EXPERTISE: AI and applications to digital health, 5G/6G communications and cybersecurity

Dr. Honggang Wang, founding chair of the Graduate Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has received research grants totaling over $5 million from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Transportation.

Current projects include developing autonomous vehicle navigation algorithms for detecting hazardous road situations to make cars safer and developing AI-powered wearable devices to monitor drug use and aid in disease detection.

Previous work includes a portable, lightweight “intensive care unit,” which is a wearable biosensor system incorporating a wireless body area network that monitors remotely the physiology of infants to anticipate life-threatening events, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Dr. Wang, who is an IEEE Fellow and IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, received Outstanding Researcher and Leadership Awards from the IEEE Communications Society and served as chair of both the IEEE Technical Committee on Multimedia Communications and IEEE e-Health Technical Committee.

In addition, he served as editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed IEEE Internet of Things (IoT) Journal. His book, Wireless Health, published by Springer, was one of the first in the field.

Dr. Wang holds a Ph.D. in computer engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an M.S. in computer science and engineering and a B.E. in electrical engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China.

See his full bio.

EXPERTISE: Data Science, Data Analytics, Big Data, Machine Learning, Deep Learning

David Li brings 20+ years of experience as principal and senior executive from industry. An astrophysicist, his current research research interests include the cross-industry applications of machine learning and big data. He has published and presented at IEEE conferences, Analytical Chemistry and ACS national meetings.

He holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Johns Hopkins University.

EXPERTISE: Advanced software design and data-driven solutions; financial services technologies; quantitative models; algorithmic trading strategies

Kun Bao, a staff software engineer at Uber Technologies in New York, teaches the course Analytics Programming. At Uber Technologies, he leads the design, development and optimization of software systems critical to operations and engineering productivity.

Prior to Uber, he served as a quantitative developer at AQR Capital Management, playing a key role in launching multi-strategy funds and developing proprietary tools for alpha research, portfolio construction and risk management. In addition, He developed sophisticated quantitative models and trading systems that enhanced risk analysis and algorithmic trading strategies for Barclays Capital and Credit Suisse Securities. He specializes in building scalable, high-performance solutions for middle- to high-frequency trading.

Bao holds a master’s degree from New York University and a B.A. from Chongqing University.

EXPERTISE: Data Systems, Research Design

Dr. Jason Bryer is an assistant professor and associate director in the data science and information systems department at the City University of New York. He is the principal investigator of the $3 million FIPSE and $3.8 million IES-funded Diagnostic Assessment and Achievement of College Skills.

Dr. Bryer's research interests include quasi-experimental designs, with an emphasis in propensity score analysis, data systems to support formative assessment and the use of open source software for conducting reproducible research. He is the author of over a dozen R packages, including three related to conducting propensity score analyses.

He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in educational psychology and methodology from the State University of New York (SUNY).

EXPERTISE: Theoretical and computational statistical physics and its applications to complex systems, physical chemistry, material science and biological physics.

Sergey Buldyrev, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School's Department of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Graduate Computer Science and Engineering, has been a professor of physics at BMVGQ MARCHÉ - Postuler pour l’achat Le Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol : le fusil de chasse tactique semi-automatique le plus attendu pour 2025–2026 Expédition 24 heures since 2004. He served as chair of the Department of Physics from 2007 to 2010.

His research focuses on catastrophic cascades of failure in interdependent networks, such as power grids and internet cables, using simulated computer models. This research aims to understand how failures in one network can trigger a domino effect on others, and has applications in areas like military needs, epidemiology and finance.

His has held positions at Boston University from 1990 to 2004, first as a research associate and then as a senior research associate. His previous affiliations also include Bar-Ilan University and Sapienza University of Rome.

He has co-authored 404 publications. One of his publications, “Catastrophic cascades of Failure in Interdependent Networks," was cited in Physics Today, the flagship publication of the American Institute of Physics.

EXPERTISE: Financial Instrument Pricing and Forecasting

Andy Catlin, a data scientist and data system developer, teaches the Capstone; Internship; and Independent Study, as well as training courses Python, R, Java, C, C++, SQL, and NoSQL. He is an expert in financial instrument pricing and forecasting using the weighted Black Scholes Merton model, as well as incorporating yield curve analysis into emerging markets products.

He is also experienced at migrating client-server systems into web and cloud-hosted solutions, and his key initiatives included incorporating artificial intelligence and neural networks in specialized applications, C++ financial libraries, security authentication bottleneck correction, patient-days forecasting model using Box Jenkins, production replication architectures, and multiphase commit and log-shipping architectures.

His major clients include Fidelity Investments, Smart Money, Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, Manufacturers Hanover Trust, the National Football League and The Wall Street Journal. He is the founder of the tech startup Hudson Technology Group, which was acquired by Incepta.

Read his full bio.

EXPERTISE: Information Architecture, Data Warehousing, Business Intelligence

Brandon Chiazza, is chief technology officer in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, where he leads a team of 50 independent consultants and directs employees in three units—Enterprise Data Services, Project Management Office and Design and Quality Assurance—in the technology strategy division.

As part of his job, he oversaw the technical implementation of PASSPort Release 1, the replacement for VENDEX, the city’s vendor portal for vetting and preparing to do business with the city; PASSPort Release 2, the replacement of the city's purchasing system and the centralized creation of a citywide invoicing system; and Release 3, the city’s sourcing-to-contract system. The $50 million PASSPort project, an end-to-end cloud-based procurement solution for the City of New York, supports approximately 50,000 transactions and $21 billion in spending annually.

In addition, he oversaw the development of an Enterprise Data Warehouse & Business Intelligence system, a project that consolidated citywide procurement and contracting legacy systems into a centralized warehouse while leveraging a cloud-based infrastructure.

Chiazza holds an MPA in environmental and energy economics and environmental finance, and a B.S. in communication, applied economics and management from Cornell University.

EXPERTISE: Artificial general intelligence; computer vision; machine learning for education and climate science.

Iddo Drori, an associate professor, runs a superintelligence lab. He was an associate professor of the practice in the department of computer science at Boston University. Previously, he was a lecturer at MIT in EECS and visiting at MIT CSAIL, a visiting associate professor at Cornell University in operations research and information engineering, and a research scientist and adjunct professor at NYU Center for Data Science, Courant Institute, and NYU Tandon. 

For the past decade he has been teaching as an adjunct at Columbia University computer science. He has over 80 publications with over 7,000 citations, and has taught over 50 courses in computer science. He is the author of the textbook “The Science of Deep Learning,” published by Cambridge University Press, and the forthcoming book “Artificial General Intelligence: Mathematical Foundations”. He has a visiting position at Stanford University, and visiting associate professor at Tel Aviv University. 

