Aileen Huang-Saad
Associate Professor, Bioengineering
Director of Life Science and Engineering Programs, Roux Institute
Contact
- a.huang-saad@northeastern.edu
- The Roux Institute
100 Fore Street
Portland, ME 04101
Office
- 207-553-3925
Related Links
Research Focus
Entrepreneurship education microenvironments and their impact on the engagement of diverse populations, the influence of I-Corps on university ecosystems, and transforming BME education through instructional design
About
In February 2021 Dr. Huang-Saad joined the Bioengineering faculty at Northeastern University and became the Director of Life Sciences and Engineering Programs at The Roux Institute (Portland, Maine). Dr. Huang-Saad has a fourteen-year history of bringing about organizational change in higher education, leveraging evidence-based practices at the University of Michigan. She created the U-M BME graduate design program, co-founded the U-M College of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurship, launched the U-M National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Node, and developed the U-M BME Instructional Incubator. She is a canonical instructor for both the NSF and National Institute of Health (NIH) I-Corps Programs. Dr. Huang-Saad has received numerous awards for her teaching and student advising, including the 1938E College of Engineering Award, the Thomas M. Sawyer, Jr. Teaching Award, the U-M ASEE Outstanding Professor Award, the International Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award, and the College of Engineering Outstanding Student Advisor Award. She is also Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Springer’s Biomedical Engineering and Division Chair for the American Society of Engineering Education’s Biomedical Engineering Division.
Dr. Huang-Saad’s current research areas are entrepreneurship, innovation, and transforming higher education. She is funded by the NSF to explore the influence of the microenvironment of entrepreneurship education on minoritized populations, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and fostering graduate student professional development.
Prior to entering higher education, Dr. Huang-Saad worked in industry gaining experience in new venture biotech, the defense industry, and medical device testing.
Education
- PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- MBA, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
- BSE, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
Honors & Awards
- American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow
- Fulbright Award to Australia, J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board, United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 02/2020 (declined because of COVID)
- University of Michigan 1938E Award for Teaching – 03/2020
- University of Michigan College of Engineering Achievement Award for Being Notably Creative, Innovative, or Daring, 12/2018
- University of Michigan College of Engineering Thomas M. Sawyer Jr. Teaching Award, 04/2011
- International Honor Society Beta Sigma Gamma, 04/2009 – Present
- University of Michigan College of Engineering Outstanding Student Advisor of the Year, 04/2010
Leadership Positions
- Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Springer’s Biomedical Engineering Education
- Maine State Workforce Board
- National Academies’ Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education
- Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Biomedical Engineering Education, 2020-present
- Division Chair, American Society of Engineering Education, 2021-2022
- Program Chair, American Society of Engineering Education, 2020-2021
- Program Chair Elect, American Society of Engineering Education, 2019-2020
Professional Affiliations
- American Society of Engineering Education
- Biomedical Engineering Society
Research Overview
Entrepreneurship education microenvironments and their impact on the engagement of diverse populations, the influence of I-Corps on university ecosystems, and transforming BME education through instructional design
Transforming Engineering Education co-Laboratory
The Transforming Engineering Education co-Laboratory, at The Roux Institute-Northeastern University, is committed to bridging the gap between education research and engineering instruction to enhance student learning. Distinct from traditional engineering disciplines and education research, this research lies at the intersection of engineering, education, and the social sciences. Members of the laboratory, with a deep understanding of engineering, leverage qualitative and quantitative education research methods to explore innovative means of transforming engineering programs to meet the changing roles of engineers in the global economy.
Research Centers and Institutes
Selected Publications
- Innovating innovation: advancing racial equity in STEM entrepreneurship programming, J Jackson, M Pearson, A Huang-Saad, JL Mondisa, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 29 (6)
- What I’ve learned about teaching entrepreneurship: perspectives of five master educators, M Gruber, A Huang-Saad, E Liguori, J Reid, S Terjesen, Annals of Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy–2023, 1
- Experiential learning implementation in undergraduate engineering education: a systematic search and review
CSE Jamison, J Fuher, A Wang, A Huang-Saad, European Journal of Engineering Education 47 (6), 1356-1379 - Teaching for Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership in Engineering, Zappe, S.E., Huang-Saad, A.Y., Duval-Couetil, N., and Simmons, D.R. International Handbook of Engineering Education Research, 2023
- Epstein AD, Huang-Saad A, Duval-Couetil N. Faculty and Trainee Perceptions of NSF I-Corps. Technology Commercialization Training. IEEE Eng Manag Rev [Internet]. 2020;(c):1–1.
- Lee JW, Daly SR, Huang-Saad A, Seifert CM. Start with Problems or Solutions? Medical Device Design in Industry and Academia. IEEE Access. 2020;1–1.
- Lee JW, Daly SR, Huang-Saad A, Rodriguez G, Seifert CM. Cognitive strategies in solution mapping: How engineering designers identify problems for technological solutions. Design Studies [Internet]. 2020;71:100967. Available from:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2020.100967 - Saterbak A, Huang-Saad A, Helmke BP. Biomedical Engineering Education and the Special COVID-19 Issue. Biomed Eng Educ. 2021;800759.
- Ramo NL, Lin MA, Hald E, Huang-Saad A. Synchronous vs . Asynchronous vs . Blended Remote Delivery of Introduction to Biomechanics Course. Biomedical. 2020
Mar 14, 2024
Maine’s First Mobile Biolab Starts Tour of Rural Schools in Fort Kent
BioE Associate Professor Aileen Huang-Saad was featured in the Bangor Daily News article “Maine’s first mobile biolab starts tour of rural schools in Fort Kent.”
Mar 28, 2023
Dai and Huang-Saad Named AIMBE Fellows
BioE Associate Professors Guohao Dai and Aileen Huang-Saad were inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellows Class of 2023. Dai was elected “for contributions in vascular mechanobiology and 3D bioprinting vascular networks for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine applications” and Huang-Saad was elected “for outstanding contributions to the development of BME entrepreneurship education microenvironments and studying their impact on the engagement of diverse populations.”
Jun 08, 2022
Announcing the New MS in Bioengineering Concentration: Systems, Synthetic, and Computational Bioengineering
The Department of Bioengineering at Northeastern University is driven by the conviction that the interface of engineering and medicine is one of the great intellectual adventures of the 21st century. Recognizing the breadth of disciplines that contribute to bioengineering, the MS in Bioengineering degree allows students to choose one of four concentrations to develop deep […]
Apr 03, 2021
How a Faculty Grant Transformed an Academic Career
Aileen Huang-Saad, associate professor of bioengineering and director of life science and engineering programs at the Roux Institute, was featured in the VentureWell article “how a faculty grant transformed an academic career.”
Feb 19, 2021
New Faculty Spotlight: Aileen Huang-Saad
Aileen Huang-Saad joins the Bioengineering department in February 2021 as an Associate Professor and Director of Life Science and Engineering Programs at the Roux Institute.