Ezra Glenn
Ezra Haber Glenn demonstrates an “outstanding example of commitment to student learning and growth through care and attention.” As a nominator testified, “He asks me genuinely how I am doing, and that can make all the difference.” Ezra is “incredibly supportive,” making his commitment to caring for students a priority by creating time to give […]
Amy Glasmeier
Professor Amy Glasmeier is a truly caring person, which has been demonstrated through both her life’s work and her impact on those she has mentored. Her students describe her as a reliable touchstone in their lives, frequently checking in on their personal and emotional well being, taking them out to lunch or coffee to catch […]
Ahmed Ghoniem
Ahmed Ghoniem is revered among his students for his understanding nature and support of their development as individuals. Ahmed encourages his students to develop their own ideas and pursue their own research interests. He gives his students “freedom to chart their own courses in grad school and develop into well-rounded researchers, as a result.” This […]
Anna Frebel
Frebel says that “it is a gift to be able to tell, especially younger women, You can do it—I believe in you and your ideas.” As a tenured woman professor and single mother of two young children, Anna Frebel feels she is a de facto role model for others. Frebel joined the MIT physics faculty in 2012 as Assistant […]
Cathy Drennan
Cathy Drennan is a “brilliant scientist, engaging teacher, dedicated mentor, and fierce advocate,” according to her advisees. Students eagerly share exciting, early experimental results with Drennan, finding her enthusiasm “infectious.” Drennan has been a professor at MIT since 1999. She started in the Department of Chemistry and has since also joined the Department of Biology. […]
Janet Conrad
Janet Conrad stands out among MIT Physics professors, not only as a woman in a largely male dominated field, but also because she makes teaching the general public about the wonders of physics a top priority. Her résumé of outreach events is truly exceptional. Janet’s ability to stimulate enthusiasm in everyone around her, from high […]
Gang Chen
Professor Gang Chen’s dedication to his students leads him to be a mentor, a role model, and a resource of support to many. One of his nominators describes, “Professor Chen is the hardest working person I know, and the majority of his time is spent developing those around him.” The nominator describes how Prof. Chen […]
Paola Cappellaro
Quantum scientist Paola Cappellaro works to ensure students are at their “best state, and moving towards one better,” according to student nominators. Cappellaro effectively navigates the balance between attending closely to students’ needs while also giving them space to explore. Paola Cappellaro is a Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering. She leads the Quantum Engineering […]
Gabriella Carolini
One student extols Gabriella Carolini as “the single most defining influence in my MIT experience to date.” This sentiment is far from an outlier. Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), Carolini’s research focuses on the planning, implementation, and administration of infrastructure systems in vulnerable urban and peri-urban communities. Her work, […]
Kerri Cahoy
Kerri Cahoy offers compassion and fierce support for her graduate advisees. Cahoy is an associate professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, with a joint appointment in the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Department. She leads the Space Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation (STAR) Laboratory. The STAR lab develops satellite instruments and technologies for applications such as observing […]
Cullen Buie
“I heard a quote once that ‘the best ability is availability’,” says Professor Cullen Buie, “and I’m constantly trying to figure out how to be more available for the people I mentor.” For this outlook and many other reasons, Buie has been awarded the Committed to Caring (C2C) Award. Although mentoring seems to come naturally […]
Ed Bertschinger
Ed Bertschinger is a student advocate who truly cares. During his appointment as Physics Department Head, he worked tirelessly to increase diversity and build an environment of respect and support. Ed was active in helping to increase the number of students from underrepresented minorities who received Physics PhDs from 0% in 2007 to 11% in […]
Kristin Bergmann
“Cool, collected, and compassionate,” according to a student nominator, Professor Kristin Bergmann uplifts the students in her lab and beyond. Professor Bergmann holds the D. Reid (1941) and Barbara J. Weedon Career Development chair in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. A graduate of Carleton College, Bergmann later taught middle school earth and […]
John Belcher
Professor John Belcher is serious about mental health. Very open about his own battle with clinical depression, he is able to speak from experience when relating to students under stress. One of his aims as the current Associate Chair of the MIT Faculty is to help decrease the stigma associated with mental health treatment. Inspired […]
Emilio Baglietto
Professor Emilio Baglietto’s “unparalleled enthusiasm” for teaching is both contagious and formative of his students’ academic development. “It was during his class that I felt I actually became a nuclear engineer,” one of his advisees remarked. Over the six years that Baglietto has spent in the MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering Department, he has made […]
Alfredo Alexander-Katz
Stressful transitions are endemic to graduate school. Professor Alfredo Alexander-Katz is a reliable resource for students, helping them to endure and even thrive amidst difficulty. Alexander-Katz is an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, where he leads the Laboratory for Soft Materials. The lab focuses on self-assembly and the dynamics of […]
