Who We Are

Tufts Degrees: B.A., International Relations, 1983; M.A.L.D., International Relations, 1984

Other Degrees: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991

Biography: Vali Nasr’s life work has connected the knowledge of academia with the decisions of policy making. Dr. Nasr has been a scholar of the Middle East and South Asia beginning with his time as an undergraduate student and continuing through his graduate degree programs. Dr. Nasr has held teaching positions at the University of San Diego, Naval Postgraduate School, University of California at San Diego, and Stanford University. He is currently a professor at the Fletcher School. Dr. Nasr is one of America’s most influential experts on politics of the Middle East and South Asia and has a strong interest in government work and policy making.

He has advised world leaders in Asia, Europe and the U.S., most notably President George W. Bush in 2006, on Middle East and South Asia. He has advised U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense, senior military commanders, and senior policy makers at the White House. In 2008 he served as a senior advisor to Hilary Clinton's and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, and since 2009 has served in the Obama administration as also Senior Advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Holbrooke. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and advised members of both houses of Congress on Middle East and South Asia. In 2006 he joined the Council on Foreign Relations, and was also named a Carnegie Scholar.

Nasr has published many books and articles both in academia and in the mass media. His New York Times best-selling 2006 book, The Shia Revival, shaped the public debate and policy outlook on the war in Iraq. He has appeared on news shows for the BBC, CBS, NBC, NPR and CNN. Recently he appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

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Tufts Degrees: B.S., Chemistry, 1926; H.Sc.D., 1978

Other Degrees: M.A., Geology, Harvard University, 1930; Ph.D., Geology, Harvard University, 1940

Awards & Honors: Bellinghausen Memorial Medal, The Academy of Science of the Soviet Union, 1977; U.S. Department of Defense Congressional Medal for Antarctic Service; Neil A. Miner Award for Distinguished Teaching, National Association of Geology Teachers, 1969

Biography: Robert Nichols was a beloved professor in the Geology Department at Tufts University, often taking students along on expeditions as assistants. He began his teaching career at Tufts in 1929 and advanced to full professor in 1946; he became head of the department in 1940. He made many professional contributions to the field of geology in the areas of volcanology, shoreline geomorphology, and Arctic and Antarctic Geology. Dr. Nichols’ work led to the naming of the Tufts Pass in Antarctica and the Tufts Elv in Greenland. One of his greatest achievements came in 1946 when he worked with the Finn Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition as the senior natural scientist. Through this field work, Dr. Nichols mapped the Palmer Peninsula and proved that it was attached to Antarctica and not a series of small islands as previously thought. Many of the diagrams he created depicting lava flow features are still in use in manuals and textbooks today.

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Tufts Degrees: B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1972

Other Degrees: M.S.,Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona, 1973; Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1977

Biography: Dr. Peterson currently serves as the Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering. Prior to his work with the National Science Foundation, Dr. Peterson headed the chemical and environmental engineering department at the University of Arizona from 1990 to 1998. Continuing his work at the University of Arizona, Dr. Peterson was named the Dean of the College of Engineering in 1998, a position which he held until his appointment to the National Science Foundation in 2009. As Dean, Dr. Peterson was known for his collaborative programs encouraging interaction between the College of Engineering and other colleges at the University of Arizona. His collaborations include work with optical science, agriculture, engineering management, biomedical engineering and biosystems engineering. Also while at the University of Arizona, Dr. Peterson focused on increasing global education experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in engineering.

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Tufts Degrees: D.V.M., 1984, Residency in Zoological and Wildlife Medicine, 1988

Other Degrees: B.S., Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, 1971

Awards & Honors: 2004 - Chosen as faculty speaker for the 2004 graduating class of TCSVM, Pfizer Award for Excellence in Teaching, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, 2000; First Annual Award for Commitment to Wildlife, ReMaine Wild, Maine State Rehabilitators Association 1998; Outstanding Achievement Award, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 1998; Inaugural Recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association, 1997; Lifetime Achievement Award, National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, 1994; Significant Achievement Award, National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, 1990; Recognition for dedication to wildlife conservation, New Jersey Nongame and Endangered Species Advisory Committee, 1980.

Biography: Dr. Pokras is the Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Population Health at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. He alsoserved as the head of the school’s Wildlife Clinic from 1995-2008, and Director of the Center for Conservation Medicine from 2003-2008. As veterinarian, Dr. Pokras has combined hands-on clinical veterinary work with environmental community and policy efforts.

