Speaker: Aileen Huang‐Saad, PhD, MBA Director of Life Sciences and Engineering Programs, Department of Bioengineering
The Roux Institute, Northeastern University
About the lecture: Today, higher education is facing significant challenges as it tries to prepare its graduates for post graduate opportunities. Additionally, technology development is evolving at a record pace across disciplines; students are faced with an over‐whelming number of opportunities and career paths; and, rightly so, there is a growing demand to integrate evidence‐based practices for learning and organizational change. These pressures have stimulated higher education to identify new ways to integrate post graduate opportunities into curriculum and the classroom, not only changing the culture of higher education but questioning the necessary credentials to advance in the fields. For this talk, Aileen will explain how her experience with design, entrepreneurship and professional practice have influenced her approach to closing the gap between higher education and professional practice. She will also discuss how her work has influenced her thoughts on creating “intentional networks” in low density settings, offering a comprehensive path for learners to engage in higher education throughout their careers.
About the speaker: In February 2021, Dr. Huang‐Saad joined the Bioengineering faculty at Northeastern University and became the Director of Life Sciences and Engineering Programs at The Roux Institute (Portland, Maine). Dr. Huang‐Saad has over a 14 history of bringing about organizational change in higher education, leveraging evidence‐based practices at University of Michigan. She created the U‐M BME graduate design program, co‐ founded the U‐M College of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurship, launched the U‐M National Science Foundation (NSF) I‐Corps Node, and developed the U‐M BME Instructional Incubator. She is a canonical instructor for both the NSF and National Institute of Health (NIH) I‐Corps Programs. Dr. Huang‐Saad has received numerous awards for her teaching and student advising, including the 1938E College of Engineering Award, the Thomas M. Sawyer, Jr. Teaching Award, the U‐M ASEE Outstanding Professor Award, the International Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award, and the College of Engineering Outstanding Student Advisor Award. She currently serves as Deputy Editor‐in‐ Chief of Springer’s Biomedical Engineering Education and is a member of the Maine State Workforce Board and the National Academies’ Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education.
Dr. Huang‐Saad’s current research areas are entrepreneurship, innovation, and transforming higher education. She has been funded by the NSF to explore the influence of the microenvironment of entrepreneurship education on minoritized populations, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and fostering graduate student professional development.
Prior to entering higher education, Dr. Huang‐Saad worked in industry gaining experience in new venture biotech, the defense industry, and medical device testing. She has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctor of Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a Master of Business Administration from University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
This event is located in Soderberg Lecture Hall.