Colleague Connection: Aditi Singru

Aditi Singru is the new manager of project management in the Office of Portfolio Management (OPM), a unit in Administrative Systems, reporting to Kris O'Brien. Aditi joined Northwestern in 2012 and has been instrumental in many successful projects, including the Administrative Dashboard, COVID-19 Analytics dashboard, and CERES research reporting datamart. 

We met with Aditi recently to learn more about her journey to IT project management and her collaborative efforts within IT and across the University.

Tell us about how you came to join Northwestern.

I grew up in India, where I earned my undergraduate degree in computer science. After that, I received a scholarship to come to the United States and earn my master's degree in computer science. Upon graduation, I worked as a developer and technical manager in various corporate environments, including startups and multinational organizations. After that, I took some time off to raise my children.

After a seven-year sabbatical, I was ready to rejoin the working world and became curious about the business analyst field. I looked back at my experience and realized that while I loved the technical side of programming, I also liked understanding the business side. So, I decided to take a business analyst certificate at Northwestern's School of Professional Studies.

As luck would have it, some people from Administrative Systems also attended the class. One day, over lunch, we just started chatting, and they told me about their jobs as business analysts (which sounded interesting), mentioned having an opening in the department, and asked if I would be interested in applying. And, here we are!

What are the primary responsibilities of the OPM?

The OPM provides support and leadership to Administrative Systems (AS) in key practice areas: Portfolio and Project Management, Enterprise Architecture, and Information Security. The OPM collaborates with teams in AS and across Northwestern IT to plan, perform, and deliver successful projects for the unit.

I lead the Project Management practice for Administrative Systems and manage a team of project managers. The team is also responsible for administering the project and portfolio management software tool and for supporting reporting and metrics for project performance and management.

Tad Kolke leads the Application Management Services practice for the OPM. That team is responsible for the portfolio reporting, security administration, and architecture activities for the Administrative Systems application portfolio.

Together, we manage the AS project portfolio.

What organizations do you participate in at Northwestern?

I am part of the steering committee for Northwestern Women in Technology. Open to all, this IT staff affinity group plans several events each year in a casual setting. We've hosted various events, including a presentation of little-known benefits offered to Northwestern staff, discussion panels featuring IT women executives, and book club discussions. We are always looking for new faces and fresh ideas! I encourage anyone interested in getting more involved with this group to follow our Teams channel (open to all IT staff) for upcoming events and activities.

I have also participated in other IT organizations, including the IT Project Team Excellence Awards committee and the IT Managers and Team Leads group. I've served as a mentor in the Early Careers in Technology and the Association of Northwestern University Women.

Can you share any best practices or lessons learned that could benefit your colleagues?

Through my roles in many diverse companies and organizations, I have learned that any job is ultimately about problem-solving.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I am finishing up my master’s in data science, so what free time I have, I spend with my family. I love spending time enjoying nature, so I do a bit of gardening and amateur birdwatching. While not uncommon, I always get excited at the sighting of a Cooper’s hawk. When they approach, birds fall silent, and squirrels become statues to avoid being hunted. It's a fascinating interaction.

I also enjoy traveling and hiking. My favorite countries I visited so far are India (of course), Vietnam, Turkey, and Greece. More recently, I went for two days of hiking in Scottsdale, Arizona, over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. The weather was perfect, and the scenery was unmatched.

What is your favorite place on Campus?

My favorite place on campus is the beautiful Lakefill area. I love to take walks there with my dog, and it is a standard stop on my Evanston and Chicago tours for my out-of-town guests!