Yugmee Gidiya Combines Engineering, Sustainability, and Curiosity

Growing up in Mumbai and attending high school in Dubai, Yugmee knew from day one that NYU Abu Dhabi was the place for her. It was close to home, offered numerous study abroad opportunities, and had strong scholarship packages. “Additionally, they had such a diverse group of world-renowned professors! Plus, I fell in love with the campus community during the online candidate weekend,” she says. She began as a Bioengineering major and joined a lab in her first year. However, she quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit. “I was in the lab—me alone—and I realized this is not what I want to do with my degree, my future.”

She switched to General Engineering, hoping to find her niche—and it paid off. The major broadened her skill set and opened up new avenues for exploration. Through classes like Biomaterials, she discovered an interest in regenerative medicine, which then led her to the Vijay Lab. There, she helped extract cellulose from date fruit pomace to create tissue scaffolds, combining her interests in sustainability, engineering, and research. Now, she’s hoping to extend the work into her Capstone Project.

While Yugmee’s academic interests have evolved, sustainability has remained a central theme. “It’s always been an issue that’s extremely close to my heart,” she says, recalling growing up along the beaches of Mumbai where she saw the impact of plastics pollution firsthand. Though unsure about her major, her Environmental Studies minor has been a constant.

Yugmee’s involvement on campus reflects that. For example, she took the Engineers for Social Impact course, which allowed her to return to Mumbai and study local plastic recycling systems. Additionally, she joined the Student Government Sustainability Committee; Green House, a student think tank focused on climate topics; and the Plastic Lab, where she helped turn campus waste into new products. “Clubs really helped me shape my identity, get more specific about my interests, and explore new ones,” she says.

Outside the classroom Yugmee took her skills to Genify, a fintech start-up. Though she initially interviewed for a software internship, a conversation about her interest in sustainability led to a new opportunity: designing a carbon footprint calculator for banks. “As an engineer, that mindset of, ‘oh, I don’t know the answer yet, but let’s figure it out,’ was really interesting,” she says. She helped shape the tool, ran tests, and even pitched it to clients. That experience, along with mentorship from the CEO, sparked her interest in a career in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) consulting.

Studying at NYU Abu Dhabi has led to additional experiences outside of the classroom. She attended the COP28 summit in Dubai, COP29 in Azerbaijan, and represented India in a COP simulation in Egypt. “If you’re a student interested in sustainability and the climate space, the NYU offices provide so much support—all you need to do is email and ask,” she advises. And now, she’s studying away at NYU’s campus in New York City, earning credit at the Tandon School of Engineering while working at the Futures Lab. “I’ve loved New York as a city and the whole study abroad experience,” she affirms. “They say the city is your campus, and I really see it now!”