Prof. Drori holds a Ph.D. in computer science and was a postdoctoral research fellow in statistics at Stanford University. He also holds graduate degrees in computer science and Mathematics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MBA in organizational behavior and entrepreneurship from Tel Aviv University, and has a decade of industry research and leadership experience. He has won multiple competitions in AI and computer vision conferences and received multiple best paper awards in machine learning conferences.

EXPERTISE: LLM-based industry applications, argumentation mining, and fact checking

Adam Faulkner, a senior manager of data science at Capital One, leads a Generative AI team focused on using large language models to automate analytics tasks.

From 2015 to 2018, he developed a question-answering system for clinicians as a postdoctoral researcher at IBM Research. After IBM, he joined Grammarly as a computational linguist, developing features for tone detection and grammatical error correction. During graduate school, he created systems for the automated evaluation of student writing as part of an NLP research group at Educational Testing Service and Amplify Education.

Faulkner holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the City University of New York. His dissertation was on the automated detection of argument stance in student writing.

EXPERTISE: Media and Advertising-Related Forecasting, Large-scale Anonymized Identity Models

Dr. Sergey Fogelson teaches three courses in Computational Statistics; Linear Algebra; and Machine Learning. He is a data scientist and data product architect with expertise in media and advertising-related pricing, scheduling and forecasting, as well as in large-scale anonymized identity models.

His major projects include building petabyte-scale data warehouses for media-asset management and consumption-analysis use cases; fault-tolerant data products utilizing human-in-the-loop, machine-learning algorithms for back-office financial applications; and risk-scoring algorithms for third-party cybersecurity vendor risk management.

His doctoral research examined hierarchical-category learning mechanisms in the visual system utilizing supervised learning algorithms applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging data.

Dr. Fogelson holds a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from Dartmouth College, and a B.A. and M.S. in cognitive science from the University of Georgia.

EXPERTISE: Healthcare Data Science, Machine Learning for Image Recognition

Lawrence Fulton teaches Data Analytics; Machine Learning; and Structured Data Management. He is a health data scientist with expertise in machine learning for image recognition, especially applied to 4D MRIs, and in healthcare simulation in Java, PySim, RSimmer and ProModel. He has published in over 70 peer-reviewed journals.

His current research focuses on the use of mathematical programming for improving health system performance in the areas of cost, quality and access, and previous work focused on the application of artificial intelligence and neural networks in specialized applications, the use of Python and R applications to health data science problems, and the application of hierarchical forecasting models using both imagery and time series data simultaneously. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. 

EXPERTISE: Dynamical Systems, Financial Mathematics, Topological Data Analysis

Dr. Gidea is associate dean of STEM research and director of the graduate programs in mathematical sciences. His research interests include dynamical systems and their applications, including celestial mechanics, mathematical physics, mathematical biology, financial mathematics and topological data analysis. 

From 2021 to 2022, he served as program director of the Mathematical Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation, where he guided and evaluated research at the national level. This role is awarded only to the most accomplished researchers in their respective fields.

Prior to joining BMVGQ MARCHÉ - Postuler pour l’achat Le Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol : le fusil de chasse tactique semi-automatique le plus attendu pour 2025–2026 Expédition 24 heures in 2013, he was a research professor at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton from 2011 to 2013, a tenured professor at Northeastern Illinois University from 2000 to 2013 and a visiting assistant professor at both Northwestern University and Loyola University Chicago.

Dr. Gidea he holds a Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo.

Read his full bio.

EXPERTISE: Data Services and Strategy

Amarildo Gjondrekaj, an industry professor in the M.S. in Data Visualization and Analytics program, teaches Data and Product Design. He is a manager of Global Strategic Alignment within Data & Services Strategy at Mastercard, where is has worked for almost five years.

He also teaches corporate strategy in the Department of Management at Baruch College. Born in Albania, Gjondrekaj moved to the States in the late 1990’s. He was co-lead of the advisory board for Madison Strategies Group, an economic empowerment organization, and for Solving Kids’ Cancer where he was chairman of their junior board for four years.

Gjondrekaj holds an MBA from Cornell Tech and an undergraduate degree in finance and investments from Baruch College.

EXPERTISE: Data and AI Technology, Data Science, Business Intelligence

Javier Guillen, a data and artificial intelligence technology specialist for one of the largest software companies in the world, teaches Virtual Design and Storytelling. He has 19 years of experience working in technology, data strategy and analytics and has participated in numerous deployments of corporate data and analytics initiatives involving reporting, governance, engineering and data science.

He co-founded the Charlotte Business Intelligence User Group, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Big Data, analytics education and professional networking in the U.S. Southeast.

Guillen holds an MBA from Schiller International University and a B.S. in psychology from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.

EXPERTISE: Human-AI interaction; eHealth; AI for social good

Dr. Mehdi Hasan, who is an AI for development (AI4D) professional, teaches the courses System Analysis & Design; Theoretical Computer Science; and Deep Learning & Neural Networks. He seeks to make technology a tool for determining the deficiency in expected results and actual outputs to establish social equity and good governance in emerging economies. He is a founder and executive director of Infotix, and is a reviewer of the International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications.

He is a senior project manager for Essen Healthcare, and was a senior project manager for One Brooklyn Health, project manager for IBM, scrum master for Toyota in Japan and project manager for BRAC in Bangladesh. In addition, he was an adjunct professor at Long Island University, City University of New York and Waseda University in Tokyo.

His research spans digital health, machine learning and health data systems, with a focus on improving healthcare delivery in low-resource settings. His most recent publication, a 2025 article in Critical Public Health, systematically reviews the factors influencing the adoption and acceptance of eHealth systems in Malaysia. In 2024, he co-authored a paper presented at the IEEE COMPAS conference, where he developed a machine learning model with explainable AI to predict survival outcomes in heart failure patients.

Earlier, he led studies on data accuracy and human health monitoring, including a 2020 article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, which introduced a predictive model for height tracking in Bangladeshi adult males to minimize input errors. He also examined the growth patterns in age-based anthropometric data gathered from remote healthcare systems, published in IJACSA in 2019. His 2017 IEEE TENCON paper explored the sources and types of errors in remote healthcare systems, offering critical insights into system design and user interaction. Collectively, his publications emphasize data-driven, human-centered approaches to improving healthcare accessibility and precision.

Hasan holds a Ph.D. in information science from Kyushu University and an M.Sc. in information systems from Kobe Institute of Computing.

EXPERTISE: Data Analysis, Data Design and Storytelling

Cristina Jeong teaches Data Design and Storytelling in the Data Analytics and Visualization master's program. Concurrently, she serves as a data analyst at Meta, focusing on content analytics on Facebook and Instagram. Previously, she was a data professional at IBM and Samsung.

She holds an MBA in statistics and marketing from the Zicklin School of Business and a B.S. in applied mathematics and hospitality management from Kyung-Hee University in Korea.

EXPERTISE: Microservice security, evasive malware analysis, automotive and embedded security, approximate computing and adversarial learning.

