Welcome, New Faculty!

Pictured: New faculty at orientation on the Long Island campus

As part of the activities to begin the new academic year, New York Institute of Technology welcomed new (and recently hired) faculty at an August 29 reception held in Salten Hall Café on the Long Island campus.

Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Balentine, D.O., encouraged the new faculty to continue to ask questions and maintain a spirit of innovation, unafraid to challenge the status quo. “All of you have good ideas, and we want to hear them. Do not be deterred if you hear that we tried something before, and it didn’t work.”

Balentine also urged the new faculty to have empathy and compassion for their students as well as for themselves and each other.

New York Tech’s newest faculty bring expertise to the university across a variety of fields, including architectural history and theory, behavioral neuroscience, bioengineering, biological and chemical sciences, digital rhetoric, dynamics and control, mathematics, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and smart manufacturing, to name a few.

“New York Institute of Technology continues to attract superb new faculty who are diverse, innovative, and highly motivated. We welcome these newest members to the Institute and look forward to their many contributions in the years ahead. These include new research opportunities, grants, collaborations, and enhancing the overall student experience at New York Tech,” said President Hank Foley, Ph.D.

The new full-time faculty also participated in a two-day orientation facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning. Held on August 28 on the New York City campus and August 29 on the Long Island campus, the orientation included an overview of the university’s strategic priorities, demographics, and other information about New York Tech students and student support resources. There was also a panel discussion featuring faculty and student participants. Additional aspects included a networking forum to meet staff from across the institution, support for scholarship, and an opportunity to talk to other faculty about all facets of New York Tech, including students, teaching, scholarship, service, campus climate, and more.

Faculty new to New York Tech for the 2023-2024 academic year include:

College of Arts and Sciences

• Robert Alexander, Assistant Professor, Behavioral Sciences
• Subhabrata Chaudhury, Assistant Professor, Biological and Chemical Sciences
• Jessica Hautsch, Teaching Assistant Professor, Humanities
• Uma Iyer, Visiting Associate Professor, Mathematics
• Neelam Lahankar, Teaching Assistant Professor, Biological and Chemical Sciences
• Seth LeJacq, Teaching Assistant Professor, Humanities
• Giovanni Meloni, Professor, Biological and Chemical Sciences

College of Engineering and Computing Sciences

• Kazi Ahmed, Teaching Assistant Professor, Telecomm and Electrical Engineering Tech (January 2023 start)
• Alain Boldini, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
• Robert Doxey, Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science
• Yuki Gao, Visiting Assistant Professor, Computer Science
• Baopu Li, Associate Professor, Computer Science
• Vishal Sharma, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
• Michael Walsh, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bioengineering

College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Priya Bhushan, Assistant Professor, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
• Isabela Romao, Assistant Professor, Clinical Specialties

School of Architecture and Design

• Marta Caldeira, Assistant Professor, Architectural History and Theory
• Francesca Forlini, Visiting Assistant Professor, Interior Design
• Beau McGhee, Visiting Assistant Professor, Digital Art and Design
• Evan Shieh, Teaching Assistant Professor, Architecture
• Jeannette Sordi, Visiting Associate Professor, Architecture
• Andreas Theodoridis, Assistant Professor, Building Technologies and Structures
• Florencia Vetcher, Assistant Professor, Interior Design

School of Health Professions

• Kathleen Garcia, Clinical Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies (January 2023 start)
• Kyle Karen, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy (January 2023 start)

School of Management

• Samer Charbaji, Assistant Professor, Business Administration
• Vidita Gawade, Assistant Professor, Management and Marketing Studies
• Wenyao Hu, Assistant Professor, Finance and Accounting