Fueled by the generosity of donors, Stevens faculty are empowering students and driving innovation with real-world impact. From exemplary teaching and hands-on student mentorship to leading-edge research in critical fields, our faculty are shaping tomorrow’s leaders and driving progress on a global scale. Behind these achievements are dedicated donors whose support ensures Stevens faculty have the resources to excel.
Trustee Emeritus Rick Roscitt ’73 made a generous commitment this year to establish the Richard R. Roscitt 1973 Endowed Chair in Computing and Automation. He created the chair to both support faculty and elevate Stevens’ innovation in these emerging fields.
“Faculty is the heart of the university that drives the learning,” Roscitt said. “The chair position allows the dean to recruit an outstanding faculty member either from within the university or from outside who has a special talent and allows them to focus their energy on a very specific subject matter.”
“Stevens has already made great progress in AI and software and has extraordinary faculty,” Roscitt said. “The new chair gives Stevens the ability to concentrate on these areas with additional financial support. All businesses globally, and all universities, will need to rapidly adapt to the accelerating advances in AI and computing. It’s essential that Stevens, as a technological university, is front and center.”
A longtime generous supporter of Stevens, Roscitt previously established the Richard R. Roscitt Endowed Chair in Leadership, a position held by Wei Zheng, associate professor in the School of Business. Zheng, co-director of the Inclusive Leadership Certificate Program, helped inspire Roscitt’s support for a second chair.
“Dr. Zheng has done an amazing job in the leadership chair,” Roscitt said. “It has been my privilege to watch her make tremendous contributions and achievements. You take special pride when you fund a chair and that chair turns out to be a superstar like she is. It certainly encourages you to continue down that path.”
“As a nearly 30-year member of the Board of Trustees, I’ve seen the university from every single angle,” he added. “The faculty is quasi-permanent and if you support that faculty, you are right at the nerve center of the organization. Strong faculty support is essential for a great university.”
Strengthening Recruitment
Endowed chairs play an essential role in attracting outstanding faculty to Stevens. The Steven Shulman ’62 Endowed Chair for Business Leadership recognizes faculty who excel in research and teaching while providing vital resources to enrich student learning. The chair position empowered Dean Gert-Jan “GJ” de Vreede to recruit Professor Douglas Cumming, a scholar of international distinction, to the School of Business.
Cumming joined Stevens in August after serving as the DeSantis Distinguished Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship at the College of Business, Florida Atlantic University, from 2017-2025. Previously, he was the Ontario Research Chair and professor at the Schulich School of Business at York University.
“The Steven Shulman ’62 Endowed Chair for Business Leadership is a true mark of distinction for the School of Business,” de Vreede said. “Endowed chairs are one of the highest honors a university can bestow, recognizing faculty who have a transformative impact on both research and teaching.”
“We are deeply grateful to Steven Shulman for his devotion to Stevens and for creating this chair,” he said. “It has enabled us to recruit Professor Cumming, an internationally recognized scholar whose expertise in finance and entrepreneurship enhances the reputation and impact of our school. The ability to attract faculty of his caliber ensures that our students not only learn from leading researchers, but also benefit from their insights in today's rapidly evolving economy.”
Elevating Teaching and Research
Jennifer Kang-Mieler, a prominent leader in ophthalmology and vision science, is the chair and George Meade Bond Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Mary Jane and Frank Semcer ’65 Center for Healthcare Innovation. The professorship is named in honor of Bond, an engineer and innovator, who graduated Stevens in 1880.
“It is a great honor to be named the George Meade Bond Professor,” Kang-Mieler said. “Mr. Bond was first introduced to research during his senior year at Stevens, which eventually inspired him to invent a comparator for checking standards of length. His research experience as a student sparked his innovation. Similarly, my path to research, especially in biomedical engineering, was shaped by my undergraduate research experience. To honor his legacy, I plan to continue inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators.”
Kang-Mieler’s Laboratory of Ophthalmic Research Development is dedicated to turning technological advances into better treatments for retinal vascular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, working in close collaboration with medical professionals. She also participates in clinical societies and conferences. Holding a George Mead Bond Professorship allows her to expand both her research and teaching endeavors.
“Research and teaching go hand in hand, and what we discover in our laboratory is used in our teaching,” she said, adding that she invites undergraduate students to work in her lab alongside her Ph.D. students. “My goal is to give students hands-on experience, mentorship and guidance that can nurture their curiosity, creativity and confidence. I also aim to create a supportive and collaborative environment in my laboratory where students can learn from each other and from me. By inspiring students to pursue research, I hope to contribute to advancing knowledge and innovation in engineering, which sparked Mr. Bond's passion.”
Amplifying Recognition
Brendan Englot serves as the Anson Wood Burchard Endowed Professor and Director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on perception, navigation and decision-making algorithms that enable mobile robots to achieve robust autonomy in complex physical environments. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, U.S. Army and various sponsors in industry.
“The generous support of the Burchard Professorship allows me to provide students with tools, resources, infrastructure and training that enable them to conduct world-class research at Stevens and compete with high-achieving research labs all over the world,” Englot said.
He noted that professorships provide resources that allow faculty to take risks in pursuing research and educational endeavors with the potential for transformative impact.
“It is a great honor to hold this position, since it signifies that my achievements and expertise are held in high regard by my own university community,” Englot said. “This recognition, in turn, also means a great deal to peers and colleagues in my field, as well as potential research sponsors.”
“I am deeply grateful for the support and recognition,” he added. “It is a force multiplier that allows me to take strategic risks in pursuing new avenues of research, achieve higher levels of visibility and recognition, provide world-class training to my students, and empower them to perform research of the highest caliber.”
For Yuping Huang, Viola W. and Elbert C. Brinning Endowed Professor and director of the Center for Quantum Science and Engineering (CSQE), having the named position is both “recognition and motivation.”
CSQE takes a cross-disciplinary approach to pursue innovative quantum engineering research, development and education. Led by Huang, more than 40 faculty, postdoctoral and student researchers from ten research groups in seven interdisciplinary units at Stevens contribute to significant developments in quantum computing, along with industrial and academic partners. Huang, along with Lac Nguyen Ph.D. ’23, was honored with an Edison Patent Award by the Research & Development Council of New Jersey in 2023 for their quantum-security patent. His research has received support from multiple federal funding agencies.
Huang noted that the professorship will help to recruit talented students and secure external funds. “I appreciate the trust and support from the leadership,” he said, “which enables us to aim high and achieve high.”
The generosity of our donors empowers faculty to inspire, teach and innovate with excellence. By investing in faculty, Stevens supporters help to elevate innovative teaching, advance leading-edge research, strengthen recruitment and propel our students as tomorrow’s changemakers.
