UTICA, N.Y. — SUNY Polytechnic Institute recently announced that Guru Madhavan, senior director of programs the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, will serve as guest speaker at the College of Engineering commencement, and Maria Kontaridis, executive director and director of research at Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI), will be the speaker for the Colleges of […]
UTICA, N.Y. — SUNY Polytechnic Institute recently announced that Guru Madhavan, senior director of programs the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, will serve as guest speaker at the College of Engineering commencement, and Maria Kontaridis, executive director and director of research at Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI), will be the speaker for the Colleges of Arts & Sciences/Business/Health Sciences commencement.
The ceremonies are set for May 10 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
A SUNY alumnus, Madhavan is a biomedical systems engineer and acclaimed author. Currently serving as the Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs at the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, he founded the Forum on Complex Unifiable Systems (FOCUS) program and has advised numerous global institutions including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the European Union Malaria Fund.
As the executive director and director of research at MMRI, Kontaridis leads cutting-edge biomedical and clinical research to advance the understanding of diseases and developing potential treatments. Her research program, funded by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation, investigates congenital heart disease and heart failure.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Guru Madhavan and Dr. Maria Kontaridis as our 2025 commencement speakers,” SUNY Poly President Winston Soboyejo said in the announcement. “Their outstanding contributions to engineering, biomedical research, and innovation embody the values of excellence, perseverance, and interdisciplinary collaboration that we champion at SUNY Poly. As they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives, the class of 2025 will benefit greatly from the wisdom and experiences these two distinguished leaders will share. We look forward to celebrating their achievements and welcoming them to our campus.”
