Dean's Medal
At Tufts University, the Dean’s Medal is a way to honor and celebrate our alumni, volunteers, and friends. It is one of four types of medals that the university awards, and the only medal awarded by deans of the individual schools within Tufts. The Dean’s Medal may be awarded to show appreciation for loyal service, to acknowledge major contributions, to honor those whose ideas or discoveries have been important to the university, or to recognize any other actions that benefit a school of the university. For this reason, and to make use of the honor more consistently, former Dean Jianmin Qu began the tradition of bestowing Dean’s Medals to the commencement speakers chosen to address the engineering graduate and undergraduate ceremonies each May.
These individuals are selected to speak to our students because of their accomplishments, service, and leadership in the engineering community, and they represent the wide diversity of our field. By inviting them to speak, we hope they will inspire and encourage our students. At the School of Engineering, we believe awarding a medal to our commencement speakers each year is in keeping with the definition of the Dean’s Medal and ensures that the tradition continues.
Deborah Meshulam, E79, EG81, and Dr. Francesco Svelto will receive the School of Engineering Dean's Medals during Commencement 2023.
2023 Dean's Medal Recipients
Deborah Meshulam, E79 and EG81
Ms. Deborah Meshulam, E79 and EG81, will address the School of Engineering Graduate Programs Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Ms. Meshulam is the Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Scholar Rock, a Phase 3, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious diseases in which protein growth factors play a fundamental role. A biotechnology startup veteran, Ms. Meshulam has nearly 40 years of experience working at companies in their initial start-up stage. Prior to joining Scholar Rock in 2015, she held a variety of engineering and scientific roles for companies such as Synageva (acquired by Alexion), ImmunoGen, Genetics Institute (acquired by Wyeth later Pfizer), Biogen, and Genentech (acquired by Roche). She is the author of numerous publications and patents and earned her MS and BS in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.
Dr. Francesco Svelto
Dr. Francesco Svelto will deliver remarks at the School of Engineering Phase II Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 21, 2023. Dr. Svelto is the Rector of the University of Pavia in Italy, where he oversees major projects that bring together research, teaching, and industry partners. He is a cofounder and technical advisor for RFDomus Inc., a startup dedicated to highly integrated GPS receivers that was acquired by NXP Semiconductors in 2007. Dr. Svelto directs a microelectronics research laboratory that serves as a joint initiative between the University of Pavia and STMicroelectronics. He is a co-recipient of the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 2003 Best Paper Award, an IEEE Fellow, and a Solid-State Circuits Society distinguished lecturer. He received his Laurea and PhD degrees in electrical engineering.
Past Dean's Medal Recipients
2022
- Brett Boghigian, E07, EG10
- Asad Madni
2021
- Jeannie Diefenderfer, E84
- David Rosowsky, E85
2019
- Ioannis Miaoulis, E83
- Michael Tzannes, EG90
2018
- Dana Messina, E83
- Paula Soteropoulos, E89, A89
2014
- Richard Frenkiel, E63
2011
- Richard A. Meserve, A66, J88P
2005
- Ashok Misra, EG7