Seeing into the future: Personalized cancer screening with artificial intelligence
While mammograms are currently the gold standard in breast cancer screening, swirls of controversy exist regarding when and how often they should be administered. On the one hand, advocates argue for the ability to save lives: Women aged 60-69 who receive mammograms, for example, have a 33 percent lower risk of dying compared to those […]
MIT School of Engineering unveils the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Distinguished Speaker Series
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, Gilda A. Barabino, president of Olin College of Engineering and professor of biomedical and chemical engineering, spoke to a hybrid audience of approximately 80 people, sharing thoughts and perspectives she’d gained during her career as a leader in the engineering field. Her presentation, “Engineering for Everyone: Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” […]
Merging design, tech, and cognitive science
Ibuki Iwasaki came to MIT without a clear idea of what she wanted to major in, but that changed during the spring of her first year, when she left her comfort zone and enrolled in 4.02A (Introduction to Design). For the final project, her group had to make a modular structure out of foam blocks, […]
Daron Acemoglu
A simple uplifting greeting can transform someone’s day. And Professor Acemoglu’s “friendliness overflows the [Economics Department] hallways,” according to student nominators. Daron Acemoglu is an MIT Institute Professor of Economics. Acemoglu’s research delves into political economy, economic development and growth, human capital theory, growth theory, innovation, search theory, network economics and learning. His recent research […]
System Design & Management Online Info Session
Join SDM learn about MIT’s master’s degree in engineering and management!
3 things I did as an international graduate student this summer
When I was accepted to the Master of Science (M.S). in Comparative Media Studies last summer, I had very specific goals of how I wanted to spend the next two years of my life in Boston: conducting ethnographic research, volunteering in several organizations, networking, and learning how to sail during the summer on the Charles […]
How my journey to the Philippines brought me to MIT
During the summer of 2019, my mom and I visited the Philippines for our first-time to meet relatives and learn more about our heritage. To see as much of the country as possible and to meet as many people as possible, my family rented a van for a two-week road trip. I met a LOT […]
The conflict and the privilege of MIT
The arrival It feels very strange to be writing this. I never thought I would be writing as a student at MIT but after a rollercoaster of events I was given the opportunity of a lifetime: the opportunity to study at MIT. I applied to MIT as a high school student, and after being rejected, […]
Whales of quals
This is my story of how I prioritized my mental health over qualifying exams. When I was studying for quals1, my phone kept autocorrecting quals to whales. I thought it was funny and poetic, because the stress of quals felt like a whale on me. Before reading this, I want to mention that what you […]
Innovation and the daily grind
A life with daily grinds Over the last ten years, I remember working long hours on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), project finance deals, and operational issues without even realizing when the sun set. And then COVID struck! Suddenly, I had nothing to work on and nowhere to go. Somewhere inside me, I knew that I […]
Daron Acemoglu
EconomicsCelebrating potential A simple uplifting greeting can transform someone’s day. And Professor Acemoglu’s “friendliness overflows the [Economics Department] hallways,” according to student nominators. Daron Acemoglu is an MIT Institute Professor of Economics. Acemoglu’s research delves into political economy, economic development and growth, human capital theory, growth theory, innovation, search theory, network economics and learning. His […]
Four with MIT ties honored with 2022 American Mathematical Society prizes
Four mathematicians with MIT ties were recently honored by the American Mathematical Society (AMS). Professors Michel Goemans and Richard Stanley, along with Cornell University Professor David Williamson PhD ’93, are recipients of AMS’s Leroy P. Steele Prizes for 2022. Associate Professor Semyon Dyatlov received the inaugural 2022 Mikhail Gordin Prize, offered jointly by the AMS and the European […]
Prospective student resources
The 7,200 graduate students at MIT are one of the most talented scholarly cohorts in the world. Their educational experiences on campus go beyond just research. We are excited that you are considering becoming part of the community. Below, please find links to information about life, learning, and research at MIT. These materials were initially […]
Financial wellbeing
Finances are a key aspect of navigating graduate school. Graduate student life can be expensive, and financial strain can show up in a lot of different ways. We offer a number of different resources, from addressing urgent financial need to helping you learn to better manage myriad aspects of your financial life. Use these pages […]
AISES: The American Indian Science and Engineering Society
The Annual AISES National Conference is a unique, three-day event focusing on educational, professional, and workforce development for Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers. Attendees include Indigenous high school and college students, educators, and professionals, including representatives from Tribal Nations, Tribal enterprises, […]
