining the general areas of the problem space, doing research, reaching out to stakeholders, analyzing the problem, and developing a solution.

This doesn’t differ significantly from what other Capstone courses across the university expect from their students; what makes the CHDP program unique is the transdisciplinary nature of its projects and their diverse interests of their team members.

“Right now, my team includes a graphic design major, a BIT major, a multimedia journalism major, two creative technologies majors, and two industrial design majors,” said Gupta. “I get to work with them on a weekly basis, which I never would have done before. I’ve met a lot of people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s been a really good opportunity.”

Gupta’s project this past semester has been to work on improving sleep conditions for astronauts in space, developing a sleeping capsule that is atmospherically and light-regulated.

“The idea is that we make the signal conditions a little better in space, because that translates to real increases in productivity, which means increases in astronauts’ well-being,” said Gupta.

The Calhoun Honors Discovery Program offered Gupta another opportunity that few students get the chance to experience: a trip to Venice, Italy, in early May to debut her team’s project at the Biennale Architettura 2025, a prestigious exhibition that will run through November.   

Making connections for the future

Many CMDA students go straight into industry after receiving their degrees from Virginia Tech, but Gupta has a different plan. While she also hopes to one day work in industry, she wants to work in a research-oriented role — so she’s heading to the University of Washington to pursue her Ph.D. in applied mathematics.

“I saw the courses that they want you to take, and I thought, ‘This feels like a graduate CMDA degree,’ which is perfect,” said Gupta. “Not that you should choose your graduate school based solely on the coursework, but that was one really big plus for me.”

Among her favorite courses in the CMDA program were CMDA 3634, taught by Jason Wilson, and CMDA 4634, a scalable computing course taught by Tim Warburton. The latter topic is one that she hopes to continue doing this summer at the Argonne National Laboratory — a connection she made through Warburton.

Another CMDA connection led Gupta to her first internship as a sophomore, when one frequent Capstone — looking specifically for CMDA majors — reached out to her directly.

“There are just so many people that I've met through CMDA, and just so many different things that I've done and that everyone else has done,” said Gupta. “I have friends that have worked in internships all over the United States, that have worked these amazing jobs that they love.”

“CMDA is just so flexible, but it's also very technical, which I think is a really good combination.”