In our list of India's Best 50 - the 50 Most Employable Students from the Class of 2020-22, we feature MBA students who have walked that extra mile and done that little more to stand out! One of those featured in today's story, Vishal Kumar Singh, has shown an incredible amount of passion to achieve his true potential. Read on and find out his story!
The following are Vishal Kumar Singh’s set of responses to a questionnaire floated amongst MBA graduates to determine the top-50 Most Employable MBA Graduates of the Class of 2022. Amongst the massive number of entries and responses being evaluated, Vishal's story and profile stood out. Here's his story in his own words.
Name an instance where you wanted something and went out of your comfort zone to achieve it OR Tell us the biggest risk you have taken so far in your life.
Chandryaan-II was India's 2nd moon mission, which had three modules associated with it. Lander, Rover, and Orbiter. Imagine Infrared Spectrometer (IIRS) was a payload of orbiter module. It was designed to take the image of the moon's surface in 250+ Spectrum range to provide data of its surface to the scientists on earth. Initially, this project was assigned to a different team, but it came to me to do the reengineering and optimize the structural design of this payload due to certain complexity. This was once in a lifetime opportunity for me, where I was getting to work on a project which is a dream for many and the entire world had its eyes on the same. During the course of root cause analysis, I also identified the possibility of resolving the thermal distortion problem of the radiator due to thermal fluctuation in space. The design team were struggling with the same issue and was using some complex technique to control it, and they were not getting any solid solution so far. It wasn't my area of expertise, but I wanted to contribute towards resolving the issue with the design.My main objective was to do the root cause analysis and identify possible reasons and solutions to bring back the mass under the given budget while keeping the other KPIs intact. I had to reengineer the IIRS payload structure, reduce the weight under the given budget and improve the structure's stiffness. I also had to coordinate with various CFTs and vendors to ensure synergy and smooth process flow. I took the responsibility of resolving the thermal distortion issue of the payload out of my comfort zone and my area of expertise to create an impact.I took the following actions upon identifying the opportunity of solving the distortion problem: Step1: Modelling and Analysis: I created a mathematical model and did multiple analyses to prove my hypothesis and have data backing to support my claim. I created an extensive report of the findings and proposal, had dialogues with the team, discussed my proposed solution, listened to their inputs and concerns, and gathered all the insights. Step2: Proposal to the Project Team: I presented the proposed design to the project team and the PDR team after getting verified by the PRT committee. Explained the hypothesis and got their approval in the end.Step3: POC: I prepared a Carbon fibre sample replicating just one part of the model, tested it in extreme space environmental situations as per ETLS document, and eventually qualified it as it resembled and proved all the analytical results.Step4: Fabrication and Simulation: I Prepared a final report of all the proposals with all testing results attached and took all the stakeholders' approval to finalise the design and complete the fabrication. I also qualified the structure by conducting all space simulations on it.As a result of these I was able to:Delivered the Project within the time frame & achieved design accuracy of >97%Resolved the thermal distortion issue of the structure along with the mass budget issueReduced the weight of payload by approx. 25% and brought it under mass budget given by the launch vehicle teamSaved 50+lakh for the organisation by saving approx. 2.5 kg of mass.Successfully injected in moon's orbit 384000KM away from us and is currently working as per design std.
When was the last time someone relied on you? OR What did you do which was purely for someone else - a truly selfless act.
