Patra and Sambasivan appointed to new professorships

Professor Abani Patra and Assistant Professor Raja Sambasivan both recently joined Tufts University as new faculty members and were named to new professorships in recognition of their research, leadership, and potential.

Patra was named the Stern Family Professor. He came to Tufts as the inaugural director of the new Data Intensive Studies Center (DISC) and holds faculty appointments in both the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics. He received his Ph.D. in computational and applied mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and his M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla. His research interests are in physics based and data driven modeling applied to a variety of geophysical systems.

Drawing on Tufts’ strengths in data science, DISC is a university-wide, interdisciplinary hub that connects data science experts with scholars looking to use data-intensive techniques to advance their research and training. Currently located in the Science and Engineering Complex, the center will move to Joyce Cummings Center once construction is completed on the new academic building.

The Stern Family Professorship was established in 2019 through the generosity of Jim, E72, H14, A07P, and Jane, A07P, Stern. The professorship supports the director of Tufts University’s Data Intensive Studies Center (DISC).

Sambasivan, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, was named the Ankur and Mari Sahu Assistant Professor. He completed his Ph.D. and M.S. in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

As a systems and networking researcher, Sambasivan is interested in designing and building evolvable, multi-party systems for the cloud ecosystem and the tools needed to diagnose problems in them. During his career, he has worked on a wide range of innovative technologies related to the cloud ecosystem, including object-based storage, inter-domain routing, future Internet architectures, and big-data frameworks.  

The Ankur and Mari Sahu Professorship was established in 2019 as an endowed junior professorship in Tufts University’s School of Engineering. Generously funded by Ankur, E91, A22P, and Mari, A22P, Sahu, the professorship aids in the recruitment and retainment of outstanding junior faculty in the School of Engineering.