Dr. Kadiyala is a postdoctoral research fellow in the M.S. in Artificial Intelligence program. From 2015 to 2016, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in the field of designing approximate architectures for low-power hearing aids in the School of Electrical Engineering, and from 2016 to 2019 a postdoctoral fellow in the field of cybersecurity for embedded systems in the School of Computer Science and Engineering.

From 2019 to 2021, he was a research scientist at System Security Group, Institute for Infocomm Research, A-STAR Singapore. He was involved in developing anomaly detection algorithms for program behavior analysis and characterization of malware. His research work is supported by grants from the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and A-STAR Core Grant.

Dr. Kadiyala holds a Ph.D. in computer science engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

EXPERTISE: Financial applications of cognitive computational platforms, which combine distributed, cloud-based ecosystems with machine learning- and NLP-based technologies and advanced signal processing.

Dr. Yuri Katz, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School's Department of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Graduate Computer Science and Engineering, is the senior director of data science at S&P Global Market Intelligence. His team supports businesses with innovative solutions based on methods developed in the fundamental sciences and cutting-edge machine learning technologies.

He leads advanced risk-valuation, big data and predictive analytics, ranging from forecasting of systemic market downturns to projections of global hurricanes activity. He has hands-on experience with cutting-edge, cloud-based distributed data and computational platforms.

Previously, he was senior director of enterprise architecture for 17 years and a member of various task forces and committees that addressed major IT and strategic business initiatives. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences on topics ranging from topological data analysis to credit risk and climate finance.

Dr. Katz holds a Ph.D. in chemical physics from the Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

EXPERTISE: Artificial intelligence, geometric modeling, medical imaging

Ming Ma, an assistant professor, focuses his research on AI, geometric modeling and medical imaging, and he has published over 40 research papers in leading journals and conferences. Prior to joining the Katz School, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at Winona State University.

Ma holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Stony Brook University and has worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. 

EXPERTISE: Visualization and Predictive Modeling

Jeff Nieman, a data scientist and project manager with expertise in visualization and predictive modeling for Fortune 500 companies, including Ford and Cisco, teaches Predictive Modeling; Mathematics; Statistics; Machine Learning; and Project Management.

His current work involves building systems engineering and model governance and support using open source and COTS software, like Alteryx, Qlik, Tableau and DataRobot. He led an initiative to leverage data-science optimization across complex server ecosystems, increasing server performance and minimizing risk through automated system and usage monitoring.

Other key projects have included automating quoting for service renewals, tracking quoting and booking against opportunity data, enabling users to embed snapshots of visualizations in email notifications, and developing a major app for all Ford drivers.

Nieman holds and M.S. in data science from the City University of New York and a B.S. in chemical engineering from Michigan University.

EXPERTISE: Data Science and Education, Computational Research

Joy Payton, a data scientist, educator and engineer for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, teaches Analytics Programming at the Katz School. She supports researchers in mastering the tools of reproducible, computational research, and is an expert in curriculum development and web design.

Payton holds an M.S. in data science from the City University of New York and a B.A. in applied mathematics from Agnes College. She also has done advanced graduate work at Pennsylvania State University and Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid. 

EXPERTISE: R Programming, Casual Inference, Statistical Analysis

George Perrett, a visiting assistant professor and former director of research and data analysis at NYU, works at the intersection of machine learning and causal inference.

He holds an M.S. in applied statistics from New York University and an MPH from the University of Michigan.

EXPERTISE: Data Science, Visual Design and Storytelling, Data Driven Organizations

Jessica Rifkind is the senior director of strategy at Audible, an Amazon company, where she oversees a team that develops global innovation strategies based on quantitative data science and qualitative customer insights. She developed the strategy for Audible's new Plus offering and leads the three-year strategic planning and annual operating plan processes for Audible.

Prior to Audible, she worked as a strategy consultant at Boston Consulting Group, a data scientist within BCG Gamma, and in mission-driven investing at Arabella Advisors and Nonprofit Finance Fund.

Rifkind holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MPA from Syracuse University, and a B.S. in applied economics and management from Cornell University.  

EXPERTISE: Clinical Data Analytics, Epidemiological Research in Dialysis

Dr. Jochen Raimann, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School's Department of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Graduate Computer Science and Engineering, teaches Biostatistics and Informatics. He has been a full-time scientist at the Renal Research Institute since becoming a postdoctoral research fellow there in 2007. As director of data analytics, he conducts epidemiological research in dialysis, oversees research database management and national and international data transfers.

He is also an associate editor for the journals Trials and Scientific Reports, both part of the Springer Nature Publishing group, as well as a member of the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Easy Water for Everyone, which provides clean water to rural communities in developing countries.

Dr. Raimann holds an M.D. from the Medical University Graz, a Ph.D. from Maastricht University and an MPH with a focus on epidemiology and biostatistics from the City University of New York’s School of Public Health.

EXPERTISE: Health economics, healthcare quality      

Michael Schulte is an instructor in both the artificial intelligence and data analytics master’s programs at the Katz School. He is a health data scientist with expertise in health economics and healthcare quality. His research is focused on incorporating social determinants of health into healthcare quality, on improving on how quality is measured and evaluated in the long run, and on the ethical aspects of data science in healthcare.   

As a data analysis consultant with CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield, he is currently leading a team effort to develop innovative ways for measuring and improving health care quality using predictive models and data-driven intervention and anticipation programs. Prior to that, he was a senior health data analyst for Medicare STARS at Johns Hopkins HealthCare, where he built Tableau dashboards and developed executive-level reports to support Medicare STARS initiatives.     

Schulte holds an M.A. in applied economics and a B.A. in mathematics and philosophy from Western Michigan University, and teaches courses in Computational Statistics and Probability; Bayesian Statistics; Machine Learning; and Neural Networks and Deep Learning.

EXPERTISE: Data management, data analytics, data modeling

Samuel Strum, director of data technology in the customer office at Prudential Financial, teaches Structured Data Management at the Katz School. He has over 30 years of data management and analytics experience in industries such as retail, healthcare, telecommunications, hospitality and finance.

He has led data teams at companies such as Pfizer, Polo Ralph Lauren and AT&T, establishing data modeling, business intelligence and big data centers of excellence that have translated to top-line revenue gains.

Strum holds an M.S. in information systems from Drexel University and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Lafayette College. 

EXPERTISE: Quantitative Trading

Dr. David Sweet is a quantitative trader and former machine learning engineer at 3Red Partners, a social media company in New York. He co-founded a cryptocurrency trading company, Bedford Ave. Trading/Galaxy Digital Trading, which was acquired by the first crypto-focused investment bank.

He was the principal author of KDE 2.0 Development, published by Macmillan in 2000, and was a contributing author to Special Edition: Using KDE, also published by Macmillan. Both books explored computer programming and experimental methods for ML engineers working in finance and technology.

