Workforce Blog: Launching Future Innovators

Editor’s Note: On May 1, the ASME Foundation hosted “Optimism Engineered,” its annual gala fundraiser, in New York City. More than 200 engineering leaders and Foundation supporters attended the event, where Ansys President and CEO Ajei Gopal received the ASME Foundation’s 2025 Excellence Industry Award. Ansys is a lead supporter of the Foundation’s scholarship program and other initiatives to make the engineering profession more inclusive and the world more sustainable. Excerpted below are Gopal’s remarks as he accepted the award.

I grew up knowing that I was going to be an engineer. My father had a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, and he was never happier than when he had an engine open in front of him, with grease under his fingernails. I think of him as an engineer’s engineer. He had a spirit—a desire—to reach a better outcome. And whether you are a pioneer like the Wright brothers or a newly minted engineer fresh from university, we are all connected by that spirit—a desire to make the world a better place.

And today, the very nature of engineering is changing before our eyes. Even the simplest products have become extraordinarily complex. Today, semiconductors are in products as simple as pipes. Most of the price of an automobile is now tied up in electronics. And so many products are now intelligent systems that learn and adapt based on their environments. Just as these products are changing before our eyes, the traditional path to engineering excellence has evolved since I was a student.

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The best professionals employ a multidisciplinary approach to tackle modern engineering problems. A future world-class structural engineer may also have an excellent command of computational fluid dynamics, materials science, and electromagnetics. And beyond engineering, they may have expertise in computer science, artificial intelligence, and other disciplines to help solve the most complex challenges.



And these multi-disciplinary engineers of tomorrow will be presented with an enormous opportunity. They will help to make our world greener. They will clean our air and our water in innovative ways. They will harness new forms of energy. They will develop lifesaving medical devices and technology. They will help humanity to explore the cosmos.

They will develop products that defy imagination.

And we have the ability—no, the duty—to make them successful. As the leader in engineering simulation, Ansys is proud to play a role in the development of these innovations—and of these innovators. We have championed engineering education with the free student version of our product. And I’m proud to say that more than 4 million students have downloaded this valuable resource to prepare them as they address future challenges.

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When those students graduate and enter the workforce, they have more choices than ever. Previously, engineers had to work at large companies to make a difference. Today, with innovation occurring at organizations of all sizes and years of experience, those engineers have alternate paths to choose. And we are excited to be working with established brands, pioneering startups, and everything in between to bring their innovations to life.

And, of course, as a close partner of the ASME Foundation, we are proud to provide scholarships to empower next-generation engineers. The work that the foundation does is truly remarkable and will instill in young people of all backgrounds that same spirit that drove my father.

Ajei Gopal has served as president and CEO of Ansys since 2017. 

To learn more about and support the ASME Foundation’s workforce development and sustainable innovation programs, visit asmefoundation.org.