Charles V. Schaefer Jr. School of Engineering & Science Welcomes 23 New Faculty and Lecturers for the 2022-2023 Academic Year

The Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science at Stevens Institute of Technology has recruited 15 new tenure stream and non-tenure stream faculty members and eight lecturers for the 2022-23 academic year. The latest group, whose research areas range from machine learning and human-computer interaction to electron microscopy and nanofluid technology, brings the total number of new faculty hires to 80 over the last five years.

Dean Jean Zu welcomes each new faculty member to the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science and promises opportunities for growth and career development, research support, and collaboration. “We are elated to have our new faculty on campus and have great confidence that their talents and contributions will be extraordinary assets to our school and our students.”

The new cohort of faculty represents researchers and exceptional instructors whose diverse opinions and perspectives will enhance both the school’s leading-edge research enterprise and teaching excellency. “They join our existing collaborative and interdisciplinary community of globally recognized experts and thought leaders who are committed to Stevens’ core value of using technology and creativity to foster innovation and address complex global challenges,” Zu added.

The addition of new instructors will also allow the school to maintain a low student-to-faculty ratio, providing students with individualized attention through authentic interactions and mentorship during their Stevens education.

Hailing from prestigious research and educational backgrounds, the new members of the Stevens community are as follows:

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Jennifer Kang-Mieler, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Ph.D.: Northwestern University
Recent Affiliation: Illinois Institute of Technology
Specialization: Blood Flow, Drug Delivery, and Imaging related to Retinal Vascular Diseases

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Sarah Goodman, Teaching Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Recent Affiliation: The Dalton School (a high school)
Specialization: Electron Microscopy; Organic Optoelectronics

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Paola DiMarzio, Teaching Associate Professor, Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Ph.D.: State University of Rome
Recent Affiliation: Stevens Institute of Technology
Specialization: Viral-Host Interactions; Immunopathogenesis

Denver Baptiste, Lecturer, Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Ph.D.: Howard University
Recent Affiliation: St. Peter’s University

Jeffrey Raab, Lecturer, Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Ph.D.: Seton Hall University
Recent Affiliation: University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering

Karim Karam, Teaching Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering
Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Recent Affiliation: Stevens Institute of Technology
Specialization: Infrastructure Planning; Infrastructure Construction Engineering and Management

Ronghuan Xu, Lecturer, Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering
Ph.D.: New Mexico State University
Recent Affiliation: New Mexico State University

Department of Computer Science

Abrar Alrumayh, Teaching Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Ph.D.: Temple University
Recent Affiliation: Temple University
Specialization: Security and Privacy of Audio-based Systems; Smart Health Systems

Hua (Julia) Fang, Professor, Computer Science
Ph.D.: Ohio University
Recent Affiliation: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth & UMass Medical
Specialization: Machine Learning/Statistical Learning; Behavioral Trajectory Pattern Recognition

Patrick Hill, Lecturer, Computer Science
Recent Affiliation: Stevens Institute of Technology

Jonggi Hong, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Ph.D.: University of Maryland, College Park
Recent Affiliation: Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
Specialization: Human-Computer Interaction; Machine Learning; Accessibility

Kazi Lutful Kabir, Teaching Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Ph.D.: George Mason University
Recent Affiliation: George Mason University
Specialization: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics; Data Mining; Machine Learning

Reza Peyrovian, Senior Lecturer, Computer Science
Ph.D.: University of Miami
Recent Affiliation: Stevens Institute of Technology

Nikhil Muralidhar, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Ph.D.: Virginia Tech
Recent Affiliation: Virginia Tech
Specialization: Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning; Data Science and Analytics; Cybersecurity and Privacy

Jacek Ossowski, Teaching Associate Professor, Computer Science
Ph.D.: New York University
Recent Affiliation: Franklin Templeton (formerly QS Investors, LLC)
Specialization: Machine/Deep Learning; Reinforcement Learning; Probability; Stochastic Processes

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Michel Ouendeno, Teaching Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ph.D.: Florida Institute of Technology
Recent Affiliation: Florida Institute of Technology
Specialization: Information Processing; Pattern Recognition

Eve Riskin, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Stevens Dean for Undergraduate Education
Ph.D.: Stanford University
Recent Affiliation: University of Washington
Specialization: Image Processing; Signals and Systems; Communications

Tewodros (Teddy) Zewde, Teaching Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ph.D.: Syracuse University
Recent Affiliation: Wichita State University
Specialization: Wireless Communication and Networking; PMU and Smart Grid Security

Department of Mathematical Sciences

Benjamin Leinwand, Assistant Professor, Mathematical Sciences
Ph.D.: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Recent Affiliation: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Specialization: Networks (Temporal; Dense Weighted; Multilayer)

Monika, Lecturer, Mathematical Sciences
Ph.D.: University of Memphis
Recent Affiliation: University of Memphis

Paul Schwartz, Lecturer, Mathematical Sciences
Ph.D.: University of Florida
Recent Affiliation: University of Florida

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Zahra Pournorouz, Teaching Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D.: University of Texas, Arlington
Recent Affiliation: Tarleton State University
Specialization: Nanofluid Technology; Synthetic Oil Thermal Performance Enhancement; Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Chaitanya Vallabh, Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D.: Clarkson University
Recent Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh