NYIT President Henry C. “Hank” Foley, Ph.D., has appointed Nada Marie Anid, Ph.D., as vice president to lead the newly created office of  Strategic Communications and External Affairs. Anid, a results-oriented leader with astute business acumen, served as the first female dean of NYIT’s School of Engineering and Computing Sciences since 2009. In her new role, she will help articulate NYIT’s mission as a premier polytechnic that fosters technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

“As dean of NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, Dr. Anid worked tirelessly with faculty and staff to demonstrate to prospective students and their families what makes NYIT’s engineering and computer science programs so exciting. She has been especially effective in her efforts to bring more young women into technical disciplines, and has been unflagging in her advancement and promotion of the engineering school, its people, and its programs. It is this energy and passion that she will now bring to all of NYIT in her new role,” Foley said.

Professor Babak Beheshti, Ph.D., formerly associate dean of NYIT’s School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, will serve as its interim dean.

“I am excited to serve as an ambassador for NYIT and help realize President Foley’s bold vision to propel NYIT to prominence in the New York metropolitan region and beyond, and to help invigorate the institution’s communications team, which represents the collective voice of the NYIT community,” said Anid.

As dean, she spearheaded the creation of NYIT’s NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, its federally and state-funded Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC), and its Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR)-certified business incubator. Anid also oversaw the overhaul of the engineering school’s academic offerings and research facilities, and the recruitment of outstanding faculty in the areas of cybersecurity, bioengineering, and clean energy and water. Under her tenure, the school forged new community ties and partnerships, created undergraduate honors and research programs, increased its enrollment, and produced an unprecedented research output. Globally, she led the U.S. State Department sponsored U.S.-China EcoPartnership with Peking University and the Pathways for Cleaner Production projects with seven higher education institutions across Latin America.

Long an advocate for women pursuing education and career opportunities in STEM fields, Anid’s efforts include her recent publication, “The Internet of Women: Accelerating Culture Change.” She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Long Island Software and Technology Network (LISTnet) Diamond Award, which recognizes her significant contributions toward the advancement of women in technology on Long Island and her professional achievements in the technology field. Additionally, in 2015, she received a “100 Inspiring Women in STEM Award” from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Long Island Business News named her three times as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business in recognition of her achievements in workforce and economic development.

 

Anid serves as Chair of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Public Affairs and Information Committee (PAIC) and is a member of the Managing Board of the Institute for Sustainability of AIChE. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of LISTnet, the Riverdale Nature Preservancy, and the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. Additionally, she is an active member of the American Society of Engineering Education and its Public Policy, Diversity, Data, and K-12 committees; the New York Academy of Sciences; the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council's Education and Workforce Committee; the Long Island STEM Hub; and the New York State STEM Education Collaborative. Anid is an accomplished scholar and expert reviewer for the federal government and several engineering journals. She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy and served as guest editor of its January 2018 issue on the Food Energy Water Nexus.

She earned her Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. She is among the first engineers to study the role of vitamin B12 and other organometallic coenzymes in the dechlorination of important toxic molecules such as carbon tetrachloride and polychlorinated biphenyls.

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