ISRO was working on SOTM (Satcom on the Move), a high-throughput satellite communication system for moving vehicles that might be utilized in telemedicine. It had a wide range of civilian applications as well as strategic significance.To broadcast a continuous signal, the antenna on the moving vehicle should always point towards the satellite, regardless of its motion, such as turns, leaps, flight, or sea waves.My peer was charged with creating a TDP for this (Technology Demonstration Project). He was new to the system and was having trouble with a variety of facets of the project, including structural design and Optimization. I felt it was my job to intervene and assist him in that scenario.I had to help him reduce the weight by optimizing the design. Ascertain that he is conversant with all actions for him to become self-sufficient in the future. And I have to produce this TDP in three months while also working on my own projects.I took the following actions in that scenario.Step1: I looked at the architecture and mechanism of the intended SOTM structure and found all of the components where mass optimisation might be done. I kept in touch with him and made sure he followed along with each stage of the design process and shadowed me. Step2: I did some topology optimization and also changed the metallic design with the composite using carbon fibre and honeycomb core structure, I took reference from recent changes I did in CH-II for mass Optimization.Step3: Proposed the changes to the lead and moved ahead to present the proposal to the PRT and PDR committees, which approved the same upon getting satisfied.Step4: With the help of relevant vendors, Fabricated the respective components as per design, helped in qualifying all the testing and handed it to the project team.As a result of these, we were able to:Reduce the mass by 60% by bringing it under 20kg, making the design robust and handy for use.Received appreciation from the Project team head for helping my peer by going out of my way.Achieved the fleet within the time frame of 3 monthsEnabled him to do multiple modelling on his own and take it forward in different projects, also he got familiar with multiple processes inside ISRO and developed connections with multiple vendors, which helped him in his future assignments.
Tell us about a time when you disagreed with an opinion/idea/decision. What did you do about it?
GSAT-29 was launched in October 2018 and was India's one of the most advanced missions, with many Technology demonstration payloads associated with it. The Q/V band payload was designed for a high throughput communication link with 35-45 GHz frequency range b/w Ahmedabad and Delhi earth station. It was a project which will be instrumental for future Q/V band communication satellites, for high-speed satellite communication in remote and disaster-affected zones where other modes of communication links are not available.During the course of the project, based on the predictive analysis I realised certain risk factors and concluded Titanium should be used instead of traditional Steel legs, but it was adding additional lead time beyond the deadline. My manager and other stakeholders were not in favour of this change and were concerned about the possible delay, and here I had to take a stand to make the suggested change because it was in the favour of the organisation and had a long term impact associated with it.I was the Project manager for this Q/V band Payload and was responsible for the end-to-end development of the payload. Right from ideation till delivery of the payload. As we were working in a domain where 100% reliability was required, as there was no window to rectify our mistakes later, I had to ensure the highest standard and see the long term picture. But I also need to keep all the stakeholders and customers in confidence. I also had the constraint of delivering it in the time frame of 6 months and had other challenges to overcome as well such as weight reduction, Space Qualification, and improvement of structural stiffness. I took the following approach in this situation,Step1: Mathematical Modelling & Data backing: I did the extensive analysis using multiple analytical tools to ensure the accuracy of the predictive analysis, I gathered all the analysis results in a form of an extensive report and also created several other test cases to do a comparative analysisStep2: Finding Alternatives and Opportunity: I parallelly kept following up with the planning team and purchasing team to look for all alternate sources to minimise the lead time. I was also figuring out opportunities to find cushions in other processes.Step3: Proposal To the review committee: With the backing of all the analytical data I explained to the Critical Design Review committee the possibility of failure in the case of Steel and the advantages of using Titanium. I also proposed the risk mitigation strategy to overcome the possible delay due to the Manufacturing lead time of TitaniumStep4: Fabrication and Testing: After approval from CDR, I ensured speedy fabrication activities on many fronts, Integrated the subsystem and did all the space qualification testing to qualify the payload for flight, and eventually helped it to integrate with the satellite in Bangalore.As a result of these I was able to:Reduce the delay by just a week, which got absorbed in the final satellite level testings.Achieved design accuracy of >98% of predicted valuesReduced the mass of payload by roughly 40%Saved Rs 1+ Crore for the organisation Established Indias 1st Q/V band communication link b/w Delhi and Ahmedabad.Appreciated by Deputy Director and higher management for standing firm on the analytical data and delivering a high-quality payload.
What is the one thing you can claim to have some level of expertise or depth of knowledge in - it could be anything - a subject, a sport, a hobby, a venture, an initiative which has led you to do deep work in that field?
