Stevens Institute of Technology Selects Brendan Englot as Interim Dean for its New School of Computing
The robotics expert, mechanical engineering professor and SIAI director brings a track record of visionary cross-disciplinary leadership to the school’s launch and will empower its students and faculty to lead in the era of AI
Hoboken, N.J., July 29, 2026 — Stevens Institute of Technology announced today that Brendan Englot, a robotics expert and academic leader, has been appointed as interim dean of the School of Computing, for a term of two years, effective August 1.
Currently the Anson Wood Burchard Endowed Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI), Englot has 15 years of experience developing and deploying mobile robots and autonomous navigation algorithms via land, air and sea.
A fascination for the multi-dimensional nature of the field of robotics, discovered in his undergraduate years, drove Englot to cultivate the broad perspective and deep expertise needed to thrive in the field: looking beyond mechanical engineering skills, to electronics, programming, design, algorithms and AI knowledge as well. A member of the Stevens community since 2014, Englot has long taken a collaborative approach to his work, dating back to early underwater robotics testing in partnership with the Davidson Laboratory. His research at Stevens as a PI and co-PI has been funded by a wide range of government sponsors, including NSF, ONR, DARPA, IARPA, USDA-NIFA, US Army DEVCOM, along with several industry sponsors. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and a co-author of eight U.S. patents and more than 75 refereed journal and conference papers. Eight PhD students have graduated from Stevens under his supervision. Frequently sought after by the media for his perspective on the burgeoning field of robotics and other emerging technologies, he is a skilled communicator and educator, adept at translating complex topics into accessible language and helping the public understand the importance of research happening at the frontiers of technology.
His honors include the NSF CAREER Award (2017), the ONR Young Investigator Award (2020), the Provost's Award for Research Excellence (2021) recognition on New Jersey's Innovate100 List of Innovation Leaders (2025) and AMiner's list of the most influential scholars in robotics. He holds a Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. in mechanical engineering, all from MIT.
Englot will lead the school through its two-year launch period. The School of Computing, opening in fall 2026, will allow students to pursue rigorous studies in computing itself, as well as its application to health, finance, the arts and other fields. The creation of the school is in response to surging demand for professionals who can apply AI and computing skills within their own disciplines and reinforces Stevens' standing as a national leader in graduate outcomes, reflecting the school’s commitment to preparing students to lead in the AI era.
Alongside Englot's appointment, the school announced the hiring of three new faculty members: Adam Coscia, joining from Georgia Tech, whose research sits at the intersection of visual analytics, data science, human-centered computing and artificial intelligence; Zhen Tan, joining from Arizona State University, whose research focuses on AI interpretability and explainable, trustworthy AI; and Noam Zilberstein, joining from Cornell University, whose work centers on programming languages and formal methods. Their expertise in these essential subjects will augment the school's teaching and research capacity ahead of its fall 2026 launch.
“Dr. Englot brings a rare combination of skills and expertise to this role. Beyond his deep technical knowledge in AI and robotics, he has strong collaborations with faculty throughout Stevens as well as demonstrated leadership in facilitating cross-disciplinary partnerships through SIAI,” said Nariman Farvardin, president of Stevens. “This is precisely the kind of leadership we need as the School of Computing takes shape over these critical first two years.”
“Brendan's work leading SIAI and his track record of significant research puts him at the center of the cross-disciplinary thinking this new school is built on. He's the right leader to guide the School of Computing through its launch,” said Jianmin Qu, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
“This is a pivotal moment for computing education, and I'm honored to help lead the School of Computing through its launch. Over the next two years, my priority is to build a foundation, in curriculum, faculty hiring and interdisciplinary partnerships, that will position our students, faculty and the school itself to lead for many years to come,” said Englot.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens’ education and research. Within the university’s three schools and one college, more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni and return on tuition investment.
Stevens Media Contact
Kara Panzer
Director of Public and Media Relations
Division of University Advancement
845-475-4594
[email protected]
