Leadership

Jeffrey Bardzell is Peterson Family Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he provides leadership in higher education strategy, liberal arts in polytechnic contexts, and AI in teaching and learning. Internationally recognized for his interdisciplinary scholarship, Bardzell was originally trained in comparative literature and philosophy and subsequently transitioned to informatics, human-computer interaction, and design research. Before joining WPI, Bardzell served as both dean and vice provost at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, with a ...

Carolina Ruiz is the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Harold L. Jurist ’61 and Heather E. Jurist Dean’s Professor of Computer Science. She joined the WPI faculty in 1997. Prof. Ruiz’s research is in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Mining, and their applications to Medicine and Health. She has worked on several clinical domains including sleep, stroke, obesity and pancreatic cancer. Prof. Ruiz and her research group have developed novel, high-performing machine learning methods, including deep learning networks, for analyzing physiological sleep data; and machine ...

Robert Krueger is a human geographer whose scholarship and teaching focus on creating sustainable, socially just, improvements to development projects in the global north and south. His work has taken him around the world. He has worked in countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, on issues of economic development and institutional change. His scholarship and teaching challenge conventional notions of economic development, economy-environment relationships, and social change. In his book, Adventures in Sustainable Urbanism (2019, SUNY Press, Krueger, Freytag and Mössner (eds)), ...

ResearchScience and Technology that enable the analysis of patients’ minute biopsy samples in the native states to reveal the fundamental causes of diseases and yield intervention points for treatment are in critical demand. Research in Wang group leverages interdisciplinary approaches that merge material science, biochemistry, bioengineering and nanotechnology to address such multifaceted challenges. Students receive training in biochemistry, biophysics, bioanalytical chemistry, surface chemistry, composite materials and cell biology through research projects, such as: a) developing ...

 Kathryn M. Moncrief is Paris Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Head of Humanities and Arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA. She was previously Professor and Chair of English at Washington College, in Chestertown, MD where she taught courses in Shakespeare, Milton, and early modern literature and culture and received the Washington College Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teaching. She serves as co-editor of the Shakespeare Life and Times section of the Internet Shakespeare Editions and has published widely on Shakespeare and ...

Applied Mathematics is a broad subdiscipline within mathematics, and the theme of my work over the past two decades has been the application and practice of mathematics to fields in engineering and science.  In particular, myresearch program centers on the development or implementation of mathematical models in areas of fluid dynamics, interfacial dynamics, porous media flows, electromagnetic energy harnessing, and geothermal energy collection and storage.  In all of  these scientific fields, my research centers on formulating mathematical descriptions of these scenarios, and ...

 Ultrafast THz and Optical Spectroscopy Lab (PI: Titova) explores light–matter interactions in emerging functional materials. Our research focuses on nanomaterials, including two-dimensional (2D) materials such as MXenes, MXene–biopolymer composites, and layered semiconductors. Using ultrafast optical and THz spectroscopy, we uncover how nanoscale structure and interfaces control electrical transport and optical and thermal properties. Spanning solid-state physics, nanomaterials, and photonics, our interdisciplinary research bridges fundamental discoveries with applications in photonics, ...

A member of the WPI faculty since 2004 and chair of the Department of Biology and Biotechnology since 2022, Reeta Rao is a leader in the field of molecular genetics and genomics. Her primary research activities are focused on emerging infectious diseases, specifically understanding and managing fungal diseases. Students and research associates in her laboratory are trained to use a variety of biochemical, molecular-genetic, and genomic tools to study host-microbe interactions to explore fungal virulence strategies and identify novel therapeutics in a high throughput fashion. ...

I am interested in computer networking and security. Given the significance of the Internet in our economy and society, I am interested in improvements and studies that can have a real-world impact. My recent work has focused on how to make both enterprise and residential networks more secure. In my research work, I am exploring ways to change the traditional computer network communication model using techniques such as software-defined networking and network function virtualization.I am interested in exploring future directions in computing from a systems, networking, and security standpoint. ...

An integral part of a rewarding academic career is being an educator. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with students and guide their development to fulfill their potential. I enjoy teaching the fundamentals of robotics engineering, science and technology as well as training students in advanced independent research. I aim to teach students about research-based thinking and problem solving, to give them a real career choice to determine their future in further research or the industry. With its hands-on culture and students taking responsibility for their own learning, WPI is the perfect ...