If you work in global travel at a company like Expedia Group, you learn to beat jet lag. Shiyi Pickrell (MBA 2011), Expedia Group’s Senior Vice President of Data and AI, has a go-to strategy.
“When you get to your destination, try to be active,” she says. “Don’t just lock yourself in the hotel. Get out and walk around. The more you stay awake during the day, the better!”
Pickrell, who earned a Full-Time MBA from the Foster School of Business in 2011, has taken that same energetic approach to her career: stay curious, stay in motion, and stay open.
Today, Pickrell leads a large engineering organization with global reach. Expedia Group is where she thinks about AI and travel all day long. She knows which airport has the best noodle restaurants, which corners of every lounge have the best Wi-Fi, and why the right notification at the right time can mean everything to a stressed-out traveler.
“When you make a choice in your life, such as pursuing an MBA, think not just about the immediate benefit, title, or salary, but what other doors it will open years down the road.”—Shiyi Pickrell
Seeing ROI in a new direction
Pre-MBA, Pickrell earned a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Southern California and launched a successful career in the biotech industry. But something didn’t sit right.
“I’m very driven by the ROI of my work,” she says. “I want my products to benefit customers in a year or two, not decades later.”
She learned that sometimes, the most significant business decisions were not made by scientists but by product managers.
“In biotech, I realized that as a scientist, you’re often in the kitchen, doing the hands-on work,” she explains. “It’s the product managers who see the whole picture: strategy, launch, financials. I wanted to be more like them.”
So she took a step back, reevaluated her goals, and applied to business school.
Travel may never be completely stress-free, but if Shiyi Pickrell has her way, Expedia Group will make it feel close.
Why the Foster MBA
Pickrell chose the Foster School of Business Full-time MBA not only for the strength of its faculty and the depth of its community but also for the location in Seattle.
Seattle is built on invention and reinvention. The greater Seattle area is also home to 4.1 million people. Foster’s deep local connections to companies like Amazon, Phillips, TikTok, Deloitte, Accenture, Boeing, EY, Starbucks, Blue Origin, and newer players in AI, fintech, and climate tech made it the right place to transition into something new.
In the MBA program, she gained knowledge, confidence, clarity, and a broader sense of what she could offer.
“One of my classmates said, ‘You have a quantum background: have you thought about becoming a machine learning scientist?’” she recalls. “At the time, I was determined to be a product manager. But later, I realized he had a point. That’s one of the real benefits of the MBA. You learn from your professors, but your peers also see things in you that you might not see yourself.”
“Here’s a different example of how the MBA helps you gain insights into topics that benefit you later in your career”, she continues. “Surprisingly, I learned a great deal from my brand marketing class. Even though I don’t work in brand marketing, I now strongly believe it’s important to be hyper-aware of branding. You build a brand for yourself. You build a brand for your team at work. Now, when others at Expedia Group think of my team, they think: that team is strong in execution and cohesion. We’ve built a successful internal team brand, resulting from one MBA course.”
Shiyi Pickrell chose the Foster School of Business Full-time MBA not only for the strength of its faculty and the depth of its community but also for the location in Seattle.
Balancing family and career goals
Looking back, Pickrell shares that her MBA trajectory may not have been as smooth as it appeared to others. Her carefully mapped plan shifted in her second year of the program. She was expecting a baby, and her due date was after graduation. But then, her son arrived prematurely.
“The MBA program was very supportive,” she recalls. She worked with Foster to complete the final stretch of her degree through evening classes. The logistics were intense, but the goal never changed.
“I didn’t feel like I had to choose between family and my goals,” she says.
That experience of balancing intense academics, new motherhood, and launching a new career shaped the kind of leader she is today. It proved she could handle complexity, ambiguity, and pressure. It also proved that she didn’t have to go it alone.
For Shiyi Pickrell, the ROI of the Foster MBA didn’t show up in a single job title. It showed up in every step that came afterward.
A career built on learning
After earning her MBA, Pickrell accepted a role at Amazon as a technical product manager. This pivotal move allowed her to combine her scientific discipline and MBA skills. She later moved to Microsoft, where she rose from individual contributor to director.
Each step taught her something new: building, leading, and seeing around corners. Eventually, she was recruited to Expedia Group, where her passions for technology, travel, and impact converged.
Making travel smarter with AI
At Expedia Group, Pickrell is helping redefine the travel experience through data and AI.
“Imagine a travel experience that’s fully personalized and immersive,” she says. “We already know your preferences and trip type, even if it’s your annual family ski vacation. If there’s a disruption, like a flight delay or hotel issue, we proactively handle it. Your next leg is rebooked, the hotel knows you’ll check in late, and your luggage is automatically rerouted. You don’t have to lift a finger.”
She’s building technology that feels invisible but makes a meaningful and helpful difference in people’s lives. Expedia Group’s platform touches millions of travelers, and her team is helping shape its next chapter.
Travel may never be completely stress-free, but if Pickrell has her way, Expedia Group will make it feel close. She knows that people remember the things that go wrong on a trip, and they also remember the little things that make it easier. A timely status update. An automatic rebooking. A hotel room waiting for you in the middle of the night. The peace of mind of knowing someone’s already fixed the problem.
“My advice for MBA students is that it’s not a competition. It’s human nature to benchmark. We see a peer make director in three years and feel pressure to keep up. But I think it’s more important to find your happiness and figure out where your unique kind of shine is.”—Shiyi Pickrell
Opening doors with an MBA
For Pickrell, the ROI of the Foster MBA didn’t show up in a single job title. It showed up in every step that came afterward.
“When you make a choice in your life, such as pursuing an MBA, think not just about the immediate benefit, title, or salary, but what other doors it will open years down the road,” she advises.
And, she’s quick to push back on the idea of measuring yourself against others.
“My advice for MBA students is that it’s not a competition,” she says. “It’s human nature to benchmark. We see a peer make director in three years and feel pressure to keep up. But I think it’s more important to find your happiness and figure out where your unique kind of shine is.”
Pickrell’s shine? It’s clear. She’s a builder who sees the whole picture, a leader who blends logic and empathy, and a technologist who never forgets the human at the center of the experience.
For those navigating a career pivot, life change, or unexpected trip interruption, she has one more reminder: stay active, stay curious, and venture out of your hotel room.
Learn more about the Full-Time MBA here.