Recent alumni highlight: Adrian Tran

Following the completion of his undergraduate degree, Adrian Tran ‘24 leveraged his experiences as a student to start his career as a process engineer with SMS group. 

As his graduation approached, Tran considered his future career paths between research and industry and was further engaged through the work with SMS group during his capstone project. He found a good balance between using the analytical skills associated with research and the engagement with stakeholders through the sharing of project findings. He also was exposed to the technical sales side of the industry.  

In his current role, he works to integrate tools and equipment related to steel casting by developing engineering feasibility studies, visiting customer sites to gain an understanding of their projects, and providing recommendations to the SMS engineering team to execute. 

My MSE degree prepared me to be able to tackle new situations by providing background knowledge and problem-solving skills

Adrian Tran, BS'24, Process Engineer, SMS group

“My MSE degree prepared me to be able to tackle new situations by providing background knowledge and problem-solving skills,” he notes. “The program built much of the information needed to assess metallurgy-related studies and provide recommendations to customers. The practice that I had with researching novel topics and approaching problems allowed me to gain the information I needed to reliably continue my work.”

Now as an alumnus, Tran has had the opportunity to be engaged on the employer side of the capstone projects, engaging with a students that worked with SMS group in 2025. The group was provided with a mill’s slab caster data. By using information on the continuous casting process of steel from the MSE curriculum, literature, and on-site tours, the students were tasked with developing a model to rank mold powder quality.

Reflecting on the opportunity to mentor students, he is appreciative of the opportunity to provide students with tangible ways to apply what that they have learned in the classroom to an industry project. 

“Students are challenged to go beyond the MSE curriculum and gain perspective on tracking and managing a project,” Tran said. “It also opens doors for students to develop connections that can serve them as they move forward in their careers.”