By Rose Sumer

When NYIT’s new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Rahmat A. Shoureshi, Ph.D., moved to New York in August, his arrival had the hallmark of a homecoming.

“New York was the first place in the United States that my wife, Azar, and I landed in 35 years ago,” says Shoureshi. He recalls his move from Iran in 1976 as a young mechanical engineering student about to start a Ph.D. program at MIT. “From that first week, we always had this interest in New York. Since both of us like Broadway and appreciate art, music, and museums, it has always been a draw for us.”

This time, Shoureshi was drawn to New York because of NYIT. He sees a trove of prospects for cross-disciplinary education, research, and business collaborations, as well as opportunities for expanding alumni outreach.

“Many challenges this job faces are different from experiences I’ve had,” he says. “That’s what makes it exciting. Who wants to do the same thing all the time?”

The allure of the unknown has guided Shoureshi and his academic career for more than 30 years. He previously served as dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver, where he developed five new interdisciplinary degree programs and partnered with universities abroad and leading companies.

“When you look beyond your area of expertise, you realize how much you don’t know,” he says. “I look at this positively as an opportunity to learn.”

Shoureshi credits his MIT advisor and mentor, the late professor Hank Paynter, for encouraging him to explore unknown subjects—leading him to take marketing and industrial dynamics classes to fulfill his Ph.D. program’s requirements.

“This was another eye-opening experience,” says Shoureshi, who holds a dozen patents based on his research. “That’s why I always feel comfortable interacting with business folks.”

He has hosted events for NYIT faculty members to talk about interdisciplinary research—gatherings meant to introduce his ideas, hear those of others, and share another side of his personality.

“I’m trying to show I have a sense of humor,” Shoureshi says. “If you don’t have humor, the challenges of the job make you too rigid.”

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Winter 2012 Table of Contents