Alexander Bennett, PhD •  Mechanical Engineer

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I am a

Mechanical engineer

Alexander Bennett, PhD

Presented by Illumina
MY PATH

How I became an athlete, Biologist, and mechanical engineer.

MAJOR INFLUENCES

  • My Dad

    As a kid, my dad bought me Lego sets and K’Nex, which I enjoyed playing with. I also spent a lot of time doing house repairs with my dad. Because of that, I considered becoming an architect, but switched to engineering in college.

  • NCAA Football

    I learned a lot about having a good work-life balance through my rigorous football schedule. I knew that in order to succeed, I would need to always find my balance.

  • My Professor

    I started working under one of my professors as a research assistant. My professor was at the top of his game, and I learned so much in his lab.

I didn't get the best grades, and I wasn’t a good test-taker.

I'm not the best student, as far as grades go and what students are usually measured by. But I am a good scientist, because I want to learn and I want to explore.

Major Milestones

Budding Engineer

As a kid, I really liked building things and working with my hands. I originally thought I was going to be an architect.

Two Paths

In college, I decided to pursue engineering. I also played football. At one point, however, I had to choose which one was more important to me.

Graduate School & Interdisciplinary Research

I learned that one clear path towards working on the projects I found most interesting was to continue my education and get an advanced degree. In grad school, I discovered that, as a mechanical engineer, I could work on projects that were relevant to fields outside my discipline, like biology.

Things I learned

along the way:

  • Success is about finding balance.

    There have been times in my life where despite my hard work and accomplishments, I was out of balance and unhappy. Now that I’ve reached a place where I can have a good work-life balance, I feel like I’m most successful.

  • Find your personal strengths.

    Just because you don’t excel at the standard things (like taking tests) does not meant that you won’t achieve your goals. Find what you are good at and put your energy there.

  • Who you surround yourself with is important.

    I am really influenced by the people I surround myself with. At Illumina, everyone is hard working but also loves to enjoy their life outside of work. I thrive in this kind of environment.

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PHOTOGRAPHER: Tchanavia Lastie • Illustrator: Ana Latese

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