Our instructors

Geri Barrison

DS280: Spark! UX/UI Design Workshop

Geri (she/her) is an adjunct lecturer for BU Spark!. Additionally, she has served as a Spark! mentor for six years, where she combines her passions for working with undergraduates and inspiring women in technology. Geri has diverse human resources technology industry experience. She has served as Product Manager for companies of all sizes, from startups to the Fortune 50. Currently, Geri is the Director of Product for Yello. A University alum, she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s from the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Communications, respectively.

Bahar Bazargani

DS539: Data Science Practicum

Bahar is a Data Science Product Manager at MassMutual and an instructor at BU’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, where she teaches the Data Science Practicum course. With over a decade of experience in data science, she has worked across consulting, engineering, e-commerce, and FinTech, applying machine learning, analytics, and data-driven strategies to solve complex business challenges. She holds a Ph.D. in Intelligent Infrastructure Engineering from Iowa State University and is passionate about bridging technical innovation with real-world impact. Beyond data science, Bahar is always looking for her next adventure, whether on the slopes or exploring new destinations. She brings that same energy to the classroom, fostering an engaging, hands-on learning environment where students gain practical experience working on industry-relevant projects. Having joined BU in 2024, she is excited to mentor the next generation of data scientists and help them navigate the evolving landscape of technology and business.

Anthony Chamberas

XC473 A1: Spark! Justice Media co-Lab

Anthony is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience at the intersection of data science, analytics, and strategic decision-making. With a proven track record of spearheading data-driven initiatives across diverse industries, Anthony is recognized as a leading expert in optimizing organizational performance through the power of data. In addition to his extensive professional experience, Anthony is the visionary founder and principal consultant at Four-Thirty Seven Analytics, a boutique consultancy renowned for providing bespoke analytics strategy and implementation services to a diverse array of clients. He is a respected thought leader in the analytics community and leads the Boston Tableau Users Group.

Kristen Connolly

DS594: Spark! Data Visualization X-Lab Practicum

Kristen is an independent consultant with 25 years’ experience in life science research environments, where she initially moved from the lab bench into analytics for the purpose of troubleshooting DNA sequencing errors. She has led data teams at startups, non-profits, and academic organizations, including the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, University of Oxford, and Joyn Bio. Kristen’s work is typically at the crossroads of analytics, genomics, operations, engineering, product management, and data infrastructure. She has created dashboards and reporting tools used by hundreds of stakeholders and developed training programs to support dashboard design, data management, data literacy, and DNA sequencing. She holds a double B.S. degree in Biology and Fine Arts from Bates College, which mirrors her approach to data visualization as both a technical and creative practice.

Ziba Cranmer

XC475: Spark! Technology Innovation Course

Ziba (she/her) is the founding director of BU Spark! and a member of the Innovate@BU steering committee. She brings extensive experience across both public and private sectors, including leadership roles at Nike and national initiatives supporting civic innovation. Ziba is passionate about interdisciplinary innovation fueled by technology.

Morgan Curran

DS488/DS688: Spark! UX Design X-Lab Practicum

Morgan is a digital experience design leader with deep expertise in applying design thinking to complex business challenges. He is currently the Director of User Experience at Primacy and has led global UX teams for clients including General Motors, Bank of America, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Joan Dimicco, Ph.D.

DS719: Data Science Product Management

Joan is an adjunct instructor for BU Spark!, teaching Product Management for Data Science. She brings over two decades of business leadership experience, most recently as Executive Director of Product at WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station. Joan has held leadership positions at Forrester Research and IBM leading innovation and product development efforts. She holds a Ph.D. and MS from the MIT Media Lab, where her research contributed to advancements in human-computer interaction, software agents, social computing, and data visualization.

Thomas Gardos

DS701: Tools for Data Science

Thomas comes to Boston University after a 30-year career at Intel, where he worked in both research and engineering roles. Most recently, he led a computer vision and computational photography research and development team, developing deep learning applications and algorithm specifications for ultra-low-power computer vision chips. Previously, Thomas led Intel’s video compression technology algorithm team and represented Intel at the ISO Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) and ITU-T video experts group. Thomas sponsored academic research grants at Intel and was Intel’s Researcher-in-Residence at the MIT Media Lab. Thomas has been an adjunct lecturer at Oregon and Portland State Universities and most recently in Boston University’s Spark! Program. In his free time, Thomas enjoys wing foiling, distance swimming, and Nordic skiing.

