2026 40 Under Forty Honoree Shushanna Cherian-Brutus Reflects on Engineering, Leadership and Paving the Way for Women Engineers
Shushanna Cherian-Brutus, a Mechanical Engineering alumna and Senior Product Leader
at GE Aerospace, has been named one of Stony Brook University’s 40 Under Forty honorees for 2026. The recognition celebrates recent graduates who are redefining what’s possible in
their professions and communities. For Cherian-Brutus, it represents both the journey
she has taken since graduating from Stony Brook and the purpose behind the career
she has built.
“Being selected as a 40 Under Forty honoree is deeply meaningful,” Cherian-Brutus said. “It is a tribute to my family's sacrifices and my lifelong ambition to become a premier female leader in technology who opens doors for others.”
Today, Cherian-Brutus leads the Electrical Power Conversion & Controls Business at GE Aerospace, directing the development and delivery of mission-critical electrical power conversion technologies for current and next-generation aerospace and defense platforms. She is also a co-inventor on four patent disclosures advancing thermal management and cooling technologies.
Looking back, Cherian-Brutus credits her time at Stony Brook with helping shape the engineer and leader she would become.
“More than an individual milestone, this recognition highlights how Stony Brook provided the launchpad for my career - allowing me to build technical depth while stress-testing my leadership through Stony Brook Motorsports, co-founding the professional and social sorority, Alpha Omega Epsilon Beta Theta Chapter, and directing multidisciplinary research and design platforms like the Series-Hybrid Energy Education Development (SEED) platform and the Biofuels Analysis Testing Characterization and Homologation (BATCH) platform. This honor reinforces my core mission: to lead with purpose, excel in male-dominated industries, and actively pave the way so that others see a clear, attainable path to the top.”
Her time in the Department of Mechanical Engineering gave her opportunities to develop both as an engineer and as a leader. She served on the Stony Brook Motorsports e-board as Marketing Director and Student Engagement, chartered Alpha Omega Epsilon, and led her Senior Design team on the SEED platform.
“My defining memories are rooted in the hands-on environments where I learned what it means to build value and lead teams under pressure,” Cherian-Brutus recalls. “Those moments taught me early on that engineering is as much about human collaboration and resilience as it is about calculations.”
One of those defining memories is especially personal: meeting her husband, Jean Clifford
Brutus, a 2021 40 Under Forty honoree, in MEC 101 when he was recruiting for the Stony Brook Motorsports team.
Her experience in the department was also shaped by faculty who challenged her to connect engineering theory with real-world applications. Professor Noah Machtay served as an advisor across Stony Brook Motorsports, Senior Design, and research, “constantly challenging us to bridge theory with real-world execution.” Professor Jon Longtin, meanwhile, made Thermodynamics unforgettable.
“Professor Longtin made Thermodynamics unforgettable through his passionate, deeply engaging teaching style that brought complex systems to life and instilled a lifelong appreciation for how things work.”
Her path since Stony Brook has taken her from mechanical engineering and technology research into product investigations, program management, aftermarket strategy and portfolio leadership. In her current role at GE Aerospace, she oversees commercial leadership, strategy, program direction and P&L execution.
Cherian-Brutus' decision to build such a broad technical foundation was intentional.
“Building a rigorous technical foundation was my deliberate strategy to eventually lead a technology business and influence industries where women are still underrepresented.”
That underrepresentation remains an important part of how she views her role as a leader. Beyond driving business performance and contributing to patented technologies, Cherian-Brutus describes her “true passion” as “bringing exceptional value wherever I go, serving as a role model, and actively developing and mentoring the next generation of diverse leaders to step into executive spaces.”
She serves as executive sponsor and former board member of the Asian Pacific Alliance at GE Aerospace’s Long Island chapter and is committed to helping create a clearer path for future women and diverse leaders in technology.
For Cherian-Brutus, that mission is also personal. As a mother of three, she says her children have profoundly sharpened her sense of purpose.
“ Everything I do, every barrier I break, and every goal I chase is driven by the desire to show them that hard work has no limits, to make them endlessly proud, and to help forge a world full of opportunity where they and every other young person can step into leadership without limits.”
Her advice to current MEC students reflects the unconventional path that brought her to where she is today.
“There is never only one way to be successful. Bring absolute excellence and value to wherever you are, and don't be afraid to take detours.”
“Often, the opportunities that seem completely outside the traditional path end up being the exact experiences that differentiate you from the pack, sharpen your leadership, and build the resilience you need to shape industries.”
And her final advice: “Lean into challenges, pull others up along the way, and trust your journey.”
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