NJIT's 2024 Master's and Doctoral Class Make Their Mark
New Jersey Institute of Technology served up a full day of fanfare as its advanced degree graduates walked across the stage in the Wellness and Events Center in three commencement ceremonies on May 15. The 2024 class comprises more than 1,400 graduates and reflects the institution’s steady growth and upward trajectory.
NJIT Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs John Pelesko, participating in his first commencement exercises as provost, called the ceremonies to order. Pelesko, himself a 1997 alumnus of NJIT as the very first Ph.D. graduate in mathematical sciences, implored students to soak in this moment as they will look back on it for many years to come.
NJIT President Teik C. Lim encouraged graduates to seize opportunities and make a positive impact as leaders, building on the progress made by NJIT graduates before them.
"Embrace the opportunities that await and use your talents to pursue goals that will benefit others and improve our world. Understand that you are building upon a foundation that was created by previous generations of Highlanders, and you are contributing to the great legacy of our university in your own way. … graduates of the class of 2024, congratulations!”
Master’s Ceremony for NCE, HCAD, CSLA and MTSM
Watch the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony recognizing master’s students from Newark College of Engineering, Hillier College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts and Martin Tuchman School of Management at the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center
Dean Kevin Belfield of the College of Science and Liberal Arts acknowledged the importance of NJIT’s faculty in the success of the graduates.
“These dedicated professionals have provided invaluable classroom instruction and have contributed to your intellectual growth in labs, in the field, and in the community,” he said. “They have served as teachers, mentors, and role models, guiding you towards academic achievement and preparing you for your future endeavors, whether it be further study, entering the workforce, or pursuing other post-commencement adventures.”
Dean Moshe Kam of NCE presented the ceremony’s keynote speaker Santo Politi ’89, founder and managing partner of Spark Capital. Politi is a distinguished graduate of NJIT, holding a master's degree in electrical engineering.
Politi shared his journey from Turkey, his birthplace, to the U.S. and how the people he met at NJIT helped him to achieve all his endeavors, whether that was giving him a ride to his job or giving a recommendation to land a job. “This was the best first place I could have gone in this country. Since I got this invitation to talk to you all I've been reflecting on my experiences here,” said Politi. “So knowing what I know now I'm pretty sure I would not be talking to you if NJIT was not my first stop in the U.S.”
He gave the graduates encouragement as they look ahead to the future. “You have become experts in your chosen fields and you have already made significant scientific contributions. If it feels like technology is moving at an unprecedented pace, it is, and it is because of you.
“There's always much to worry about, like the state of the planet, dwindling resources, war and famine. At the same time with the opportunity that is generative AI, it feels like we are all at the cusp of something spectacular,” he said. “An opportunity to make real change in our lifetime, the problems we face from climate change to sustainable energy, demand your ingenuity. The world needs your technical brilliance.”
Gabrielle Esperdy, interim dean of the J. Robert and Barbara Hillier College of Architecture & Design, led the morning presentation of candidates for degrees — first reminding graduates of what it took to reach this moment, and the power of their potential as they venture out into their careers.
"Whatever path brought you here today, you have fulfilled the degree requirements of a rigorous course of study, and that distinguishes you as professionals in your respective fields," she said. "Your NJIT credentials will open new doors. Know that you are limited only by your ambition and passion for the work that you will pursue. You are, and will always be, part of the NJIT family and we welcome you all with open arms.”
Following the presentation, Dean Oya Tukel of the Martin Tuchman School of Management shifted the spotlight towards the graduates’ friends and family in attendance, dedicating a special moment to honor those who have played pivotal roles in their academic journey.
“This day belongs to our graduates, but I’d like everyone to stand and join me in recognizing those not wearing caps and gowns — the parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, children and friends who have sustained you on your journey,” said Tukel.
President Teik C. Lim took to the podium to offer congratulations before closing the ceremony with the formal conferral of degrees, acknowledging the remarkable achievements of this year’s class and the challenges they overcame along the way.
“Look around and remember this moment. When you walk out of this arena you should feel incredibly proud, because what you have accomplished did not come easily,” said Lim.
Master’s Ceremony for YWCC
Watch the 1:30 p.m. commencement ceremony recognizing master’s students from Ying Wu College of Computing
At the afternoon ceremony for graduate students of NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing, Interim Dean Ali Mili welcomed keynote speaker Samir Saini ’97 (B.S. Civil Engineering), who is a managing director for government clients at Microsoft.
“His deep expertise in technology strategy, operations, project delivery and product management across a broad spectrum of industries makes him an invaluable speaker for graduates entering the tech industry,” Mili stated.
Saini spoke bluntly about the massive role that artificial intelligence will play in the careers of the new alumni.
“You have navigated through arguably the toughest curriculum possible, and completed projects and published research that would baffle probably the best of us,” while working and supporting families. “These achievements are more than just commendable. They are heroic in every sense of the word,” Saini began.
However, “In the next five years or less, we should expect continued advances in AI and of course in generative AI, and in spatial computing just to name a few, that will push the boundaries of what we thought possible and enhance our human potential in ways that really we can only begin to imagine. … We will all live in a world where we will stop thinking about AI as a chatbot that requires constant human input to complete your tasks. Instead, we will use AI as our conscious agents designed to automate complex tasks with little to no human intervention. We will simply explain the task to complete and the goal to achieve and it will leverage all the tools and knowledge and its disposal to get the job done.”
