23rd Annual Faculty and Staff Awards

Manny Melachrinoudis, MIE

“Dr. Melachrinoudis’s mentorship was displayed at its highest level recently during an atypical transition in departmental leadership. He took the helm with a comforting command, such that the faculty felt at ease moving through this abrupt change for MIE. The Industrial Engineering group has grown considerably under Manny’s leadership, in both number of faculty and in its diversity of research and teaching. The amount of time and effort he invests in mentoring students and faculty is staggering. Dr. Melachrinoudis is most deserving of this recognition and embodies the example and legacy of mentoring.”

Mofei Xu, MGEN Co-op

“Mofei joined Northeastern University from an extensive career in the nonprofit sector, and brought with her an emphasis on care, intentionality, and advocacy for under-resourced populations and communities. She has gone above and beyond for her students, her colleagues, and her community by inspiring us all through her innovative contributions to the team. Mofei’s initiatives and knowledge on issues of cultural competency and inclusivity create a space for all community members to feel safe and valued.”

Jasmine Sun, ARC

“Jasmine is a mentor to everyone—faculty, staff, and administrators. She willingly shares her experience to help members of our community understand best practices and available resources in COE and across the university. With an open door and trusted by colleagues and peers alike, she also always takes the time to provide guidance with a listening ear. Her mentoring extends from how-to-do and who-to-see input to advice on helping people be most successful and even discussions on more difficult situations—all while being supportive and open to diverse perspectives.”

Kal Bugrara, MGEN

“Throughout his 25+ year career at Northeastern University, Dr. Bugrara has shown great leadership in developing MGEN programs and putting Northeastern at the forefront of the engineering education world. Under Kal’s leadership, the Master’s in Information System has grown to over 1500 students each year–among the largest in the university. To meet the demands of this growth, he has created 20 new courses in the last five years and is continually revising the curriculum to meet the demands of the engineering workforce. Keys to Kal’s success include his commitment to students’ success and connection with industry and state of practice.”

Kevin Parker, MIE Co-op

“Kevin Parker has made immediate impact on COE curriculum in four major ways. First, by designing and piloting a new course around engineering activism. Second, by sourcing and sharing new ethics case material to be used in Cornerstone of Engineering. Third, by updating course curriculum, related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and lastly, by facilitating a monthly anti-racism discussion group for COE co-op faculty. Kevin did a tremendous job in building safe sharing spaces while allowing students to explore what it means to be an engineer from multiple perspectives.”

Safa Jamali, MIE

“Dr. Jamali’s aptitude for instruction and ability to connect with his students make him a reliable source of guidance. He consistently integrates his research and real-world examples into his interdisciplinary and discipline specific courses. His teaching style and genuine care for students has positively impacted student experiences while maintaining rigorous instruction on complex engineering concepts.”

Yanzhi Wang, ECE

“Dr. Wang truly works in the interest of his students and is an excellent role model as a teacher. He is currently advising or co-advising an impressive 21 PhD students, and has already graduated 7 PhD students as an assistant professor. He has made major contributions in the classroom offering stories of real-world experiences and strong mentoring skills to support his PhD students.”

Himlona Palikhe, MIE

“Over the past six and half years, Dr. Palikhe has been an outstanding member of the COE team, filling key positions in the Seattle and Boston campuses. She has continued to support the demanding MS in Engineering Management program with over 500 students as an advisor, Associate Program Director, and, now as the Co-Program Director. THE MSEM program is one of the largest at Northeastern, and co-directing this program takes a significant amount of time and commitment. Himlona’s contributions to the institution, faculty body, and student community through these roles have been inspiring.”

Sam Casey, MGEN

“Sam has administratively spear-headed the addition of over 20 new courses over the past few years, navigating the Courseleaf and college processes with grace and with exquisite attention to detail. Additionally, Sam is an exceptional problem solver and has great knowledge about our programs and university/college processes. His organization, leadership, and awareness of the program’s needs have made him an invaluable asset to our unit. Sam’s commitment to his work is unwavering and his passion for his role is evident through the high quality of work he produces.”

Taryn Quiroa Sullivan, CEE

“Taryn is a true leader in the department, interacting exceptionally well with faculty and staff throughout the department, college, and university. She sets a tone of excellence and collaboration among the staff. For a year and a half through Fall 2020, she picked up much of the work normally done by our Operations Manager while a search was on to fill that role–this is an exceptional level of dedication and performance. Taryn is passionate about her work, strategic and creative in her thinking, committed to the department and university. ”

Caitlin Goldblum, UG Advising

“Caitlin consistently demonstrates what it means to be a true team player–always volunteering to take on additional tasks, going above and beyond supporting our students and remaining positive especially during the hectic registration periods. Caitlin embodies the spirit of what the award seeks to achieve; an outstanding team member who is always willing to go above and beyond, while also seeking ways to enhance the student experience.”

Charlie Colvin, ARC

“Over the past three years, the Electrical and Computer Engineering department has grown their research funding by over 50%. Charlie has not only been able to maintain the high level of service that is needed but also raised the bar in the level of support needed by ECE faculty. Charlie has been able to partner with his colleagues and deliver the highest quality service. Charlie’s focus on building strong relationships has allowed him to excel in his current role and is an important characteristic of a rising star.”

Ian Armstrong, BioE

“When the pandemic slammed shut research operations on campus, Ian was thrust into the unprecedented situation of having custodianship of all 19 active bioengineering labs; shutting them down in a way to minimize losses; identifying and assuring that any potential biological or chemical hazards were neutralized and assuring PIs that the situation was stable. Ian carried out this task with incredible patience, impeccable communication skills, due diligence and a sense of calm authority.”