His book, Tuning Up: From A/B Testing to Bayesian Optimization, which is an extension of his lectures on tuning quantitative trading systems over the past three years, was published by Manning in 2023. In addition, he has published research in Nature; Physical Review Letters; and Physical Review D, and helped fashion the Nature research into an exhibit at the Museum of Mathematics in New York City.

Dr. Sweet holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in physics and B.A. in mathematics from Duke University.

EXPERTISE: Data science, data product design

Gary Sztajnman, a product data scientist at Verizon where he builds data products, teaches Data Product Design at the Katz Scvhool. In his previous work for an A.I. startup, he developed an application that learns musical taste to ensure that music composition is customized for each user. He has also won several hackathons.

Sztajnman holds an MIB in information and communications technology from Paris Dauphine University and an M.S. in data science from Columbia University.

EXPERTISE: Data analytics, predictive modeling, machine learning 

James Topor, managing director of Mirus Global Advisory Services, teaches the courses Analytics Programming; Data Science; and Data Acquisition Management. 

He is a management consultant and data scientist with expertise in data analytics, predictive modeling, machine learning, machine vision, systems integration and development, program and project management, and business strategy. He uses an integrative approach to the use of data and applied mathematics and technology to solve business problems.

Throughout his career, he has led numerous initiatives that involved data-driven strategy, business process improvement and process automation. His major clients have included businesses in the financial services, pharmaceutical, telecom and manufacturing industries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Topor holds an M.S. in data analytics from the City University of New York, an MBA in international business from George Washington University, an M.S. in computer science from Virginia Tech and a B.S. in computer science from Eastern Connecticut State University. 

EXPERTISE: Product development cycle

Esteban Wesson, an industry professor, teaches the course Data Design and Storytelling. He is a product manager in the AccuWeather for Business division where he handles a mobile application that delivers life-saving notifications and information.

His experience focuses on project and product management in large and small companies, with a focus on climate change effects on business.

Originally from Costa Rica, Wesson holds an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and an MBA from Cornell Tech.

EXPERTISE: Cybersecurity, applied machine learning, smart and mobile healthcare and mobile computing and sensing 

Yucheng Xie, an assistant professor, aims to develop privacy-preserving smart healthcare solutions through machine learning to enhance daily experiences while addressing security challenges posed by IoT devices. Before joining the Katz School, Dr. Xie was a visiting assistant professor at Purdue University in Indianapolis. 

He holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Read his full bio.

EXPERTISE: Information security; applied cryptography; wireless networking and sensing; distributed trust; and applied machine learning, with interests in practical security and privacy in IoT systems.

Shucheng Yu is the recipient of the Test of Time Paper Award of IEEE Infocom 2020 for his research on cloud data security. At the Stevens Institute of Technology, he directed the AISecLab research cluster of the ECE department. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of AAIA.

His journal publications focus on advancing security, privacy and efficiency in emerging network and computing systems. His 2023 work in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology explores cooperative non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based spectrum leasing involving multiple secondary users, improving spectral efficiency in wireless networks. Also in 2023, he co-authored a paper in IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security introducing SAFELearning, a federated learning framework that integrates secure aggregation with backdoor attack detectability. 

His 2022 publication in Applied Sciences presents a privacy-preserving method for deep neural network inference offloading, enhancing edge computing capabilities. His 2021 article in IEEE Transactions on Services Computing develops an indirect revocable key-policy attribute-based encryption (KP-ABE) system that can resist unauthorized revocation undoing. Finally, his 2020 contribution to the IEEE Internet of Things Journal proposes a low-latency, privacy-preserving scheme for outsourcing deep neural network inference—critical for secure, real-time applications in IoT. Collectively, these works demonstrate Yu’s commitment to developing secure, scalable solutions for distributed AI and networked systems.

Yu holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Vince Zhu has worked on improving how computers can learn to recognize and separate over 200 different human organs in medical images, focusing on using advanced deep learning techniques, like transformers, to make the system smarter at understanding and processing these images.

He is an algorithm engineer in the Global Medical AI Laboratory at Alibaba DAMO Academy in New York, and has been a faculty member in the Whiting School of Engineering and in the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University.

He holds four master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University: in data science, in computer science, in applied and computational mathematics and in business administration.

Honggang Wang, Ph.D.

EXPERTISE: Artificial intelligence and its applications to digital health, 5G/6G communications and cybersecurity

Dr. Honggang Wang is founding chair of the graduate Computer Science Department at the Katz School of Science and Health. An IEEE Fellow and IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Honggang Wang has received research grants totaling over $5 million from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Transportation.

As a senior faculty member at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Dr. Wang focused his research on the field of Internet of Things (IoT). One of his discoveries was a portable, lightweight “intensive care unit,” which includes a wearable biosensor system incorporating a wireless body area network that monitors remotely the physiology of infants to anticipate life-threatening events, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He is also developing autonomous vehicle navigation algorithms for detecting hazardous road situations to make cars safer.

He received an Outstanding Researcher Award from the IEEE Communications Society and served as chair of both the IEEE Technical Committee on Multimedia Communications and IEEE e-Health Technical Committee. He also served as editor-in-chief of the IEEE’s peer-reviewed Internet of Things Journal. His book, Wireless Health, published by Springer, was one of the first in the field.

Dr. Wang holds a Ph.D. in computer engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an M.S. in computer science and engineering and a B.E. in electrical engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China.

EXPERTISE: Industrial Cybersecurity, Information Security Management, Cloud Security, Social Entrepreneurship

Sivan Tehila, program director and a cybersecurity expert with over 15 years of experience, teaches the course Cybersecurity Audit, Assessment, and Testing. She is CEO of Onyxia, a cybersecurity strategy and performance platform.

She served in the Israel Defense Forces, fulfilling multiple positions including intelligence officer, CISO of Research and Analysis Division and head of the Information Security Department of the Intelligence Corps. She was honorably discharged as a captain. In addition, she was an information security officer and a profiler for the Israeli defense technology company RAFAEL and served as a cybersecurity consultant for the Israel Railways.

She currently runs technical and educational workshops in cybersecurity, speaks at conferences around the world and contributes to information and cybersecurity magazines, including SecurityWitch. She also has dedicated herself to promoting women in cybersecurity. In addition to Cyber Ladies NYC, she developed a unique cybersecurity program for Manhattan High School for girls.

Tehila holds an M.S. in business development from Haifa University and a Certified CISO from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

EXPERTISE: IT Operations, Information Security, Risk Management, Project Management, Technology Implementation, Process Improvement

David Schwed, who has over 20 years of experience in IT, IS and risk management, teaches the courses Architecture of Secure Operating Systems, Applications and Devices, and Leading Technology Organizations. He is also a practitioner-in-residence and chair of the cybersecurity program's advisory board.

