Our instructors
Spark! professors are industry leaders from various sectors, backgrounds, and walks of life. It is our hope that their expertise sets students up for success through practical experiences and industry advice.
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 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.
Anthony is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience at the intersection of data science, analytics, and strategic decision-making. Anthony is recognized as a leading expert in optimizing organizational performance through the power of data. He is the visionary founder and principal consultant at Four-Thirty Seven Analytics, a boutique consultancy providing bespoke analytics strategy and implementation services. He is a respected thought leader in the analytics community and leads the Boston Tableau Users Group.
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. 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 (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 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 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.
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. Previously, Thomas led Intel’s video compression technology algorithm team and represented Intel at the ISO Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG). In his free time, Thomas enjoys wing foiling, distance swimming, and Nordic skiing.
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, across Adtech, two-way marketplaces, and DevOps. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Harvard University and a Master’s in Data Science from Tufts University.
James is BU Spark!’s creative director, and a Boston-based designer and educator with nearly two decades of 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. James is an assistant professor of graphic design at the Boston University School of Visual Arts.
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 has led digital design teams in numerous interdisciplinary collaborations funded by the NSF and NEH. She is currently an Associate Professor of Communication Design at Texas State University, specializing in Interaction Design.
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. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Boston University.
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, building communication protocols, search engines, and a professional services practice. More recently at Microsoft, he works as a cloud solution architect, helping customers build and modernize their solutions in Azure.
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. Prior to Salesforce, Ali worked as a Data Science Product Manager at Cengage Learning and an AI & Machine Learning Product Owner at Iron Mountain.
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, leading teams across California, New York, and Brazil. He holds a B.Sc. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering.
Ricardo is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and moved to Boston over 25 years ago. He studied at Boston University, earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Computer Science, graduating summa cum laude. Currently, Ricardo manages the software engineering team at Slang, building backend systems for the company’s language learning platform. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis, running, skiing, and is also an airplane pilot.
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 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, an AI-enabled startup. She recently transformed customer engagement at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals as VP of Customer Engagement. Jane was named a Top 40 Data Leader under 40 by CDO Magazine two years in a row and a Reuters Trailblazer in Pharma in 2024.
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. As a contributor to The New York Times, she co-authored and built the database behind a series of front-page investigations. She was also part of the award-winning “Windfalls of War” investigation at the Center for Public Integrity. She is currently a contributor to The Intercept.
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. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Northeastern University.