Justin Solomon, associate professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), has been appointed associate dean of engineering education for the MIT School of Engineering, effective July 1. In this role, Solomon will drive innovation in engineering education across the school, focusing on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and fostering interdisciplinary teaching and experiential learning.
What happened
Solomon will work closely with academic departments to shape new pedagogical approaches tailored to an AI-enabled world. His responsibilities include promoting hands-on and experiential learning models, facilitating shared teaching opportunities between departments, and implementing recommendations from MIT’s Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training.
He will also explore partnerships with industry to develop internships and other industry-linked learning experiences on campus. Collaborating with department heads and the School of Engineering leadership, Solomon will support faculty in designing new courses and updating existing programs to address emerging challenges and opportunities in engineering education.
Dean Paula T. Hammond highlighted Solomon’s interdisciplinary expertise and extensive AI experience as key assets for advancing the school’s educational strategies. Solomon has been a pivotal figure in computing education at MIT, contributing to the Common Ground for Computing initiative and co-teaching core classes such as 6.C01 (Modeling with Machine Learning) alongside Regina Barzilay.
In EECS, Solomon teaches courses like Numerical Algorithms for Computing and Machine Learning and Shape Analysis. He also founded the Summer Geometry Initiative, a six-week intensive program combining training, collaboration, and research in geometry processing.
Why it matters
The appointment comes at a time when engineering education increasingly requires adaptation to AI’s growing role across disciplines. Solomon’s leadership aims to equip students and faculty with the skills and curriculum innovations needed in an AI-driven technological landscape. His role is expected to accelerate the integration of AI into education, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthen connections between academia and industry.
Background
Since joining MIT’s faculty in 2016, Solomon has been recognized for contributions to teaching, research, and service, including the 2023 Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award and the EECS Outstanding Educator Award. He leads the Geometric Data Processing Group at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and is a core faculty member of the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab.
Solomon’s research spans computer graphics, autonomous navigation, medical imaging, and political redistricting, combining geometry and computation. He received his degrees from Stanford University and previously held an NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Princeton University’s Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics.
Sources
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