Michael B. Silevitch

Robert D. Black Professor, COE Distinguished Professor,  Electrical and Computer Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,  Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director,  CenSSIS
Director,  ALERT
Director,  SENTRY

Contact

Social Media

Office

  • 617.373.3033

Research Focus

Subsurface sensing and imaging systems, detection of explosives-related anomalies, engineered system development and engineering leadership

About

Michael B. Silevitch received the BSEE, MSEE, and PhD from Northeastern University in 1965, 1966, and 1971, respectively. He joined the faculty of Northeastern in 1972, and was appointed to the Robert D. Black Endowed Chair in Engineering at Northeastern in 2003, the same year that he was elected an IEEE Fellow for leadership in advanced subsurface sensing and imaging techniques. A College of Engineering distinguished professor with dual appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Civil and Environmental Engineering, Silevitch is director of Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence; director of the Bernard M. Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (Gordon-CenSSIS), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center; and research translation leader of the Puerto Rico Testsite to Explore Contamination Threats (PROTECT) program, funded through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Previously, Dr. Silevitch directed the Center for Electromagnetics Research, an NSF Industry-University Center, and the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program, a graduate program that provides an innovative model for training engineering leaders.

Dr. Silevitch has also contributed his efforts toward improving the education of young scientists and engineers. From 1987-1996, he served as the director of the Center for the Enhancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME), funded by grants from NSF and the Noyce Foundation, which developed a systematic mechanism to implement a statewide network of exemplary K-12 mathematics and science curricula, and as principal investigator for IMPACT, a $5 million grant from NSF that resulted in the implementation of exemplary curricula in 500 school districts throughout the New England region. He also served as one of the Co-PIs on the $20 Million NSF-funded 10 year (1990-2000) Massachusetts Statewide Systemic Initiative Project, PALMS (Partnerships Advancing the Learning of Mathematics and Science). The PI of PALMS was the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education.

Dr. Silevitch’s other accomplishments include leading a university-industry team on a $4.7M, 2-year DHS-funded effort to demonstrate new detectors and imaging algorithms for a nuclear material detection tool, ASHERD, enabling rapid inspection of cargo containers and vehicles. After successful testing, Silevitch provided guidance for a large DHS industrial contract on an Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP), a $400M production program led by Raytheon that was based on the ASHERD system. ASP units are presently in use in the NY Container Terminal. In Dr. Silevitch’s professional area of expertise, space plasma physics, he served as principal investigator for multiple Air Force-funded projects, focusing on problems such as the structure of the earth’s radiation belts, the formation of the aurora borealis and the nature of wave-particle interaction in space plasma.

Dr. Silevitch has authored over 65 publications and 90 presented papers spanning several research disciplines including collaborations with scientists from the United States, France, Sweden, Finland and Austria.

Education

Obtained his BSEE, MSEE, and PhD from Northeastern University in 1965, 1966, and 1971.

Honors & Awards

  • Life Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
  • National Academy of Engineering Gordon Prize for developing an innovative method to provide graduate engineers with the necessary personal skills to become effective engineers

Research Overview

Subsurface sensing and imaging systems, detection of explosives-related anomalies, engineered system development and engineering leadership

Selected Research Projects

  • Engineering PLUS (Partnerships Launching Underrepresented Students) Alliance
    • – Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
  • ALERT: Awareness and Localization of Explosives Related Threats, A Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence. ALERT seeks to conduct transformational research, technology and educational development for effective characterization, detection, mitigation and response to the explosives-related threats facing the country and the world
    • – Director and Principal Investigator, Department of Homeland Security
  • CenSSIS: Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems, Gordon-CenSSIS, a graduated NSF Engineering Research Center, was created to develop new technologies to detect hidden objects, and to use those technologies to meet real-world subsurface challenges in areas as diverse as noninvasive breast cancer detection and underground pollution assessment
    • – Director and Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
  • Research and Development of Reconstruction Advances in CT Based Object Detection Systems
    • – Principal Investigator, Department of Homeland Security

Students

Mar 11, 2024

Northeastern COE Students Win 2nd Prize in DASSH Challenge 2024

A COE student team placed second in the 2024 Designing Actionable Solutions for a Secure Homeland (DASSH), a student challenge focused on solving simulated homeland security problems created by Soft Target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality (SENTRY) research center and Arizona State University’s Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency.