Dawit Gebregziabher

DS719: Data Science Product Management

Dawit is a Senior Product Manager at GitHub and a lecturer for DS719: Product Management for Data Scientists. He brings over 8 years of experience building and scaling B2B products, from greenfield initiatives to transforming mature product lines. He has led product strategy across various industries including Adtech, two-way marketplaces, and more recently, DevOps. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Harvard University and a Master’s in Data Science from Tufts University.

James Grady, M.F.A.

XC475: Spark! Technology Innovation Course

James is BU Spark!’s creative director, and Boston-based designer and educator with nearly two decades of broad-based experience. Combining theory and execution, James’ empirically-based methodology, developed as part of his master’s thesis at the Rhode Island School of Design, encourages deeper levels of creative exploration and unparalleled understanding of brand and visual communication. This intersection of education and practice informs his studio’s, Design Axel, creative approach. James is an assistant professor of graphic design at the Boston University School of Visual Arts.

MiHyun Kim

DS488/688: Spark! UX Design X-Lab Practicum

MiHyun Kim is an interdisciplinary designer, researcher, and educator committed to using design to connect individuals and their communities. Her work integrates emerging technologies, storytelling, and data visualization to address cultural and societal challenges. She investigates how design can translate complex ideas across disciplines and how evolving technologies are shaping the future of design education.

She has led digital design teams in numerous interdisciplinary collaborations funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and other national organizations. Her projects have been recognized by international and national design organizations, including the Interaction Design Association, Information is Beautiful Awards, ico-d, Ars Electronica, and the AIGA Design Educators Community. She is currently an Associate Professor of Communication Design at Texas State University, specializing in Interaction Design.

Asad Malik

XC475: Spark! Technology Innovation Course

Asad is BU Spark!’s innovation engineer, a Boston University alum, and free spirit. Primarily working with the BU Software Applications and Innovation Lab (SAIL), he has been involved with Spark! since 2022. After graduating with his master’s, he was a Spark! mentor and co-led the Technology Innovation Fellowship while working at Philips. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Boston University.

Nagendra Mishra

DS519: Spark! Software Engineering X-Lab Practicum

Nagendra is a graduate of the computer science department at Boston University and currently works at Microsoft. He held many roles in the software industry for the last 30+ years. Nagendra started his career working at several startups as a software engineer and over the years, he built communication protocols, search engines, and a professional services practice. Nagendra has also spent a significant amount of time running an A/B testing program for Comcast. More recently at Microsoft, he works as a cloud solution architect, where he helps customers understand how to build and modernize their solutions in Azure.

Urvashi Mohnani

DS219: Spark! Software Engineering Career Prep Practicum

Urvashi is a Principal Software Engineer on the OpenShift Containers Team at Red Hat. She interned in the Red Hat Containers team before joining as a full-time member of the team. Urvashi has spent the last few years developing Open Source container tools and cloud technologies, including Podman, Buildah, CRI-O, Skopeo, Kubernetes, and OpenShift. She is passionate about sharing her work and has given talks at various conferences, including KubeCon, DevConf, and SCaLE. She is also a co-organizer of DevConf.US, a free and open source conference that happens at Boston University every year. Urvashi graduated from Boston University in 2017, where she majored in Computer and Electrical Engineering.

Ali Nahvi, Ph.D.

DS549: Spark! Machine Learning X-Lab Practicum

Ali is a Senior Technical Product Manager specializing in AI and Analytics, with a strong background in data science and machine learning. Currently, he leads AI-driven initiatives at Salesforce, focusing on predictive modeling, agentic AI, and business intelligence to enhance sales performance and enablement. Prior to Salesforce, Ali worked as a Data Science Product Manager at Cengage Learning and an AI & Machine Learning Product Owner at Iron Mountain, driving innovative AI applications across industries. His career path blends deep technical expertise with strategic product leadership, making AI both accessible and impactful in enterprise settings.

