Faculty News: New Faces at SEAS

TAL DANINO
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MIT, 2015; PhD, University of California at San Diego, 2011;
BS, University of California at Los Angeles, 2005

Tal Danino specializes in engineering biological organisms for novel health and environmental applications, beginning from a quantitative understanding of how networks of genes interact to establishing design principles for engineering biological behaviors though genetic programming. A 2015 TED fellow, he was most recently at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. Here at Columbia, he plans to teach courses in synthetic biology.

SUMAN JANA
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MIT, 2015; PhD, University of California at San Diego, 2011;
BS, University of California at Los Angeles, 2005

Tal Danino specializes in engineering biological organisms for novel health and environmental applications, beginning from a quantitative understanding of how networks of genes interact to establishing design principles for engineering biological behaviors though genetic programming. A 2015 TED fellow, he was most recently at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. Here at Columbia, he plans to teach courses in synthetic biology.

KAREN KASZA
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Postdoc Research Fellow, Sloan Kettering Institute, 2010–2015; PhD, Harvard University, 2010;
BA and BS, University of Chicago, 2003

Karen Kasza works to better understand the principles underlying the mechanics, self-organization, and morphogenesis of living tissues across the molecular-, cellular-, and tissue-length scales, with a focus on how tissues are shaped during embryonic development. The goal is to use this understanding to shed light on human health and disease and also to learn how to better build tissues in the lab. Her experimental approach integrates quantitative in vivo live imaging, micromechanical studies, and genetics. Kasza was recently awarded a Clare Boothe Luce professorship by the Henry Luce Foundation. She is currently teaching the course Mechanics of Fluids.

MATTHIAS PREINDL
Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering Postdoc Research Fellow, McMaster University, Canada, 2014–2015; PhD, University of Padua, Italy, 2014; MS, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, 2010; BS, University of Padua, Italy, 2008

Matthias Preindl focuses on the design and control of power electronic and motor drive systems with applications in electrified transportation systems, renewable-energy power plants, and smart grids. Preindl has been a postdoctoral research associate at the McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology and a sessional professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, both at McMaster University, Canada. He plans to teach courses in electrical engineering with emphasis on power electronics and related topics.

JOSE BLANCHET
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Using probabilistic methods to explore the evolution of “black swans,” or unlikely situations almost impossible to anticipate, Jose Blanchet builds sophisticated computer models of financial portfolios to shock with random events like bond defaults and bankruptcies. He combines applied probability, computational finance, queuing theory, simulation methodology, and risk theory to help investors recognize warning signs before extreme events occur. The recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Blanchet serves on the editorial board of several leading journals of stochastic operations research.

KARTIK CHANDRAN
Earth and Environmental Engineering

Kartik Chandran’s research focuses on reengineering the global nitrogen cycle and applying it to produce clean water and clean energy. He integrates microbial ecology, molecular biology, and engineering principles to transform sewage and other “waste” streams from pollutants to precious resources. He and his lab study how to harness microbial communities in natural and engineered settings to efficiently produce fertilizers, commodity chemicals, energy sources, and clean water. In 2015, Chandran was named a MacArthur fellow for his work and, in 2011, he received a major grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop new models for water and sanitation in Africa.

Promotion to Full Professor

VISHAL MISRA
Computer Science, joint appointment in Electrical Engineering

Vishal Misra specializes in using mathematical modeling to examine complex network systems, particularly the Internet. A widely cited expert on net neutrality, he has made major contributions to network traffic modeling, congestion control, and Internet economics, in addition to founding the data center storage startup Infinio and the popular sports website Cricinfo, now an ESPN affiliate. A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Misra is the recipient of CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.