This revolution, Saini promised, will be “even bigger than the revolution from the command line to the graphical user interface. … Yes, I am confidently saying that Tony Stark’s JARVIS will soon become a reality. And in some ways, we're already starting to see it,” he stated, referring to the popular superhero character’s lifelike assistant.
“This emerging AI revolution comes with some very profound societal risks. How do we combat AI-generated misinformation to safeguard our privacy? How do we ensure AI is fair, AI is transparent and inclusive? It's a daunting thought. And I really hope this never happens — what if we face a scenario where there is an uncontrolled, self-aware AI that emerges? Now, this isn't science fiction anymore. These are the pressing questions that we will need you to address. And you have both the responsibility and the privilege of guiding how we blend AI into our daily lives.”
“So as you move forward in your professional careers, consider the profound impact of your work. Every large language model you train, every algorithm you write, every app you build, every line of code you provide plays a critical role in shaping our shared future. Your work has the potential to eliminate barriers and to position AI as a tool to drive genuine human progress for every single person on the planet.”
Saini’s parting advice is for new alumni to embrace the unknown, keep up with technology, work in diverse sectors, live around the world, learn from failure and prioritize personal life — lessons he personally learned not just in college or on-the-job, but also from his father — himself an NJIT graduate (M.S. Electrical Engineering, ‘75), who is 87, maintains his professional engineer’s license, still consults and even still takes classes to maintain his knowledge.
“So if my dad isn't the shining example of what lifelong learning means,” Saini said, “Then honestly, I don't know who is.”
Commencement Ceremony for Doctoral Candidates
Watch the 5 p.m. commencement ceremony recognizing Ph.D. students
The evening commencement ceremony featured student speaker Bruno Bezerra de Souza. De Souza holds a Master of Science degree from NJIT and was one of the doctoral degree candidates honored tonight, earning his Ph.D. from the civil and environmental engineering department. One of Mr. de Souza’s principal interests is a family of toxic “forever chemicals” known by the acronym PFAS, and researching its properties to look for techniques to destroy them in spite of their resilience.
De Souza recollected that many of the doctoral candidates did a significant amount of their work in the shadow of the COVID pandemic. Throughout the turbulence of his academic pursuit, de Souza developed three personal pillars of advice that he shared with his peers: be humble and use your rarified distinction to make the world a better place; be ready and resilient to great changes and challenges you may face; and be persistent in your pursuits for it is “not our occasional success but our ability to bounce back from adversity that defines us.”
“Your journey and mine does not start today, though today is an important milestone on our long way,” de Souza said. “Let us embrace these pieces of advice and face the challenges that lie ahead of us with humility, resilience, and persistence.”
Rounding out the speakers was Dr. Carolyn Merkel, who holds a doctorate in chemistry from Columbia and master’s from NJIT in technology management, is the founding partner of Mariner Analytical, LLC. Merkel's consulting firm serves clients in regulated industries ranging from agriculture, pharmaceuticals, construction to food.
Merkel emphasized that the essence of education is not an accumulation of knowledge, “but rather a cultivation of a permanent curiosity about the world, and the resilience to adapt to whatever the future presents.
“In the years to come, you may encounter challenges that require solutions beyond the scope of your current expertise. If learning stops when you receive your degree, you may be frustrated. In these moments, a commitment to continuous learning will be tested. Embrace these opportunities. They are the crucibles in which your skills will be fire-tested, and the anvils on which your character is formed. The hallmark of greatness is not only the ability to solve problems but to anticipate them,” Merkel said.
Merkel’s anticipation of problems and creative solutions led her back to NJIT to become better versed in analyzing financial data. While her background in academia allowed her to decipher scientific data, her pursuit of continuous learning allowed her to be a better colleague and further develop her business.
“I urge you to uphold the values of integrity, responsibility, and empathy in all your endeavors. The impact of your work extends beyond the confines of industry and academia; it touches lives and shapes the future,” Merkel said.
During the ceremony, Ph.D. recipients Xueyu Hou and Mohammad Arif Hossain were awarded the Hashimoto Prize for their distinguished research in electrical and computer engineering. The Hashimoto Prize is part of an endowment that recognizes the generosity and vision of Dr. Kazuo Hashimoto, who is known for more than 1,000 patents and applications related to the invention of the telephone answering machine and other devices in electronics and telecommunications.
Sotirios Ziavras, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of graduate faculty, presented the newest accolade, the Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation Award, which is bestowed annually upon a doctoral candidate and acknowledges their exceptional scholarly achievements. In its inaugural presentation, Sumona Paul earned the award for her work in pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental science where she conducted cutting-edge research on the intersection of circular economy and resource recovery.
Under Professor Somenath Mitra, her research explored the development of novel filtration approaches and hydrophobic surface coating that repels biological fluids for use in biomedical applications. Impressively, she garnered six first author and an additional three co-authored papers, and numerous awards and recognitions from organizations such as the American Chemical Society, the New Jersey Water Environment Association and the New Jersey Water Resource Institute.