He is chief operating officer of Halborn, an international computer and network security firm. Prior to joining Halborn, Schwed was global head of digital assets technology at BNY Mellon. He has built frameworks for information technology and information security from the ground up for major Fortune 200 companies in the financial sector, including Bank of New York Mellon, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney and Citigroup. With Citigroup, he led global IT audits to ensure compliance with a complex landscape of regulations that included SOX and GLBA. As chief information security officer for Galaxy Digital, a diversified merchant bank dedicated to digital assets and the blockchain technology industry, he led the vision, strategy and execution for information security while building out the IT infrastructure.

Schwed is co-founder, CIO and general counsel of MASS Communications, a leading connectivity and telecom management provider which was acquired by a Fortune 500 Telecommunications company.

He holds a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, as well as the industry certifications: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA); Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE); Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP); Certified Ethereum Professional (CEP); Certified DeFi Expert; and Certified Blockchain Security Professional. He is a member of the New York Bar.

EXPERTISE: Technology leadership; IT and information security program development; third-party risk; GRC; risk management

Jonathan Deutsch, an industry professor of cybersecurity, teaches the YU courses Cybersecurity Foundations and Leading Technology Organizations. He is a vice president of information security management at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he leads product security for various consumer bank offerings, working to identify, quantify and address security issues and changes to business risk.

Previously, he was a compliance lead for a New York City-based FinTech, where he led the maturation of their information security program and spearhead their SOC 2 compliance effort. He is passionate about information security, particularly as it relates to the role of human psychology in the defense of digital assets.

Jonathan holds an M.S in technology management from Columbia University and an M.S. in cybersecurity from the Katz School of Science and Health, as well several industry certifications: CISSP, CDPSE and AWS Cloud Practitioner.

EXPERTISE: Information Security, Risk, Governance, Management, Compliance, Data Privacy, Enterprise Cloud Security, Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy

Lev Feldman is principal security technical program manager at Amazon Web Services. He is an accomplished information security executive with over 20 years of expertise gained at large global enterprises: MetLife, Marsh Inc, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney and Citibank.

Before joining Amazon, he served as senior vice president at the CISO Office of Citigroup, one of the largest systemically important financial institution (SIFI).

Lev holds an MBA in global management from the University of Phoenix and an M.S. in information systems from the Stevens Institute of Technology, as well as the following industry certifications: ISACA's Certified Information Security Manager (CISM); Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP); Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP) by ISC²; Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) by CSA; AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner; AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate; and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

Mitch Haviv teaches the course, Risk Management and Cybersecurity. He is the chief information security officer for Terra Holdings/Brown Harris Steven, a major New York City real estate company. He has decades of experience on Wall Street in technology and financial market data.

He holds an MBA in finance and M.S. in computer science from New York University, and a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and certification as a Microsoft Azure Security Engineer.

EXPERTISE: Cyber Risk; Threat Detection and Response; Vulnerability Management; Third-Party Risk; Security Assessments; and Security Assurance

Elad Hod, an industry professor of cybersecurity, is a business information security officer at Bloomberg, with expertise in cyber risk, threat detection and response, vulnerability management, third-party risk, security assessments and security assurance. Previously, he was deputy chief information security officer, director of cyber risk and head of IT audit at AllianceBernstein, and IT audit manager at the New York Stock Exchange, where he worked for eight years in London and New York. In addition, he spent several years in the Israeli Defense Force.

Hod holds a B.S. in computer engineering and M.S. in computer science from New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, as well as the following professional certifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional; Certified Cloud Security Professional; Certified Information Systems Auditor; Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator; Certified Ethical Hacker; and GIAC Certified Pentester.

EXPERTISE: Network Design, Network Security, Technical Support, Information Security, Endpoint Security, Data Loss Prevention (DPL)

Yatia “Tia” Hopkins, vice president of global sales engineering with eSentire, a leading provider of managed detection and response (MDR) services, teaches Network, Data, and Communications Security. She has participated in a number of speaking engagements, including serving as a member of an expert panel at a private cybersecurity expo and delivering a workshop at the Apex CISO Assembly. She also frequently delivers industry insight sessions at conferences, such as RSA, Black Hat and Infosecurity Europe.

She is certifed as an information systems security professional (CISSP); ethical hacker (CEH); hacking forensics investigator (CHFI); in information technology infrastructure library (ITIL); as a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA); and a Cisco Certified Network Associate—Security (CCNA-S).

Hopkins holds an M.S. in cybersecurity and information assurance from Western Governors University and an M.S. in computer information systems security/information assurance from Kaplan University. 

EXPERTISE: Risk, Controls, Audit

David Imre, a director of information technology audit for the Americas division of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, a top 10 global bank, teaches Risk Management.

He has over 15 years of internal and external audit experience, primarily focusing on the financial services sector and other highly regulated industries. His expertise is in risks and controls involved in securing information technology and protecting information assets.

He holds an M.S. in applied mathematics from the Stevens Institute of Technology and is a certified information systems auditor (CISA) and certified fraud examiner (CFE).

EXPERTISE: Information Security; Governance; IT Risk; Financial Services Regulatory Compliance; Program Management; Agile and Waterfall Project Management; Project and Application Governance; Controls; Metrics; Consumer Privacy Protection

Eugene Levin, an industry professor in cybersecurity, teaches Leading Technology Organizations. He has more than 27 years of experience in software development, Agile project management, process improvement, software quality, project and application governance, and regulatory compliance, with a strong record of delivering successful projects that ensure compliance.

He has held progressively senior roles at JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, American Express, NYSE, Citi and Credit Suisse, was global head of project governance at Credit Suisse and oversaw IT SOX compliance at Sterling National Bank.

He currently manages large-scale information security and infrastructure programs with SEC compliance responsibility at an OTC exchange, and is an elected officer for the 4,200-member ISACA New York metropolitan chapter, a 501(c)6 organization of digital trust professionals.

Dedicated to diversity and inclusion, he was instrumental in creating a scholarship program for ISACA Global, an extensive international initiative spanning 19 chapters and involving over 200 students. He funded the Moisey Levin Memorial Scholarship, which supported three students during the 2022-2023 term, and continues to aid four underrepresented cybersecurity students this year.

Levin holds an M.S. in information systems and a B.A. in computer science from New York University, as well as the certifications: CISSP, CISA, CISM, CRISC, PMP, CSX-A, CSM, SAFe Agilist, ITIL, CSSGB and CSQE.

Kevin McKenzie is vice president and chief information security officer for Dollar Tree Stores. He has ample experience with regulated environments HIPAA, SOX and PCI, as well as the security frameworks, NIST 800-53, CIS/CSC 20, PCI-DSS, FISMA and ITIL.

Relevant prior leadership roles include his position as CISO at Clemson University where he was named the Information Security Executive of the South East and Information Security Executive of North America by the T.E.N. organization. At Health Sciences of South Carolina, he was responsible for SC-DHHS data for Medicare/Medicaid processing for the state at Clemson.

