Janavi Gohil was a curious kid with a lot of questions and a profound love for science and math. She grew up in Mumbai, India, living with her large extended family until she was 12—when her parents moved with her and her brother to their own house.
Throughout childhood, Gohil’s parents encouraged her to pursue her passions.
“My parents always encouraged me to chase my dreams,” Gohil says. “Women can have trouble finding their voice, but my parents saw something in me early that I didn’t see. They didn’t want me to be trapped by my fears, so they always urged me to confront them. I had terrible stage fright, so they pushed me to participate in elocution contests.”
Free E-Book: A Guide to Advancing Your Career with Essential Business Skills
Access your free e-book today.
DOWNLOAD NOWGohil always thought she’d grow up to be a doctor. But as college approached, she realized she might have to move far from home to pursue a medical career. Chemical engineering became her first choice.
“I Iiked to make and break things, so why not?” she says. “My uncle is a chemical engineer, and learning from him, I realized it’s really at the heart of everything. It’s a very diverse field, so I'd have the chance to explore multiple disciplines like process engineering, plant engineering, or material science and engineering.”
After getting her undergraduate degree, Gohil decided to venture outside her comfort zone and move across the globe to Buffalo, New York. She enrolled at the University of Buffalo to pursue a master’s degree in chemical and biological engineering with a focus on material science and research to develop membranes for water purification.

In the summer of 2019, she interned at General Electric (GE) Life Sciences to work on methodologies for studying filters used in biotech applications. After graduation, Gohil was hired as a research and development engineer by Pall Corporation, owned by Danaher Corporation, to develop next-generation filtration solutions for biotech and microelectronic applications.
“Most industries have lots of fluids that need filtration,” Gohil says. “Our products were at the forefront during COVID. Many therapeutics use our products to make sure they're ultimately pure before going into the human body.”
Gohil felt she built a strong foundation on the tech side and wanted to round out her skills. She was considering an MBA but needed business fundamentals first. She explored options at Harvard Business School Online and chose the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program. She enrolled in the fall of 2022 with the support of her company’s leadership.
“I’m not going to lie, CORe was intense, but it helped me segue to have a better understanding of how business decisions are made,” Gohil says. “The timing was perfect because I needed to quickly turn around an investment proposal. CORe helped me learn how to produce an investment proposal and work on market analysis.”
Gohil loved learning with the case method and was particularly excited to see a real-world example about her parent company, Danaher, and its former CEO, Larry Culp, now CEO of GE. Gohil earned her credential in March 2023, noting that what she learned in CORe was immediately applicable at work. Gohil is now taking HBS Online’s Negotiation Mastery course.
“I am totally in love with Negotiation Mastery," Gohil says. "I’m halfway through, and I had no idea it would be so interactive. I hope to take more HBS Online courses when I can fit it into my schedule.”
Gohil is interested in learning more about business development and, ultimately, general management. She’d like to develop strategies and learn more about core decision-making that drives businesses.
Outside of work, Gohil continues to break outside her comfort zone.
“I love adventures, thrills, and vacations with friends and family,” Gohil says. “I’m passionate about self-care. I’m a certified Pranic Healer [energy healing], and I meditate regularly.”
Gohil also enjoys coaching and mentoring others.
“I love to talk to students, answer questions, and chat about career development and self-care,” Gohil says. “It makes me happy. My goal in life is to help others. I’ve gotten so much support in my life, and I want to give back.”
Gohil is a lifelong learner who enjoys cooking for family and friends every day. Four years into her career, she also remains passionate about her work. She’s now a senior scientist and engineer with Cytiva, a Danaher company, focused on next-generation filtration technology research and development for biotech applications.
“It’s cool because the same things I disliked in school—mathematical and thermodynamic equations—are now really applicable to my work, and I enjoy them thoroughly,” she says. “I went from books to knowledge and now application.”
Whether you’re a lifelong learner or need help transitioning from a tech to a business mindset, explore HBS Online’s courses—including CORe and Negotiation Mastery—to start building a foundation in business.