Faculty

Nov 22, 2023

Improving the Safety and Efficiency of Airports

ECE Professor Michael Silevitch and Carey Rappaport have been working with the Department of Homeland Security for the last fifteen years to improve safety and efficiency at airports and other public settings.

Faculty

Nov 05, 2021

$36M DHS Center of Excellence for SENTRY Surveillance System to Protect Public Spaces

Michael Silevitch, Robert D. Black Distinguished Professor of ECE, has been awarded $36 million over 10 years to lead a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) multi-institutional Center of Excellence, SENTRY (Soft target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality). SENTRY will develop a “Virtual Sentry” system that provides just-in-time information to key decision makers to protect civilian soft targets such as transit stations and schools, and crowded spaces such as stadiums from covert threats.

Karl Reid, Michael Silevitch, Claire Duggan, Richard Harris.

Faculty

Aug 11, 2021

Northeastern Wins $10 Million NSF Grant to Boost People of Color and Women in Engineering Nationally

Northeastern’s College of Engineering won a prestigious NSF $10 million five-year grant, Engineering PLUS (Partnerships Launching Underrepresented Students) Alliance, to build a system and a network to increase engineering degrees among women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color) nationally. Karl Reid, Northeastern University’s Chief Diversity Office, is PI, and Michael Silevitch, College of Engineering Distinguished Professor, ECE, Claire Duggan, director of STEM programs and operations, COE, and Richard Harris, assistant dean for Academic Scholarship, Mentoring, and Outreach and director of NU Program in Multicultural Engineering, COE, are co-PIs, as well as Karen Horting of the Society of Women Engineers.

student works on wireless rack in data center

Faculty

Apr 16, 2021

Silevitch to Direct New AI Jumpstart Program

ECE Professor Michael Silevitch will lead a new Massachusetts program, AI Jumpstart, to connect small business owners in the state with academic faculty experts to learn how machine learning can grow their companies. Northeastern received a $2.2 million state grant that will be used primarily for high-speed computer equipment and also to provide for faculty consultants, both of which will be available to selected companies to get the pilot effort up and running. Northeastern kicked in an additional $2 million, raising the program’s total value to more than $4 million.

abstract image with plane, alarm, explosive

Mar 12, 2020

Northeastern Spearheading Advances in Travel Safety

Northeastern’s ALERT (Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats) is one of nine Department of Homeland (DHS) Security Centers of Excellence (COEs) located across the country. A multi-university center, ALERT conducts research and development for effective responses to explosives-related threats. ALERT is funded by a core grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate that equates to roughly $3.6 million a year. In addition to the Center’s ongoing core research award, DHS also provides each COE with an ability to obtain task order contracts targeted to develop specific security technologies and methods.

student speaking at conference

Students

Sep 04, 2019

Emily Belk Wins DHS COE Summit Grand Challenge Competition

Computer Engineering and Computer Science BS student, Emily Belk was part of the winning team at the 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Centers of Excellence (COE) Summit Grand Challenge Student Competition held on July 31st at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.

Faculty

May 21, 2018

Next Generation Checkpoints

Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske toured the Center for Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT) on Friday to see if the technology Northeastern is working on can be implemented at security checkpoints. The nation’s top airport security official Friday toured a Northeastern center that develops technology aimed at ensuring the safety of airline […]

Faculty

Mar 01, 2018

Airport Security Screening Goes to School

ECE Professor Michael Silevitch was featured in the Wall Street Journal Article “Airport Security Screening Goes to School” for his research in airport security during checkpoints.

Jun 01, 2016

Influencing Students for Several Decades

Professors Michael Silevitch (ECE) and John Cipolla (MIE) have worked at Northeastern University training thousands of students for over four decades and have setup funds to push these students to reach their highest potentials. Source: Northeastern Magazine These senior engineering professors became friends and research collaborators soon after joining the faculty in 1971. Celebrating careers […]

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