I graduated from one of Indias best colleges i.e. Indian Institute of technology in the year 2016, with no prior experience and exposure to the space Industry I joined ISRO. The industry was so vast and broad and I had so much to learn and understand. I always had a huge curiosity to learn about this industry and an eagerness to contribute to this prestigious organisation. The very first task I was assigned was designing of GSAT-19 feed bracket structure and assisting my senior in qualifying it for the flight. Without any prior understanding of the criticality, KPIs and risk of designing I had to speed up my process of learning and growing in the organisation in order to contribute.I took the following actions to go tackle this situation,Step1: Peer Learning: I started interacting a lot with my seniors at ISRO and use to take KTs from them to understand in detail multiple aspects of designing a space component, criticalities and bottlenecks. This really helped me to accelerate my learning trajectory.Step2: Secondary research: I use to do a lot of secondary research through journals and research papers both inside and outside ISRO. I attended multiple training sessions and conferences as well as expos to widen my knowledge in this unique field.Step3: Practicing on Tools and techniques: Meanwhile I was also continuously working on various design and analysis tools to get my hands on each of them, to become self-reliant and to invent on my own. I use to test my hypothesis on these tools before presenting them to seniors.Step4: Visits to Simulation labs: I assisted my seniors in their activities and used to be physically present in most of them to see and understand the process right from Ideation & brainstorming to Testing and qualification. In this way, I develop a great understanding of process flow and developed a great connection within the organisation.As a result of all these efforts:In my 4 years of tenure at ISRO, I was able to successfully design and deliver more than 10 payloads of various satellites, which was appreciated at multiple stages by senior leadership. I developed skills that I was made Project manager for 3 projects during my last few years at ISRO.I Helped in successfully devising many new components and first in India projects such as GSAT-29 Q/V band Project, Chandrayaan-II IIRS project, LFHR near 0 CTE of metering cylinder and many more. Awarded Outstanding Employee for 3 consecutive years in annual performance assessment report of ISRO Received 3 consecutive Max. Performance Related Incentive by GOI for outstanding contribution to ISROEstablished Indias first Q/V band communication link between Ahmedabad and Delhi Earth StationsSaved more than 5 crores for the organisation in the duration of 4 years through innovative design and frugal approach.Developed more than 5 new vendors and successfully Led multiple vendors and CFTs during my tenure at ISRO
If 10 Million Dollars (approximately INR 75 Crores) is given to you to use it any way you deem fit what would you do with this corpus?
I am a person with a set of life objectives. Like many other driven people, I want to be successful in life, but I define success in terms of four pillars, i.e. 1) Achievements 2) Happiness 3) Belonging 4) Legacy. So, if I get $10 million, I'll divide the money into a portfolio to enhance these four foundations of my success.1) Achievements: I'd like to start a business, ideally in the field of science and technology. Because I believe we are still in the early stages of science and technology, science and technology have enormous potential to investigate and overcome many present challenges, such as global warming, world famine, Green energy, Migration, Pandemics, etc. I want to give this pillar the maximum chunk of the pie with around 4 million dollars as it can create a lot of value and has a long-term impact.2) Happiness: Numerous things bring me joy. First and foremost, I adore travelling and have visited more than 22 states in India. I also have it on my bucket list to visit the north and south poles of the world. I, too, have a yearning to go to the farthest reaches of the universe. Apart from that, accomplishing something for my family brings me great joy. Therefore providing them with a nice living would be critical given their previous struggles. So, based on a basic calculation, I'd assume this will cost me roughly $2 million.3) Belonging: When I say "belonging," I mean that I should feel responsible for my surroundings, whether it's my work, society, or social circle. So I'd like to give back to everyone who has helped me become who I am today, whether directly or indirectly. So I'd want to donate part of this money to my college, help improve my village where I spent much of my youth, and assist many of my friends who are now in need. It will cost me about a million dollars.4) Legacy: This is something I'd like to leave behind, and I'd like people to remember me for it. For this reason, I wish to establish a non-profit organisation dedicated solely to children to assist them in realising their dreams and encouraging them to pursue their passions. It might be sports, education, or arts. I have a hypothesis that rural India has enormous potential in every field; all it takes is the perfect platform and encouragement to let it reach its full potential (IPL is a great case to justify this hypothesis). So I'd be investing the remaining $3 million in this pillar.
Read the stories of the other Employable Graduates here!