Office of Faculty Affairs

The Forum

From the Desk of the Vice Provost

Dear Colleagues,

February has been a month of deep engagement focused on elevating our faculty profiles and strengthening our leadership infrastructure. We are moving with purpose to ensure every educator and researcher at NJIT has the tools and advocacy they need to thrive.

This month's key takeaways:

Empowering Leadership: We officially launched the Chairs Council—a self-governed initiative designed for peer mentorship and collective advocacy.

Targeting Research Growth: Our recent workshop provided actionable strategies for "speaking the language" of the Department of Defense (DOD) to secure critical funding.

Celebrating Excellence: Congratulations to Professor Bryan Pfister on his election as a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society—a testament to NJIT’s impact on the field.

I am also thrilled to announce our next Faculty Friday: a mini-conference featuring Pulitzer Prize-winner Jodi Kantor. Please join us as we explore the future of modern career navigation.

Best regards,
Omowunmi “Wunmi” Sadik, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs,
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science

Faculty Spotlight

Bryan Pfister is Named a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society

Pfister, a professor of biomedical engineering and chair of the department, has been elected Fellow for his significant contributions to the field in research and education, as well as for advancing diversity initiatives and for his sustained service to the community.

February Highlights

Faculty Recognition: Our first Faculty Fridays in the year featured Dr. Shivon Boodhoo, who provided actionable strategies for translating research and dedication into national prestige. The Office of Development's Donna Russo and Denis Brosnan presented estate planning options for faculty.

Leadership Development: On Feb. 10, we officially launched the Chairs Council, a self-governed initiative for mentorship and collective advocacy. My sincere thanks to our Co-Chairs, Drs. Eliza Michalopoulou and Bryan Pfister, and our Leadership Mentors, Drs. Cummings, Rotstein, and Steffen-Fluhr. We also welcomed guest speaker Elyzza Zylbershlag (Work Wise Labs), who led a session on navigating departmental challenges with clarity.

New Faculty Support: Our Feb. 19–20 workshop featured keynotes from Dr. John Shen (Peraton) on securing DoD funding and Dr. Basil Baltzis on the pillars of teaching excellence. Thank you to all the NJIT offices, staff and faculty panelists who made this workshop so engaging for our newest members. New faculty can access slides from the workshop on the OFA canvas page.

DOD Workshop Follow-up: Slides & Strategy
Thank you to everyone who attended our DOD Funding Strategies Workshop. To help you "speak the language" of the Department of Defense and refine your outreach, we’ve compiled the core resources for your review.

Quick Actions for Faculty

Refine Your Framework: Pay special attention to the slides on Individual Efforts. These are the primary tools Program Managers use to vet initial concepts - slides.
Alert the Research Office: Planning a submission? Let your college's research director know early. They are available to handle the administrative heavy lifting so you can focus on the science.
Join the Conversation: We will continue diving into DOD-specific outreach during our upcoming Faculty Friday sessions. Watch out for the April Mock Proposal Review Session.
We’re excited to see these strategies in action.
Reach out to the Office of Research with any questions as you review the materials.

Faculty Award Submissions

ACM - Association for Computing Machinery senior member due March 3

National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering - early career faculty, internal review required, contact Dr. Boodhoo for information

AAAS - American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow due April 17

AIMBE - American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow due June 30

NAI - National Academy of Inventors Fellow due June 30

APS - American Physical Society Fellow - varies by section

Please contact Dr. Shivon Boodhoo, Director of Faculty Awards for help and advice with nominations for prestigious awards and prizes (boodhoo@njit.edu).

Faculty Fridays

Join us for the Women Designing the Future Conference, featuring a keynote by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Jodi Kantor. She will present “How to Start: Discovering Your Life’s Work,” exploring modern career navigation in a changing world. As always, Faculty Fridays are open to all tenured and tenure-track faculty, university lecturers, adjuncts, and postdocs.

Friday March 6, 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. CKB, Agile Strategy Lab. RSVP here

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. || Keynote: Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Jodi Kantor, “How to Start: discovering your life’s work.”
1–3 p.m. || Lunch and panel discussion: "Navigating Modern Careers in a Changing World." Moderator: Judith Sheft. Panelists: Dr. Wunmi Sadik, NJIT VPFA; Kathryn Carpenter, Founder and CEO of Cecilia; Mahako Etta, Chief of Innovation for the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority; Juliet Chin Hart, principal and founder of Hart & Chin Associates, LLC; Dr. Ashley Mont, Chief Research Compliance Officer and Co-Founder of NeuroTechR3.

Quick Links

Editorial Board: Dr. Wunmi Sadik, Dr. Shivon Boodhoo, Deric Raymond, Faculty representatives TBD

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Unsubscribe