Institute Announces 2014 Junior Faculty Fellows
The Hariri Institute for Computing at Boston University is pleased to announce its fourth cohort of Junior Faculty Fellows. They are:
- Samuel Bazzi, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics
- Ksenia Bravaya, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
- Emily Ryan, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Gustavo Schwenkler, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
- Cara Stepp, Assistant Professor, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Department of Biomedical Engineering
The Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellows program was established in 2011 both to recognize outstanding junior faculty at Boston University working in diverse areas of the computational sciences, as well as to provide focal points for supporting broader collaborative research in these areas at BU and beyond. Junior Fellows are selected by the Hariri Institute Executive Steering Committee based on nominations received each spring, and are appointed for a two-year term.
Commenting on this fourth cohort of Hariri Junior Fellows, Professor Azer Bestavros, Director of the Institute, noted that “a remarkable attribute of the research of this year’s cohort of junior fellows is the degree to which computational and data-centric approaches are fundamentally changing their respective fields,” adding that “this is an indication of the paradigm shift in science and engineering and a testament to the increasingly important role of the Hariri Institute in connecting like-minded researchers at BU.”
Over the next several months, each of the Junior Faculty Fellows will be giving a Hariri Institute Distinguished Lecture. For more information and to receive notices about this and other Hariri Institute activities, please join the Institute mailing lists by becoming an affiliate member or by subscribing to the Institute’s mailing list for general announcements. For more information, please visit the Institute’s web site.
About the Fellows
Samuel Bazzi has been selected as an Institute Junior Faculty Fellow beginning in fall 2014. Samuel is a development economist with a Ph.D. in Economics from University of California, San Diego in 2013. He currently works with large-scale administrative datasets to study topics at the intersection of labor and macroeconomics. His current research agenda is focused on three areas: the causes and consequences of labor mobility in the process of economic development; the role of access to finance in driving the entry and growth of small, productive firms; and the role of political decentralization as an alternative to violent conflict in ethnically diverse, resource-rich societies. Most of his research is based in the large emerging markets of Brazil and Indonesia.
Professor Barton L. Lipman, Chair of the Economics Department, states that “Sam is working on some very data-intensive, computationally complex projects that make the Hariri Institute an ideal place for him to learn some new ideas and techniques and to pass on his ideas and techniques to others with similar interests. He is both an extremely promising young researcher and a delightful person to interact with. I expect him to gain a lot from Hariri and for others at Hariri to gain a lot from him.”
Ksenia Bravaya has been selected as an Institute Junior Faculty Fellow beginning in fall 2014. Ksenia is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at BU, which she joined in 2013. Professor Bravaya received her Ph.D. in Theoretical and Computational Quantum Chemistry from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in 2008. Professor Bravaya’s research focuses not only on state-of-the-art applications and fundamental studies of the microscopic processes at the heart of bio-imaging of cellular processes and excited state reactions, but also on the development of new quantum chemical computational methodology aimed at addressing unsolved critical challenges in the simulation of a wide variety of excited electronic state processes in complex systems
Professor Lawrence Ziegler, Chemistry Department Chair, describes her as “a Theoretical and Computational Chemist of national standing and a rising star in the international community,” adding that “given her strong upward trajectory in highest quality research productivity and her pivotal role in developing University Research initiatives in computational materials science, it is no surprise that Prof. Bravaya has received this honor to be a Hariri Junior Faculty Fellow. She will be an excellent ambassador for Computational Science.”
Emily Ryan has been selected as an Institute Junior Faculty Fellow beginning in fall 2014. Emily is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Division of Materials Science and Engineering at Boston University. She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2009, where her dissertation research focused on numerical modeling of chromium poisoning in the cathode of a solid oxide fuel cell. She was a post-doctoral research associate and a staff computational scientist in the Computational Mathematics and Engineering group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Her work at PNNL examined computational modeling of energy systems at the meso-scale. Since joining BU in 2012, she founded the Computational Energy Laboratory, which focuses on the development of computational models of advanced energy systems, including fuel cells, carbon capture technologies, and advanced battery technologies.
Professor Alice White, Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, states that “the lack of efficient, low cost energy storage is one of the main roadblocks to widespread deployment of alternate energy sources. Lithium ion batteries, despite their ubiquity, are still limited in their performance as well as being expensive. Emily Ryan (ME) is attacking this important problem using state-of-the-art computation modeling. I am delighted that she has been named a Hariri Junior Faculty Fellow, connecting her to the BU community of researchers using computational techniques to address similarly complex problems in a wide variety of fields.”
Gustavo Schwenker has been selected as an Institute Junior Faculty Fellow beginning in fall 2014. Gustavo received his PhD in management science and engineering in 2013 from Stanford University and his diploma in applied mathematics and economics from the University of Cologne. His research focuses on the development of statistical and computational tools for the measurement of financial risks. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, he served as a summer associate in the unit of investment banking strategies at Goldman Sachs; an intern in risk and portfolio management at Sal. Oppenheim, Jr. & Cie.; and an intern in sales and trading at Deutsche Bank. Gustavo¹s academic honors include the Gerald J. Lieberman Fellowship and the Stanford Graduate Fellowship, both from Stanford University.
Professor Marcel Rindisbacher, Chair of the Finance Department, explains that “Gustavo develops new statistical filtering techniques to perform inference about the default behavior and credit risk of a large panel of corporations. His research on filtering marked point processes has interesting applications outside of finance.” Commenting on Gustavo’s selection as a Hariri Junior Fellow, he adds “These novel statistical inference techniques are computationally demanding and Gustavo will benefit from interactions with other Hariri Institute Fellows. I am delighted to see Gustavo recognized as a Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellow. I am convinced that Gustavo is at the beginning of an impressive academic career.”
Cara Stepp has been selected as an Institute Junior Faculty Fellow beginning in fall 2014. Cara directs the STEPP LAB for Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering and is Assistant Professor in the Departments of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at BU. She received the S.B. in Engineering Science from Smith College, S.M. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology. Prior to joining BU, she completed postdoctoral training in Computer Science & Engineering and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington. Her research uses engineering tools to rehabilitate sensorimotor function.
Professor Christopher A. Moore, Dean of College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, states, “Dr. Stepp is the epitome of that elusive scientist who works truly at the crossroads of disciplines. Her computational research, which involves imaginative and challenging problems in signal processing, is immediately applicable to a wide range of communicative impairments. When many scientists are eager to speculate about how their work can find its way to improve the human condition, the importance of, and the compassion behind, Dr. Stepp¹s work is self-evident. Her colleagues and collaborators across BU count themselves most fortunate to have in Sargent College someone of her technical capabilities, creative breadth, and rehabilitative focus.”