10 Under Ten: Recent ECE graduate driving change in their careers and communities

Ten standout recent graduates took center stage at UNC Charlotte’s eighth annual 10 Under Ten Awards on Thursday, Feb. 19, filling the Popp Martin Student Union with Niner pride.

Each year, the UNC Charlotte GOLD Alumni Network honors graduates from the past decade who not only excel in their careers but make a meaningful impact through volunteerism and philanthropy (10 Under Ten Awards). Bilkis Banu ’21 Ph.D., who was a PhD student at ECE under the supervision of Dr. Sukumar Kamalasadan, was one of this year’s recipients.

Bilkis is a technology development manager at Duke Energy, where she leads modeling and simulation efforts within the emerging technology group. She also invests deeply in workforce development, mentoring future engineers through the CAPER project and expanding access to high‑quality learning tools by donating advanced power‑system simulation platforms to UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center.