Before attending Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Pokras worked in ornithology, marine biology and environmental conservation. Dr. Pokras graduated from the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. After his graduation from Tufts, he worked with the Massachusetts Audubon Society before returning to teach at the Cummings School. He is also the cofounder of the Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine. Dr. Pokras is involved in several Tufts’ programs including teaching veterinary students, MS candidates at Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy, the International Veterinary Medicine certificate program, and mentoring students in public health. In his position as professor, Dr. Pokras encourages his students to look at veterinary medicine in the context of public health and the environment. His environmental research has spurred investigations into the impact of heavy metals on wildlife and important policy initiatives to protect animal and human health.

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Tufts Degrees: M.D., 1965

Other Degrees: B.A., Latin and English, Radcliffe College

Awards & Honors: Member of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, 2000.

Biography: Dr. Deborah E. Powell is Dean Emeritus of the Medical School and Associate Vice President for New Medical Education Programs at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Powell is a board-certified surgical pathologist and medical educator with more than 30 years of experience in academic medicine. She currently serves as the Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Dr. Powell began her accomplished teaching career at Georgetown University. In 1976 she became the director of diagnostic pathology at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Continuing her career at the University of Kentucky, she eventually became the chairwoman of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. In 1997, Dr. Powell left University of Kentucky to assume the post of Executive Dean and Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Dr. Powell relocated to Minnesota in 2002 to take on the position of Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she played an integral part in transforming the institution’s medical education and encouraging investment in research. While at Minnesota, Dr. Powell founded the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, which espouses interdisciplinary research in medical devices and biomedical engineering.

In addition to her career in academia, Dr. Powell is an active member of several distinguished organizations, including her appointment to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine in 2000. She is also a member of the National Institutes of Health Scientific Management Review Board. Dr. Powell also served as the chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology and the American Board of Pathology. She has also held positions in the Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health Office of Research in Women’s Health and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

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Tufts Degrees: B.A., 1959

Other Degrees: L.L.B, Yale School of Law, 1962; M.A., Political Science, University of California at Los Angeles, 1963; Ph.D., Columbia University, 1968; L.L.M., University of Virginia School of Law, 2004

Biography: Judge Inez Smith Reid has had a long and illustrious career in the judicial system. Judge Reid has excelled as a judge, public official, public interest lawyer, professor, scholar and private practice lawyer. She has also held several government appointments. Judge Reid has been widely published in the areas of constitutional law, environmental law, African politics and African-American History. Currently Judge Reid serves on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Judge Reid started her teaching career in the early 1960s as lecturer in criminal law in the Ecole Nationale de Droit et d’Administration in Congo-Kinshasha. She went on to teach African studies and political science at the State University of New York, followed by political science professorships at Hunter College and Brooklyn College. She served as an Adjunct Professor and Constitutional Scholar in the Department of Government in American University. Additionally, she has taught at the City University of New York, Barnard College, Columbia University, and at the University of West Virginia College of Law.

In her private practice, Judge Reid has specialized in litigation, environmental law, white-collar crime and commercial law. She has also handled pro bono employment discrimination cases.

She has served as General Counsel for the New York State Division for Youth and as Deputy General Counsel for Regulation Review of the old federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. She also served as Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency and Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia. In 1995 Judge Reid was appointed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals by President Clinton. She has served as the Chair of the District of Columbia Courts’ Standing Committee on Fairness and Access and as Vice Chair of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission since 1996.

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Tufts Degrees: B.S., Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, 1973 (magna cum laude)

Other Degrees: M.S., Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 1975; Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 1977

Awards & Honors: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2003; Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery, 1997; Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1993; Fellow of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications, 1991.

Biography: As an undergraduate at Tufts, Dr. Reif was enrolled in the Unified Science Study Program (USSP), which allowed him to take courses via independent study and do a series of interdisciplinary research projects in computer graphics (computer art and a short computer-animated movie), optics (design and simulation of holograms), structures (structural analysis and construction of a geodesic dome and fabric tensile structure), and stochastic modeling (prediction of alpha waves in neural networks using stochastic differential equations). These highly stimulating experiences at Tufts were critical to his life-long passion to do interdisciplinary research in diverse disciplines.

