Olympians of online learning
August 19, 2024
Like Olympic athletes, faculty at Brandeis Online have worked for years to become experts at the top of their fields.
The 2024 Olympics may be over, but the impact of the games — and their athletes — hasn't stopped.
Even if you don’t normally follow sports, it’s impossible to not be impressed by the incredible acts of prowess displayed by the athletes who competed in this year’s Olympic Games. After years of hard work, determination and grit, the Olympians on our screens demonstrated themselves to be the best of the best in their respective sports and events, consistently defying expectations of what the human body is capable of.
When hearing so many stories of athletes working their way to the top, we can’t help but be reminded of our own world-class faculty. While our instructors may not be recognized on TVs around the world, they too have dedicated years of their lives to perfecting their crafts — and, much like Olympic athletes, they still continue to practice as leaders at the top of their fields, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.
Our faculty also have the added advantage of being trained by one of the top educational institutions in the country. Brandeis has been delivering asynchronous online degrees and certificates for over a decade — and we ensure that each of our instructors is well-versed in the best practices and technologies for online learning.
Continue reading to meet some of Brandeis’ Olympians of online learning.
Dr. Alan Cheng, Bioinformatics
Alan Cheng, Ph.D., is a director of chemistry, modeling, and informatics at Merck Research Labs in South San Francisco, California, where he works on the discovery of new medicines for cardiac-metabolic diseases and oncology. His research interests include computer-aided drug design and biological sequence-structure relationships. He received a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, and undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Berkeley.
Meet more Bioinformatics faculty on the Bioinformatics Faculty and Advisory Board page.
Steven Dupree, Digital Marketing and Design
Steven Dupree, MBA, has more than a decade of experience helping startups across multiple industries achieve $1B+ valuations through digital marketing and tactical customer acquisition. After receiving an MBA from Stanford University, Steven dabbled in venture capital before exiting to build companies again. He continues to invest in and advise promising entrepreneurs in his free time.
Meet more Digital Marketing and Design faculty on the Digital Marketing and Design Faculty and Advisory Board page.
Ed Anderson, Project and Program Management
Ed Anderson, MSPM, PMP, has over 25 years of experience in project and program management, managing large scale IT and information security projects, primarily in the financial services industries. He is also a member of the faculty in Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies, teaching graduate-level project management courses. He has served on the Advisory Board for the Project and Program Management program at Brandeis University's Graduate Professional Studies school. He earned his bachelor's in business administration from the University of Connecticut and a master's in project and program management from Brandeis University.
Meet more Project and Program Management faculty on the Project and Program Management Faculty and Advisory Board page.
Dr. Aline Yurik, Software Engineering
Dr. Aline Yurik, Ph.D., has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in computer science, software engineering and information technology for over two decades. In parallel with teaching, Dr. Yurik works in the software and information technology industry as the director of information technology at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. She has been involved in a number of information technology projects in healthcare, financial and telecommunication industries. Dr. Yurik's area of expertise is business transformation for a digital enterprise, with the focus on core business processes, transactions and portals.
Meet more Software Engineering faculty on the Software Engineering Faculty and Advisory Board page.
Eva Kaniasty, User Experience Design
Eva Kaniasty, M.S., is the founder of Slipper Studios, a user experience (UX) consultancy providing UX strategy, research and UX design. Her areas of interest include start-ups, education, health care and design for sustainability. She received her master's degree in human factors from Bentley University, served as president of UXPA Boston, and is a repeat presenter at local and national conferences.
Meet more User Experience Design faculty on the User Centered Design Faculty and Advisory Board page.
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