Congratulations to Susana Lau, our CEO and Founder to be recognezed as Taran on the Rise by Carnegie Mellon University.
Carnegie Mellon University is proud to announce the 2026 class of Tartans on the Rise, the university’s program recognizing the accomplishments of recent alumni.
Susana Lau, ETYALAB CEO & Founder is one of 16 alumni who will be recognized in April during a special event at the university’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, campus.
Lau graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s Engineering School in 2015 with a Masters Degree in Information Technology.
Susana Lau is the founder and director of Etyalab S.A., a Panamanian agile software development company serving both local and international clients. Since 2015, Etyalab has led more than 75 projects across sectors including business digitalization, finance, fintech, telecommunications, healthcare, energy, and e-commerce, supporting the digital transformation of organizations and ventures in Panama, the United States, and across the region.
Susana is also co-founder of Fundación CREEA, where she promotes educational, cultural, and entrepreneurship programs with social impact.
Her leadership and contributions have earned her multiple recognitions, including being named one of Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in Central America, Mujer IT 2023, Technological University of Panama Entrepreneur Alumni of the Year, and Businesswoman of the Year by the Panama Chamber of Commerce and SENACYT.
She previously served as President of IEEE Panama, one of the world’s largest technical organizations, and currently serves as Vice-Chair of IEEE Entrepreneurship, where she helps advance global programs in entrepreneurship and technological innovation. She is also an active advocate and mentor in entrepreneurship and women’s leadership in STEM.
Tartans on the Rise recognizes CMU alumni who graduated in the last 10 years and are using their knowledge, talents and leadership skills to meaningfully advance their fields or professions.
“This year’s Tartans on the Rise honorees represent the very best of Carnegie Mellon University: talent, drive and a commitment to making a difference,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said. “Our university community celebrates these alumni and their achievements so far, and we are excited to watch their success continue to grow in the years to come.”
Meet the emerging talents of Tartans’ Class of 2026:
- David Ajoku (ENG 2021), Founder and CEO, Aware.ai
- Rebecca Alford (MCS 2016), Principal Scientist, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
- Mahima Arya (DC 2020), Senior Engineering Manager, DoubleVerify
- Moses Garcia (CFA 2022; HNZ 2023), Director and Theater Arts Leader
- Reshmi Ghosh (ENG 2017, 2020, 2021), Senior Applied Scientist and Technical Lead, Microsoft
- Tracy Held (CFA 2015), Writer, Filmmaker and Entrepreneur
- Christopher Henley (CFA 2015), Industrial Designer, MSA Safety
- Susana Lau (ENG 2015), Founder and CEO, EtyaLab
- Samantha Levinson (HNZ 2017), Director of Program Innovation and Client Experience, The Bail Project
- Aditi Mahajan (TPR 2020), Director, AlixPartners
- Sakshi Mishra (ENG 2015), Co-Founder, Verber Studio
- Sarah Pidgeon (CFA 2018), Actor
- Akshat Prakash (SCS 2019), CTO and Co-founder, CAMB.AI
- Antonina Simakova (MCS 2015), Co-founder and Executive Vice President of Research, Myris Therapeutics
- Serano Tannason (SCS 2020), Co-Founder, Bang Jamin; Product Manager, Databricks
- Noël Um-Lo (DC 2016), Anthropologist
Explore more about the 2026 class of Tartans on the Rise.
https://www.cmu.edu/engage/news-stories/news/cmu-recognizes-2026-class-tartans-rise
About Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research university with acclaimed programs spanning the sciences, engineering, technology, business, public policy, humanities and the arts. Our diverse community of scholars, researchers, creators and innovators is driven to make real-world impacts that benefit people across the globe. With a bold, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial approach, we do the work that matters.