McKenzie holds a doctorate in career and technology education and master of science in business administration and management from Clemson University,

EXPERTISE: Cryptocurrencies

Peter Nossal, who has over 15 years of experience in industries that combine business and technology, teaches Fundamentals of Blockchain Technology. He is technical project manager at Halborn, an international computer and network security firm. Prior to joining Halborn, he was senior project manager at Gateway Health, a Highmark Health company.

He began his career in IT sales for Xerox and parlayed that experience into project management while working across several industries, including manufacturing, health care and oil and gas. He was a member of the adjunct faculty at Hampton University in the Religious Studies Department for six years and taught briefly at Tarrant County Community College.

He is an expert in cryptocurrencies and an investor, trader, miner and entrepreneur. He was a founder of Eschaton Research Partners, which provides research and educational services on Bitcoin, blockchain and other cryptocurrencies. 

Nossal holds an MBA from Slippery Rock University and an M.Th. from Regent University, as well as the industry certifications Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP).

EXPERTISE: Penetration testing; Adversarial simulation

Kevin Suckiel, a red teamer with over eight years of experience in physical and cybersecurity, teaches the course E-Discovery, Digital Evidence & Computer Forensics. He is a staff consultant at EY, where he simulates real-world attacks and assesses the vulnerabilities of various systems and organizations.

Before joining EY, Suckiel was a police officer with the NYPD, where he specialized in OSINT and physical security. He received multiple awards for his life-saving and crime-fighting efforts, and became a certified operator in hostile surveillance detection.

He is listed in the NIST database for identifying two common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) in open source software. He also is a conference speaker on offensive security adversarial tactics and techniques.

Suckiel holds an M.S in cybersecurity from the Katz School and a B.A. in sociology from Queens College, as well as the certifications OSEP, OSCP, OSWP, CREST, CEH, and eWPT.

Aleksandr Zhuk, chief information security officer at the San Francisco Open Exchange (SFOX), has 25-plus years of experience in delivering business value for Fortune 100 financial-services and startup organizations. He is the creator and co-founder of the Business Relationship Management Institute, a go-to source of professional learning and a community catalyst for more than 20,000 BRM professionals in 40 countries around the world.

He has published numerous articles on topics in IT and business management, and has taught and created a number of graduate courses in cybersecurity, IT management and organizational leadership.

He holds a doctorate in management and organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix and a master of engineering degree in cybersecurity policy and compliance from George Washington University, as well as the certifications BRMP, CISM, CISSP, CRISC, CDPSE, CSM and ITIL Expert.

EXPERTISE: Cybersecurity, Software, IoT, OT Security, Entrepreneurship and Startups

Amir Zilberstein is managing partner of Team8 Enterprise and chairman and co-founder of Claroty. He is a pioneer in the OT security market. Prior to Claroty, Zilberstein co-founded Waterfall Security Solutions, a manufacturer of high-end security gateways for the critical infrastructure markets.

In addition, he was co-founder of Gita Technologies and managed a team of exceptional researchers and developers in an elite cyber unit of the Israeli Defense Force. He is the inventor and author of more than 10 patents, most of which are in the field of cybersecurity.

Zilberstein holds a BSc and an MSc in computer sciences and mathematics from Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel.

EXPERTISE: Dynamical Systems, Financial Mathematics, Topological Data Analysis

Dr. Gidea is associate dean of STEM research and director of the graduate programs in mathematical sciences. His research interests include dynamical systems and their applications, including celestial mechanics, mathematical physics, mathematical biology, financial mathematics and topological data analysis. 

From 2021 to 2022, he served as program director of the Mathematical Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation, where he guided and evaluated research at the national level. This role is awarded only to the most accomplished researchers in their respective fields.

Prior to joining BMVGQ MARCHÉ - Postuler pour l’achat Le Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol : le fusil de chasse tactique semi-automatique le plus attendu pour 2025–2026 Expédition 24 heures in 2013, he was a research professor at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton from 2011 to 2013, a tenured professor at Northeastern Illinois University from 2000 to 2013 and a visiting assistant professor at both Northwestern University and Loyola University Chicago.

Dr. Gidea he holds a Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo.

Read Dr. Gidea’s full bio.

EXPERTISE: Celestial mechanics, chaos dynamics, dynamical systems, aerospace engineering, cosmology (Big Bang singularity).

Dr. Edward Belbruno, a clinical professor of mathematics, was a trajectory analyst for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1985, designing routes for U.S. spacecraft to Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars. While there, he formulated a new theory of space travel by using chaos theory to find low-energy transfers to the moon. His theory was dramatically demonstrated in 1991 when he rescued a Japanese robotic lunar spacecraft, Hiten, and successfully got it to the moon on a new type of route.

He has published two books in mathematics with Princeton University Press and is editor of eight proceedings volumes. He’s also a professional painter, with regular exhibitions in the United States and Europe. His paintings are in a number of collections, including the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Belbruno holds a doctorate in mathematics from NYU’s Courant Institute and has published over 60 research papers in professional journals in mathematics, celestial mechanics, aerospace engineering, astrophysics and cosmology.

Read Dr. Belbruno's full bio.

EXPERTISE: Theoretical and computational statistical physics and its applications to complex systems, physical chemistry, material science and biological physics.

Sergey Buldyrev, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School's Department of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Graduate Computer Science and Engineering, has been a professor of physics at BMVGQ MARCHÉ - Postuler pour l’achat Le Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol : le fusil de chasse tactique semi-automatique le plus attendu pour 2025–2026 Expédition 24 heures since 2004. He served as chair of the Department of Physics from 2007 to 2010.

His research focuses on catastrophic cascades of failure in interdependent networks, such as power grids and internet cables, using simulated computer models. This research aims to understand how failures in one network can trigger a domino effect on others, and has applications in areas like military needs, epidemiology and finance.

His has held positions at Boston University from 1990 to 2004, first as a research associate and then as a senior research associate. His previous affiliations also include Bar-Ilan University and Sapienza University of Rome.

He has co-authored 404 publications. One of his publications, “Catastrophic cascades of Failure in Interdependent Networks," was cited in Physics Today, the flagship publication of the American Institute of Physics.

Dr. Wenxiong Chen has been a mathematics professor at BMVGQ MARCHÉ - Postuler pour l’achat Le Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol : le fusil de chasse tactique semi-automatique le plus attendu pour 2025–2026 Expédition 24 heures since 2002. His research interests include nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations, fractional Laplacians and other non-local operators, nonlinear functional analysis, and geometric analysis. He has received six research grants from the National Science Foundation, among which he was the principal investigator in five of the grants. He has published over 80 papers/books published in refereed journals, including many in prestigious journals. He teaches introductory and advanced mathematics courses.

Read Dr. Chen's full bio.

Dr. Gabriel Cwilich is a professor of physics and director of the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program.

He holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.

Read Dr. Cwilich's full bio.

EXPERTISE: Dynamical systems, analysis, geometry and numerical computations 

Rafael de la Llave, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, is an emeritus professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is one of the leading international researchers in dynamic systems and mathematical physics.

He has been working on problems motivated by physics applications, such as convergence to equilibrium, stability of matter, semiclassical limits and magnetohydrodynamics. He received a Centennial Fellowship of AMS and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, has supervised 27 Ph.D. thesis candidates and has been a co-organizer of six special semesters at several institutes.

In addition to the Katz School, he has held positions at Princeton University, University of Minnesota, IHES and the University of Texas at Austin.

He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton University and bachelor’s degree in physics from Univ. Complutense.

Miodrag Iovanov, a clinical associate professor of mathematics, focuses his research on algebra and related fields, and has published widely in noncommutative algebra and ring theory, Hopf algebras and quantum groups, representation theory, category theory, combinatorics/discrete math and linear algebra, as well as homological algebra and category theory, topology and combinatorics.

Prior to joining the Katz School, he was an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Iowa, as well as a visiting associate professor at St. John's University and an instructor at CUNY City College. He is editor of the Journal of Algebra and its Application and was co-principal investigator of the 2019 NSF-funded project, “Homological Methods and Tilting Theory of Finite Dimensional Algebras.”

Iovanov holds a Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo and an M.S. and B.S. from the University of Bucharest in Romania. 

EXPERTISE: Financial applications of cognitive computational platforms, which combine distributed, cloud-based ecosystems with machine learning- and NLP-based technologies and advanced signal processing.

Dr. Yuri Katz, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School's Department of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Graduate Computer Science and Engineering, is the senior director of data science at S&P Global Market Intelligence. His team supports businesses with innovative solutions based on methods developed in the fundamental sciences and cutting-edge machine learning technologies.

He leads advanced risk-valuation, big data and predictive analytics, ranging from forecasting of systemic market downturns to projections of global hurricanes activity. He has hands-on experience with cutting-edge, cloud-based distributed data and computational platforms.

Previously, he was senior director of enterprise architecture for 17 years and a member of various task forces and committees that addressed major IT and strategic business initiatives. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences on topics ranging from topological data analysis to credit risk and climate finance.

He holds a Ph.D. in chemical physics from the Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

EXPERTISE: Geometric Analysis, Partial Differential Equations and Mathematical Physics

Dr. Marini is a professor of mathematics. Her teaching interests include Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, with applications to modeling in environmental and biological sciences; Calculus and Advanced Calculus; Topology; Linear Algebra; Abstract Algebra; Real and Complex Variables; Functional Analysis; Geometric Analysis; Morse Theory; Differential Geometry; and Lie Groups.

Dr. Marini received the Instructorship Award at the University of Utah and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Read Dr. Marini's full bio.

EXPERTISE: Rigorous mathematics and computer simulations to study the physics of condensed matter.

Dr. Prodan is a professor of physics and teaches introductory and advanced physics courses. He has taught one-semester courses in thermodynamics, mathematical physics and classical waves. His background is in mathematical physics, specifically in operator theory, spectral analysis and constructive quantum field formalism.

He recently received a three-year NSF grant for "Topological Dynamics of Hyperbolic and Fractal Lattices." He was among the 2016 recipients of the Keck Foundation research awards for the collaborative project "Engineering New Materials Based on Topological Phonon Edge Modes." Dr. Prodan also received in 2011 the NSF CAREER award for his proposal "Strong Disorder and Electron Interaction Effects in Topological Insulators."

Dr. Prodan holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Rice University.

Read Dr. Prodan's full bio.

EXPERTISE: Clinical Data Analytics, Epidemiological Research in Dialysis

Dr. Jochen Raimann, a member of the affiliate research faculty in the Katz School's Department of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Graduate Computer Science and Engineering, is a full-time scientist at the Renal Research Institute since becoming a postdoctoral research fellow there in 2007. He teaches in the M.A in Mathematics and the M.S. in Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship (Biostatistics and Informatics).

As director of data analytics, he conducts epidemiological research in dialysis and oversees research database management and national and international data transfers. He is also an associate editor for the journals Trials and Scientific Reports, both part of the Springer Nature Publishing group. In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Easy Water for Everyone, which provides clean water to rural communities in developing countries and supports the organization’s research efforts.

Dr. Raimann holds an M.D. from the Medical University Graz, a Ph.D. from Maastricht University and an MPH with a focus on epidemiology and biostatistics from the City University of New York’s School of Public Health. 

Dr. Gioia Ciani is the program director and an associate professor in the OT Doctorate program, and has over 20 years of clinical experience working with people of all ages, including patients with neuromuscular conditions, and with palliative multidisciplinary care teams.  

Dr. Ciani holds a doctorate in occupational therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and a master of science in occupational therapy from Mercy University. She has presented internationally, nationally and regionally on pediatrics, neuromuscular conditions and occupational therapy education.

Expertise: Disability inclusion; disaster risk reduction and management; welfare of children with disabilities and their families.

While on the faculty at the University of Santo Tomas, Charles Bermejo worked on a project with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, which helped build a community resilience plan that focusd on children in Pugad Island, Hagonoy, Bulacan, and on another project that assisted Sitio Galilee in Antipolo to promote disability-child friendly spaces during emergencies.

In addition, he was involved in a project with Save the Children Philippines in promoting childhood disability prevention, and led an undergraduate study on the use of Facebook social support groups to help caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder cope with stress.

He holds a master of science in occupational therapy from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines.

Terese Betts, a clinical assistant professor, teaches the courses Occupational Therapy Profession and Practice; Preparatory Methods; and Skills Lab: Children and Adolescents. She has over 12 years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, working with students with disabilities in preschool through high school. 

She serves as the SIS chair for the Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association and was its professional development co-chair. In addition, she is a reviewer for the American Occupational Therapy Association. Her research interests include women’s health, sleep and occupational well-being, and faculty development and leadership.

Betts holds a occupational therapy doctorate from New York University and an M.S. in occupational therapy from Howard University.

Teresa Ludwig, who has been an occupational therapist for over 29 years, is the program's Academic Fieldwork Coordinator teaches the courses Introduction to Doctoral Fieldwork 1; Fieldwork I Older Adult; Fieldwork I Adult; Fieldwork I Children and Adolescents; Doctoral Fieldwork II; Fieldwork II-A; Fieldwork II-B; Occupational Performance Child and Adolescent; Skills Lab: Child and Adolescent; and Assessment and Screening II.

Her areas of practice are adult neurology and pediatrics, and her clinical experience includes acute-care hospitals, rehabilitation centers and outpatient facilities. She also has clinical experience in school-based occupational therapy and is an approved early intervention provider.

