Guided by Research | Temple University

Because Temple helped him discover where he could make his biggest impact.

Hailing from the Mumbai suburb of Kalyan, India, Sarvesh Shah, FOX ’19, arrived at the Fox School of Business skilled in machine learning and software development. His master’s curriculum, with its focus on using technology to answer business and business-strategy questions, was eye-opening. “I realized I could have a lot more impact on this side of the aisle rather than just crunching raw numbers,” he said.

Sarvesh Shah ’19

Senior Data Analyst, EY

“It’s very rewarding to be able to do something for the greater good.”

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Transforming Transit

Shah joined SEPTA as a data scientist in September 2019 and was instrumental in modernizing Philadelphia’s aging trolley system. His analytics help reduce the transit system’s carbon footprint and ensure it is COVID-19 compliant to protect the health and safety of riders.

In this role, Shah focused on what he calls SEPTA’s ‘holy grail’: developing a highly complex data warehouse to create the most complete picture yet of SEPTA’s ridership, which annually exceeds 290 million rides. The goal: to enhance the passenger experience, making sure riders get where they have to go quickly, conveniently and on time, thus increasing the number of riders and the revenue they bring.

“People used to say data is the new oil. I didn’t really understand what that meant until I started working at Temple.”

Making Sense of it All

Shah notes that his strongest Temple influences were Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management Subodha Kumar and Assistant Professor Christopher Monos, whose analysis and design class pulled together all that he had learned from his previous courses, an internship with Uber, and a data analysis job with Fox’s Analytics and Accreditation team.

More Than Mentorship

Shortly after Shah’s arrival at Temple, Matthew Kunkle, senior associate director of assurance of learning at Fox, hired him to analyze student feedback and scores in order to improve Fox’s classes. Combined with a $5,000 scholarship, the job provided Shah with critically needed funds. Kunkle also offered Shah guidance in adapting to life in a new country.

“He’s more than just a professor, he’s a friend,” said Shah. “He really helped me adjust to the cultural shock of coming to the U.S.”

Now, he feels right at home in Philly, and relishes in the city’s history and culture—even the food trucks. And Shah, who once relied on the massive public transit system of his home city—the ninth most populated metropolitan area in the world—to get to college, loves the daily impact he is having on SEPTA’s riders, particularly lower-income workers who have no other way to get to work.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to do something for the greater good,” he said.

Providing Personalized Career Development

A Temple education is career-focused and built to meet the needs of all our students. From our research opportunities to learning from leading industry experts and taking on internships and other opportunities across Philadelphia, Temple students develop the skills and experience they need to pursue their personal and professional goals.

Faculty Expertise

As a major national research university, Temple counts among its faculty some of the most innovative changemakers and scholars in the country. They are experts in their fields, actively engaging in research and working one-on-one with students to help them get to where they need to be. Temple is a large university, but our class sizes are small—averaging just 29 students.

Our faculty members are also thought leaders who provide compelling insights into what’s happening in our world right now. These insights are integrated into the classroom, where students grow to become informed global citizens.

Professional Opportunities

At Temple, our students prepare for their next steps long before graduation. Our various graduate opportunities—offered on campus, off campus and everywhere in between—afford real-world, hands-on experiences and internships so students gain the skills needed to set themselves apart.

Temple’s location in Philadelphia allows students to take on opportunities year-round in every industry so students can explore their interests and build professional experience easily.

And, more than 800 employers visit campus each year. Our robust alumni network—which includes over 140,000 alumni in the Philadelphia region and 330,000 worldwide—provides even more opportunities for students to receive career guidance and resources.

R1 Research Classification

Temple is a research powerhouse. We’re an R1 Carnegie Classification institution, which means that we’re operating at the highest level of research activity among four-year universities. Temple is one of only 131 other institutions in the U.S. with this classification. This status helps attract top-tier faculty, who use the latest research in the classroom and call on students to be research assistants. And it enables Temple’s campus to have the most modern, state-of-the-art academic facilities.

Philadelphia

At Temple, Philadelphia serves as a classroom for our students. We’re deeply ingrained in the city and we encourage students to take advantage of all Philadelphia has to offer. There’s never a shortage of opportunities for students to work, learn and grow.

As one of the largest cities on the East Coast and a modern center of industry, Philadelphia is rich with culture, history and opportunity. With so many alumni based in the region, students have access to internship and job experiences in one of the many companies and organizations that are based here.