Shefali Saxena takes pride in designing new tools and infrastructure supporting the Advance Photon Source (APS)’s beamlines in her work as a Control System Engineer in the X-ray Science Division (XSD) at Argonne National Laboratory. Her job provides critical tools that help run the APS’s beamline experiments, ensuring that the APS remains a world-leader in x-ray experimentation.

Shefali was very curious about science and math when she was young, and she enjoyed participating in STEM competitions. In high school, she became particularly fascinated with advances in electronics such as silicon chip, which led to her majoring in Electronics and Communication Engineering in her undergrad studies. ​“I wanted to pursue my career in research and development which led me to graduate school,” she said.

During her graduate studies, Shefali chose to specialize in nuclear engineering due to the growing importance of energy and environmental issues. ​“As energy supply and electricity demands are increasing, nuclear energy is an environmentally safe way of producing electricity on a large scale and is very cost effective,” she explained. This led to her traveling from India to North Carolina State University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering.

Throughout her studies, Shefali had the ambition of joining a national laboratory. ​“To work in one of the Department of Energy (DOE) labs, where I can work with state of the art technology and resources, was my dream,” she shared. Fortunately, she found an opening at Argonne as a Control System Engineer, which aligned with her career goals. Since February 2020, Shefali has worked in the Beamline Controls group at the X-ray Science Division.

Shefali enjoys working with the state-of-the-art technology at the Advanced Photon Source, which has some of the world’s most advanced instruments and machines. Currently, she and fellow engineers are developing controls and equipment to advance the beamlines’ capabilities for experiments, as well as improve the overall user experience. ​“This will help researchers across the globe to conduct and control the experiments efficiently from anywhere with real-time capabilities,” she said.

Thinking back on her own experiences, Shefali encourages students interested in STEM to get involved early through internships, conferences, workshops, and other hands-on experiences. This will help them to find their interests and choose the right career based on their interests,” she explained. ​“Keep learning and exploring new things. Stay curious and don’t be afraid in asking questions.”