Ludwig holds a doctor of occupational therapy from Eastern Kentucky University, and a master's degree in occupational therapy and bachelor of science degree in occupational therapy from SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, as well as a bachelor of science degree in elementary education with a concentration in math from LIU Post. In addition, she holds certification as an autism spectrum disorder clinical specialist.

Kieran Morrissey, a hand therapist at Spear Physical Therapy in Midtown Manhattan, teaches the courses Assessments and Screening and Preparatory Methods II. At Spear Physical Therapy, he is the OT fieldwork coordinator for student placements. 

He holds a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Sacred Heart University and holds credentials in MSOT, OTR/L, and CHT.

Dr. Asha Roy is the interim doctoral capstone coordinator and a clinical assistant professor specializing in work and industry, employee safety, ergonomics, injury prevention, and health and wellness. Dr. Roy brings extensive clinical and administrative experience from senior leadership positions at Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare system, where she led workforce wellness initiatives aimed at reducing workplace injuries and promoting employee well-being.

Casey Stewart, MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with more than 12 years of experience providing family-centered care across various settings. She specializes in working with infants, children, and young adults with complex medical, developmental, neurological, and orthopedic needs. Her clinical interests include neonatal follow-up, splinting, and adaptive equipment. Casey has contributed to the development of multidisciplinary programs and innovative service delivery models to improve functional outcomes. She is actively engaged in professional scholarship and has presented on intensive pediatric therapy approaches at national occupational and physical therapy conferences. Casey is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration, mentorship, and advancing best practices in pediatric occupational therapy.

EXPERTISE: Pediatrics; neuroscience; assistive technology 

Dr. Tina Weisman, a clinical assistant professor, has more than three decades of experience in neurorehabilitation, with expertise in pediatrics, neuroscience and assistive technology. She most recently served as clinical supervisor at Cerebral Palsy of Westchester and previously as OT manager at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, N.Y.

She specializes in neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT), motor learning, assistive technology and adaptive seating. Dr. Weisman has co-instructed the NDTA/Bobath eight-week pediatric course in the United States and Israel, and continues to teach professional continuing education workshops in pediatric neurorehabilitation for occupational, physical and speech therapists. She also consults with Enabling Devices, supporting the design and adaptation of toys and devices for children with special needs.

In addition to her clinical leadership, Dr. Weisman has extensive teaching experience locally and abroad. She was a member of the adjunct faculty at Mercy, Touro and Dominican universities, and is an annual guest lecturer at Sacred Heart University. Internationally, she has presented and mentored on pediatric assistive technology, neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) handling and the role of occupational therapy in innovation through programs such as the International Mentorship Program and Tikkun Olam Makers. 

She holds a doctor of occupational therapy from American International College. Her doctoral research focused on interprofessional faculty training perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she also presented at the 2021 NYSOTA Annual Conference.

EXPERTISE: Image reconstruction with scanning probe microscopes, atomistic modeling of materials, quantum optics, and mathematical optimization

Dr. Fredy Zypman is a professor and chair of of physics, and is the author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles. He received the 2018 Materials Today Embracing Challenge Award, and an award for a Best Paper in the Journal of Physics. 

He has received research grants from NSF, NIH, NASA, NIH and the U.S. Department of Energy, and awards for his contributions to NASA, a NASA Faculty Research Fellowship and a Research Corporation award. In addition, he has three patents on probe microscopy.

Dr. Zypman holds a Ph.D. in physics from Case Western Reserve University.

Read Dr. Zypman's full bio.

Dr. Asherie is a professor of physics and biology. His research interest is to make it possible to predict the phase behavior of protein solutions and to learn to control protein self-assembly. Proteins can self-assemble into a variety of phases (crystals, dense liquids, aggregates, and gels), but this phase behavior is not well understood. The inability to predict protein phase behavior inhibits progress on many biophysical problems, including protein condensation diseases, the industrial purification of proteins, and the determination of the high-resolution x-ray structures of proteins. A combined experimental and computation approach is used to understand the relationship between the molecular interactions and the macroscopic phases.

He holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Read Dr. Asherie's full bio.

Dr. Gabriel Cwilich is a professor of physics and director of the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program.

He holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.

Read Dr. Cwilich's full bio.

EXPERTISE: Crystallization of water

Dr. Ran Drori, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of BMVGQ MARCHÉ - Postuler pour l’achat Le Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol : le fusil de chasse tactique semi-automatique le plus attendu pour 2025–2026 Expédition 24 heures since 2017, teaches Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Stern College for Women. He is a co-founder of µ-Ice, a company that makes microscope-mounted cold-stages.

His current research focuses on the crystallization of water which affects various processes globally and in our daily lives. Ice crystals cause freezing when they grow inside organisms living in sub-freezing conditions. Similarly, the formation of gas hydrates in flowlines transporting gas and oil causes safety and economic risks, and the release of methane from gas hydrates to the atmosphere contributes to global warming. Antifreeze proteins are evolution’s answer to the problem of freezing in organisms, and some synthetic inhibitors of gas hydrates are currently in use. However, the mechanisms by which these natural and synthetic inhibitors work remain largely unclear.

His lab is using a unique combination of cold stages, fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics to study the effects of molecular agents on the crystallization of water.

Dr. Drori holds a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He was trained as a postdoctoral researcher at NYU's chemistry department.

Read Dr. Drori's full bio.

Dr. Mark Edelman is an clinical full professor at the Stern College for Women. He teaches General Properties of the Fractional Dynamical Systems, Mathematical Physics, Physical Universe, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Physics I, and Physics II.

He received the American Astronomical Society Grant awarded for the investigation of the stability of oblique MHD shock waves and, in 2016, he received an international Zaslavsky Prize in Nonlinear Science and Complexity. 

He holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Odessa University.

Read Dr. Edelman's full bio.

Dr. Anderson Oliveira’s research consists of expressing and characterizing new classes of photoproteins—recently isolated by his research team from deep-sea luminous invertebrates, such as corals and squids. The new groups of photoproteins found in some of these organisms are the first wild-type photoproteins able to emit green light upon calcium addition, which presents higher detection sensitivity of calcium-dependent biological processes.

EXPERTISE: Rigorous mathematics and computer simulations to study the physics of condensed matter.

Dr. Prodan is a professor of physics and teaches introductory and advanced physics courses. He has taught one-semester courses in thermodynamics, mathematical physics and classical waves. His background is in mathematical physics, specifically in operator theory, spectral analysis and constructive quantum field formalism.

He recently received a three-year NSF grant for "Topological Dynamics of Hyperbolic and Fractal Lattices." He was among the 2016 recipients of the Keck Foundation research awards for the collaborative project "Engineering New Materials Based on Topological Phonon Edge Modes." Dr. Prodan also received in 2011 the NSF CAREER award for his proposal "Strong Disorder and Electron Interaction Effects in Topological Insulators."

Dr. Prodan holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Rice University.

Read Dr. Prodan's full bio.