July 27, 2026
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
I am happy to announce that 10 Hajim School instructional and tenure-track faculty received promotions effective July 1:
- Zhen Bai, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, promoted to associate professor with tenure.
- Mark Buckley, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, promoted to professor.
- Regine Choe, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, promoted to professor.
- Thomas Howard, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, promoted to professor.
- Christopher Kanan associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, promoted to professor.
- Allison Lopatkin, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering, promoted to associate professor with tenure.
- Stephen McAleavey, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, promoted to professor.
- Fatemeh Nargesian, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, promoted to associate professor with tenure.
- Stephen Roessner, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Sound Arts and Engineering, promoted to associate professor of instruction.
- Eustrat Zhupa, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Computer Science, promoted to associate professor of instruction.
Please join me in congratulating these faculty members, whose hard work has paid off and enabled them to reach important new milestones in their professional careers!
FACULTY APPOINTED TO DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIPS
I am also pleased to share that at the start of the new fiscal year we appointed 10 faculty to distinguished professorships. These professorships recognize academics who have significantly contributed to scholarship and research, teaching, and service to the University and the broader community, and several were newly created through the Wyant Challenge. New appointees include:
- Mark Bocko, William F. May Professor of Engineering
- Robert Boyd, inaugural William F. Krupke Distinguished Professor in Optics
- Thomas Brown, Dr. James C. Wyant Professor in Optics
- Regine Choe, Marylou Ingram Professor in Biomedical Engineering
- Chunlei Guo, inaugural Joseph W. and Honmai Goodman Distinguished Professor in Optics
- Edmund Lalor, Deans Professor in the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
- Darren Lipomi, Arthur Gould Yates Professor of Engineering
- Christopher Muir, Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor
- James Zavislan, inaugural Kidger-Moore Distinguished Professor in Optics
- Yuhao Zhu, Asaro Biggar Family Fellow in Data Science
HAJIM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS AND REAPPOINTMENTS
Five key leaders in the Hajim School have also been appointed or reappointed:
Thank you for your crucial leadership!
EBY FRIEDMAN LEADING UROCHESTER’S FIRST THRIVE PARTNERSHIP
Getty Images photo
The University of Rochester has launched its first NY THRIVE Innovation Voucher project under the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub. The project establishes a new collaboration between Era73 Technologies and the laboratory of Distinguished Professor Eby Friedman from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, made possible through a Tier 2 NY THRIVE Innovation Voucher awarded via the NY SMART I-Corridor’s Commercialization and Collaboration Center (C3). The award of up to $250,000 over 12 months will support joint efforts to explore advancements in next-generation computing technologies that address growing demands for performance and energy efficiency.
Read more about the project at the News Center.
KEARNS SUMMER RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Every summer, the David T. Kearns Center hosts the Summer Research Symposium to celebrate the achievements of dozens of research scholars. The scholars—who come from institutions all across the country—live on campus and spend the summer engaged in groundbreaking research at the University of Rochester.
This summer, scholars are participating in the following undergraduate research programs: The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, The NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Physics, Astrophysics and Optics, NSF REU in Nanophotonics, Quantum Photonics, and Vision/Biomedical Optics, and NSF REU in Computational Methods for Understanding Music, Media, and Minds. Scholars from the URochester Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program will also be presenting their research during poster presentations on Day 1.
View the full schedule at the Kearns Center website.
STAFF INNOVATION AWARD SPOTLIGHT: SYLVIA TIBALLI
University of Rochester photo / Gary Kong
Each week, Hajim Highlights will celebrate two of the inaugural winners of the Hajim School Staff Innovation Award, given to staff members who consistently demonstrate exceptional dedication to URochester’s strategic plan and Meliora values through innovative practices, creative problem solving, outstanding service, and collaboration.
Today we spotlight Sylvia Tiballi, administrator for the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
Sylvia joined the University in 2019 and oversees many critical functions for GIDS-AI, including finances and events, while also supporting a wide range of initiatives beyond the typical responsibilities of a department administrator. GIDS-AI holds a unique position both as a traditional academic department that supports data science degree programs and as an interdisciplinary institute that collaborates with stakeholders across the University, other institutions, and industry. Sylvia’s creativity has been instrumental in helping to administer programs such as GIDS-AI’s NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, devising new ways to connect the GIDS-AI community through newsletters and social media, supporting more than 100 affiliated faculty members, and working across the University on cross department faculty hiring.
Here is some of the praise her colleagues have for her:
“Sylvia often jokingly describes herself as a ‘jack of all trades, master of some,’ says Mujdat Cetin, the Robin and Tim Wentworth Director of GIDS-AI. “While I believe she has mastered far more than just some of her responsibilities, that line really describes how many different and diverse functions she performs for GIDS-AI. Sylvia’s creativity, care, and desire to learn allow her to pivot seamlessly between her many roles. She constantly tackles new challenges and expands her capabilities, and she brings so much value to the Institute.”
“While Sylvia’s tasks align with typical administrative roles, she consistently goes above and beyond to support our academic programming,” says Lisa Altman, graduate program coordinator for GIDS-AI. “Sylvia’s dedication, adaptability, and professionalism have left an indelible mark on our institute, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside her.”
STAFF INNOVATION AWARD SPOTLIGHT: NICK VALENTINO
University of Rochester photo / Gary Kong
We also celebrate Nick Valentino, assistant director of Hajim School undergraduate advising.
Nick has provided support to URochester’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) since 2021, offering guidance to engineering and applied science majors. But when NROTC moved from being administered by the School of Arts and Sciences to the Hajim School in July 2025, Nick’s relationship with NROTC deepened significantly. Over the past year he has helped them integrate into campus operations, successfully advocated for more administrative support for NROTC, helped them secure new signage, and fostered connections to new academic programs.
Supporting an entity like NROTC, which has needs and characteristics different than a typical academic department, has challenges, but Nick has consistently risen to the task. Here is a small sample of the praise Nick’s colleagues shared while nominating him:
“Nick is the civilian heart of the NROTC program,” says Captain Russel Sanchez, commanding officer of URochester’s NROTC Unit. “He embodies the spirit of Meliora by consistently going above and beyond for his students and the university. Beyond his technical expertise, Nick’s genuine care for people creates a community where everyone feels they belong. Our current success is a direct reflection of his tireless dedication.”
Assistant Dean Alvin Lomibao says, “Nick’s advocacy demonstrates the Hajim School’s ability to tackle a new challenge and responsibility head on and innovate to bring existing units and collaboration to the next level. Nick’s adaptability, resourcefulness, and service excellence embody the best of the Hajim School.”
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
