Carineh Ghafafian has had the privilege of balancing multiple perspectives in her experiences as a materials, mechanical, and aerospace engineer. She has worked at the intersection of all three fields on sustainable composite applications, including wind energy and hydrogen storage solutions. Within composites manufacturing, her work has focused on repairing components for extended service, incorporating recyclability into existing structures, and developing waste reduction production methods to directly address the need for end-of-life solutions.

In addition to her student mentoring at work, she has made conscious efforts to weave in teaching of STEM topics to diverse audiences, including women from migrant backgrounds who resettled in Germany and pre-university students in small towns in Armenia. Her experiences in different industries and multiple countries have driven her to advocate for an end-of-life prioritization when approaching design problems.