New York Tech Welcomes New Faculty

Pictured: Some of the new full-time faculty at orientation on August 29 at the New York City campus.

After a long, pandemic-driven hiatus, New York Institute of Technology once again welcomed new (and recently hired) faculty in person at an August 30 reception at the newly renovated Salten Hall Café on the Long Island campus.

Due to COVID-19, this event has not been held since 2019, so this year’s reception served to celebrate all new full-time faculty members who have joined New York Tech since the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jerry Balentine, D.O., executive vice president, chief operating officer, and interim provost, welcomed the new full-time faculty and introduced New York Tech President Hank Foley, Ph.D., who reinforced that New York Tech puts students at the focus of everything the university does.

“The students we teach are highly diverse,” President Foley shared, adding that many are eligible for Pell Grants. As a result, he noted, “There are people who come here with a very, very serious mindset. They want to get a high return on investment from what they’re doing here.”

New York Tech’s newest faculty members bring expertise across a variety of specialties, including applied mathematics, architecture, computational biology, mechanical engineering, interdisciplinary health sciences, nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, among many others.

The new full-time faculty also participated in a two-day orientation facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The orientation, held on August 29 at the New York City campus and August 30 at the Long Island campus, included a discussion of New York Tech’s strategic priorities and action plan, conversations with current faculty about all aspects of life at New York Tech, a meeting with the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research about support for scholarship, an educational technology showcase, a networking forum so that new faculty could meet key people on campus and learn about the services their offices provide, and more.

New faculty members for 2022-2023 include: 

College of Arts and Sciences

• Andrew Hofstrand, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mathematics
• William Letsou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biological & Chemical Sciences
• Baole Wen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mathematics

College of Engineering and Computing Sciences

• Kirti Mishra, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
• Wei Zeng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Vladimir Grubisic, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences

School of Architecture and Design

• Sandra Manninger, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Architecture (Computational Technologies)
• Athina Papadopoulou, M. Arch., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Architecture, (Health & Design)
• F. Clarke Snell, M. Arch., Associate Professor, Architecture, (Building Technologies)

School of Health Professions

• Yennie Armand, M.S., Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies
• Shaina Flanzraich, D.P.T., Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy
• Kelly Lavin, O.D.T., Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy 
• Jennifer Lincks, DNP, Assistant Professor, Nursing
• Barbara Messina, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Nursing
• Amerigo Rossi, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences 
• Linda Schneider, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Nursing

Visiting Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences

• Robert Abramovic, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Mathematics
• Sophie Christman, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Humanities

College of Engineering and Computing Sciences

• Steven Lindo, D.P.S., Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science

School of Architecture and Design

• Fengqi Li, M.S., Ph.D. Candidate, Visiting Assistant Professor, Architecture
• Alejandra Rojas, M. Arch., Visiting Instructor, Architecture
• Mengni Zhang, M.S., Ph.D. Candidate, Visiting Assistant Professor, Architecture

Teaching Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences

• Michael Izady, Ph.D., Teaching Assistant Professor, Humanities 

College of Engineering and Computing Sciences

• George M. Salayka, M.S., Teaching Assistant Professor, Computer Science
• Joseph Seidel, Ph.D., Teaching Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Research Faculty

• David Nadler, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Bioengineering