February 11, 2026
By Tracie Troha

Georgia Tech alumni Natalia and Ali Khosravani are proof that it is possible to recover from a bad first impression.

Before arriving on campus to begin her graduate studies in mechanical engineering, Natalia, M.S. ME 2021, Ph.D. ME 2021, was added to an email list for Regents' Professor and Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Chair Surya Kalidindi’s research lab in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. One email immediately stood out from the rest: a sharply worded message from Ali, then the lab manager, reminding everyone that duct tape was not an acceptable way to repair equipment.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, so rude,’” Natalia said.

When she eventually met Ali in person, she instantly recognized him as “the guy from the email.”

Ali, Ph.D. ME 2019, had a very different impression. To him, Natalia was “very lovely and very friendly.”

Natalia’s initial reaction that Ali was “rude” didn’t last long. Today, the couple still laughs about it, especially since Natalia eventually became lab manager herself and sent out similar emails.
 

A Partnership Built in the Lab

When Natalia joined the lab in 2017, Ali, who was the senior Ph.D. student in the group, became one of her most influential mentors.

“Ali taught me a lot of everything that I used throughout my whole experience at Georgia Tech,” she said. “He was part of my whole experience from beginning to end.”

Ali came to Woodruff School in 2013 with Kalidindi to build the research lab from the ground up after they moved from Drexel University. The experience gave Ali an unusual level of responsibility and trust early in his career.

“Professor Kalidindi trusted me to basically build the lab from scratch,” Ali said. “It was an experience that I don’t think everyone in the Ph.D. program had. I was very lucky.”

Ali focused on steels and other alloys, while Natalia specialized in titanium alloys. Long hours working side by side eventually led to something more.
 

Biscuits, Bench Work, and a Growing Bond

It began with lunches. Ali would cook and bring food to share, and the two began eating together every day. Afternoon tea and biscuits soon followed. Eventually, they added regular evening gym sessions to their routine.

“We realized there were too many sweets, so we had to go to the gym to burn them off,” Ali said.

By the time the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, they were already dating. When Natalia found herself alone in Atlanta, she temporarily moved in with Ali. After five months of lockdown life, they realized they made a great team.

“When we saw that we could live together and share the same space for five months under very unusual circumstances, we said, ‘Maybe this will work out,’” Natalia said.

They were right.
 

A Pandemic Wedding and a Leap Day Surprise

Natalia and Ali married on June 5, 2021, in an intimate ceremony in Atlanta. With COVID restrictions limiting their options, they rented an Airbnb, hosted close friends from out of state, and secured a judge to officiate just two days before the wedding.

“Because of COVID, there were a lot of precautions and the courts were closed, so it was completely bananas,” Natalia said of the frantic search for a judge to marry them.

Today, the couple lives in the Seattle area with their daughter, Parmis, who was born on Leap Day 2024. Her name, a Persian word meaning “queen of angels,” honors Ali’s heritage and was chosen for its meaning and ease of pronunciation for Natalia’s Colombian family.

“She was very, very wished for,” Natalia said. “We give her our absolute everything.”