Dr. Reif is the A. Hollis Edens Distinguished Professor at the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University, where he has been at the Department of Computer Science since 1986. He is also president of Eagle Eye Research, specializing in defense applications of various technologies. Prior to 1986, he was Associate Professor at Harvard University.

Dr. Reif has authored over 200 publications, including the journals Science, Nature and PNAS. He made numerous contributions to the field of computer science, ranging from computational complexity theory to algorithms and their practical applications. He developed efficient algorithms for diverse problems spanning combinatorics, numerics, geometry, algebra and logic. He was the first to prove the computational complexity of some fundamental problems in robotics (motion planning of robots), game theory (games of incomplete information), geometry (3D shortest paths), optics (ray tracing), and biophysics (molecular modeling). He was the architect of two massively parallel computing systems. In the field of optics, he designed a free-space holographic message routing system, an ultra-high resolution head mounted display, and a solar concentrating system.

More recently, his research has focused on nanoscience and more specifically on molecular computing and nanorobotics using nanostructures self-assembled from DNA. A group led by Dr. Reif designed and demonstrated a variety of novel DNA nanostructures and DNA lattices. They experimentally demonstrated the first molecular scale computations and patterning using DNA assembly, and the first DNA-based autonomous molecular robotic device.

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Tufts Degrees: B.A., French and Political Science, 1970; M.A., International Affairs, 1971.

Biography: William (Bill) Richardson is an American politician who has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, Secretary of Energy and Ambassador to the United Nations under President Clinton and as Governor of the state of New Mexico since 2003. Governor Richardson also sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

Governor Richardson began his career in public service in 1971, holding positions in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the U.S. State Department. Following a move to New Mexico, Governor Richardson was elected to represent the 3rd Congressional District of the state in 1982. As Congressman, Governor Richardson focused on improving access to health care for New Mexico residents in rural areas. He also worked on business and technology initiatives and ensured environmental protection for the Rio Grande River and the San Juan River Basin. Additionally, Governor Richardson has been a special envoy on many sensitive and diplomatic missions. He successfully negotiated the release of hostages, American servicemen and prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, Cuba and Sudan. As recognition of his diplomatic work, the Governor has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1997, Governor Richardson was appointed the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, where he strove to bring attention to several issues, including, global warming, security issues, status of women in Afghanistan and Africa, economic development and public health. Following his post at the United Nations, Governor Richardson was unanimously confirmed as Secretary of Energy by the United States Senate in 1998, a cabinet post in the administration for President Clinton. As Secretary, he increased the department’s efficiency and accountability and tackled difficult issues such as gas prices and environmental responsibility.

In 2002, he was elected Governor of New Mexico and is currently serving his second term. As Governor he has turned his attention to education, clean energy initiatives, environmental protection and access to health care. In addition to his governorship, Governor Richardson was the chairman of Freedom House, an organization focused on global democracy promotion.

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Tufts Degrees: B.S., Civil Engineering, 1985; M.S., Civil Engineering, 1987

Other Degrees: Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 1990

Awards & Honors: Outstanding Career Achievement Award, Tufts University Graduate School, 2007; Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, 2005; Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers; Fellow, Institute of Science, Technology & Public Policy, Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University; Erksine Fellow, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2004; American Society of Civil Engineers Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, 2001; Institution of Civil Engineers T.K. Hsieh Award, 2001.

Biography: Dr. David Rosowsky has led a successful career in academia since earning his PhD in 1990. He has held professor positions at Purdue, Clemson, Oregon State and Texas A&M. Currently he is serving as the Dean of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As civil engineer, Dr. Rosowsky has focused his research on structural reliability, design and safety. He has used his work in probability and statistics to test materials and designs against natural hazards. He is currently working on modeling and analysis of load effects on buildings and other structures, focusing on natural hazards, environmental phenomena and post-disaster condition assessment.

Prior to his appointment to Dean at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009, Dr. Rosowsky was Professor and Head of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he held the A.P. and Florence Wiley Chair in Civil Engineering.

In addition to his position as Dean of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Rosowsky serves on a number of technical committees including the ASCE Committee on Wood and the ASCE Committee on Performance of Structures. He also currently serves on the Editorial Board of Structural Safety and is a past editorial board member of the ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE Journal of Infrastructure Systems, and Natural Hazards Review. Dr. Rosowsky also serves on the Board of Overseers for the School of Engineering at Tufts University.

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