Paul Lazarescu

DS719: Data Science Product Management

Paul teaches BU Spark!’s inaugural product management class, DS719: Product Management for Data Science. Since 2022, Paul has been a product mentor with Spark! for XC475. For the past 9 years, Paul has worked at Google on strategy and product and is currently a Group Product Manager on Google Search, where he leads teams across California, New York, and Brazil. Before joining Google, he worked at McKinsey & Company. He holds a B.Sc. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering, with a concentration in Robotics.

Ricardo Villamil

DS519: Spark! Software Engineering X-Lab Practicum

Ricardo is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and moved to Boston over 25 years ago. He studied at Boston University, where he obtained both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Computer Science and graduated summa cum laude. Passionate about coding and technology, he is also deeply committed to coaching and mentoring to share that passion with others.

Currently, Ricardo manages the software engineering team at Slang, where he builds powerful backend systems that fuel the company’s language learning platform. Previously, he worked at HubSpot, where he honed his leadership and backend systems expertise. His experience as a teaching assistant at Harvard University Extension School allowed him to guide students in artificial intelligence, robotics, and wearable technology.
Ricardo is passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems and is always eager to take on the next big challenge. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis, running, skiing, and is also an airplane pilot.

Sally O’Malley

DS219: Spark! Software Engineering Career Prep Practicum

Sally joined Red Hat in 2015. Her current role is Principal Software Engineer, Emerging Technologies, Office of the CTO. She uses her talent for sparking excitement around new tools and ideas to integrate innovative solutions into Red Hat’s portfolio. Sally is an organizer for DevConf.US, an annual open source conference, and an instructor within Boston University’s Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences.

Jane Urban

DS594: Spark! Data Visualization X-Lab Practicum

Jane has over 15 years of experience building new functions and high-performing teams in the biopharma industry. Currently, she is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Improzo, a newly formed, AI-enabled startup. In her role, she is defining the practice of analytics and operations using AI in the BioPharma space. She recently transformed customer engagement at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals as VP of Customer Engagement, a newly formed division combining capabilities in omnichannel engagement, analytics, insights, forecasting, commercial operations, and field effectiveness.

Prior to Otsuka, in her 7 years at Takeda, Jane held roles at the VP level across global commercial and medical data, US data and analytics, and Commercial Operations integration with the Shire acquisition. Prior to Takeda, Jane worked on healthcare commercialization-related roles in consulting and marketing at Baxter and ims Health, now IQVIA. She has consistently been seen as a thought leader in her field and was named a Top 40 Data Leader under 40 by CDO Magazine 2 years in a row and a Reuters Trailblazer in Pharma in 2024. Jane has an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and dual BA degrees in Engineering and Business Economics from Brown University.

Brooke Williams

XC473 A1: Spark! Justice Media co-Lab

Brooke is an investigative reporter specializing in data journalism. Her work has contributed to a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, a George Polk Award, and a Gerald Loeb Award, among others. As a contributor to The New York Times, she co-authored and built the database behind a series of front-page investigations examining the influence of think tanks, foreign governments, and corporations. She was also part of the award-winning “Windfalls of War” investigation at the Center for Public Integrity and co-authored major investigative projects including Harmful Error: Investigating America’s Local Prosecutors and The Buying of the President 2004, a New York Times bestseller.

Prior to joining Boston University, Williams was a residential journalism fellow at Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. Her data-driven investigations have appeared in print, online, radio, and television, including ABC World News, NPR, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and inewsource. She is currently a contributor to The Intercept and is leading a multi-year investigation into federal prosecutors that incorporates machine learning.

Matthew Zhang

DS519: Spark! Software Engineering X-Lab Practicum

Matthew is a Software Engineer and Tech Lead at Google Cambridge, where his most recent focus has been on developing the core infrastructure of Google Search. In addition to his role at Google, he is involved with Spark! as an instructor for practicum courses. With over a decade of professional software development experience, he specializes in large-scale, complex software systems and planet-scale distributed systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Northeastern University.