Finding their place in AI through mentorship

When Tanin Esfandi, MASc 26, graduated from Concordia in June with a degree in Quality Systems Engineering, she knew she wanted to continue building a career in artificial intelligence. What she was unsure about was how to get there.

“I already knew that I was passionate about AI and wanted to build a career in it,” she says.

As an international student from Iran, Esfandi was also navigating the Canadian job market for the first time. Through the Gender Equity Mentoring in AI (GEMinAI), a joint program between Concordia’s Applied AI Institute and CREATE SE4AI, she was paired with a mentor who helped her better understand the industry and think through her career options.

“She really helped me to navigate my job search,” Esfandi says. “She gave me her perspective on how to be more confident and trust my abilities in interviews.”

Finding a way in

GEMinAI was launched in 2023 in response to the gender imbalance in AI. The program connects women and gender-diverse Concordia students with AI professionals from industry, government and non-profit organizations.

Since its first cohort, the program has welcomed more than 150 participants and continues to grow. The 2026–27 cohort launched in October and runs through May 2027.

For Esfandi, having someone to turn to was particularly valuable as she began applying for jobs in Canada.

“If I hadn’t had my mentor and hadn’t joined this program, I would have found it much harder to navigate the job market and understand how to present myself,” she says.

As well as helping her explore career options, Esfandi’s mentor provided advice on her résumé and interviews and gave her a better sense of what to expect in a Canadian work environment.

Learning from each other

The benefits of mentorship go both ways, says Meeta Kalra, who has participated in GEMinAI for more than two years and has mentored six students through the program. A Concordia graduate herself, Kalra is head of engineering at Montreal-based startup Jetscale AI.

“For me, mentorship goes beyond career conversations” she says. “It’s a chance to share different ideas and learn from one another”

She says that two-way exchange matters most in a field moving as fast as AI. Mentors bring years of industry experience to show how companies are adopting emerging technologies, while mentees often bring fresh perspectives on emerging tools and research.

For Kalra, mentoring is also a response to her own experiences as an international student. She remembers how difficult it was to find guidance about entering the industry and says she wants to help students who may be facing similar challenges.

Tackling bias at the root

For Marie Gruber, a research strategy advisor at Mila who also serves as a GEMinAI mentor, the program provides another important benefit: “I think it's a great program to help young, underrepresented researchers in AI to get to know the ecosystem and to find their space,” she says.

Gruber says greater representation is particularly important in AI because the technology can reproduce biases present in the data and systems used to develop it. Bringing more diverse perspectives into the field can help identify and address those problems.

Her advice to people is straightforward: “Always be critical and never be scared to speak your mind.”

For Esfandi, seeing women succeed in AI also provides encouragement as she begins her own career.

“When I see women like my mentor achieve so much success in a male-dominated field like AI, it really inspires me and gives me hope that I can succeed in my own way too,” she says.

More than professional advice

GEMinAI participants commit to at least four one-hour mentoring sessions over two terms, with sessions focused on areas such as goal setting, career journeys, networking, industry trends and feedback.

The program is designed to give students more than professional advice. It provides an opportunity to build relationships, ask questions and gain a better understanding of the many ways that a career in AI can take shape.

For Esfandi, that support has helped turn an uncertain career path into one she can navigate with greater confidence.

“It's really helped me feel more confident in myself and my path,” she says.

Become a mentor or mentee in Concordia’s GEMinAI program.

Learn more about Concordia’s Applied AI Institute.