Sudit, Rabideau join School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ leadership team

by Jane Stoyle Welch

“I am looking forward to working with both Moises and Alan in their new roles as we continue to advance our research and academic excellence.  I also want to thank Shambhu and Joe for their outstanding dedication and service to SEAS and UB.  They both have played critical roles on the SEAS leadership team and I have enjoyed working with them on important initiatives for our school and for CSEE," says Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Moises Sudit brings years of leadership in research and education to his new role. He is a professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Executive Director of the Center for Multisource Information Fusion (CMIF).  He previously served as UB’s Associate Vice President for Sponsored Research, where he managed the university’s $170 million sponsored research activities and technology transfer office.

“The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is a critical pillar for the growth of sponsored research at the University at Buffalo as a flagship SUNY university. We need to attract the best faculty and graduate students to continue to provide state-of-the-art advancements that benefit society as a whole. With this goal in mind, I am excited to take on this new role and look forward to providing the required infrastructure and process efficiencies to continue our rise in research and educational excellence as we serve our stakeholders,” says Sudit.

An expert in data fusion and military operations research, Sudit is a member of INFORMS, IEEE, IISE, SPIE, and the International Society of Information Fusion. He is an National Research Council Fellow through the Information Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory and has received a number of scholarly and teaching awards. He also received the prestigious IBM Faculty Scholarship Award. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has been Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on sponsored research totaling over $60 million.

In addition to his research activities, Sudit has developed several undergraduate and graduate level courses at UB, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Purdue, on topics such as AI, big data optimization, information fusion, discrete optimization, supply chain management, and computer graphics.

He joined UB in 1987, after earning his PhD in Operations Research from Purdue University.

Sudit succeeds Shambhu Upadhyaya, who has served in this role since 2017. During his tenure Upadhyaya was instrumental in the growth of the SEAS research operation, including record growth in research expenditures. He formed key partnerships within UB’s research enterprise, resulting in successful new collaborative initiatives with the School of Nursing and the Graduate School of Education.

His leadership in cybersecurity research and education has been recognized by the National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) since 2002. He also led the development of new graduate degrees in niche areas that have contributed to the school’s record enrollment of graduate students. He will take on a new role in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as the strategic lead, cybersecurity research and education, and continue in his role as professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and director of the Center of Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education (CEISARE).

Alan Rabideau, a UB professor since 1993, will lead the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering (CSEE). Rabideau has provided critical leadership for the department’s Environmental and Water Resources Engineering programs and has fostered relationships with many organizations in Buffalo, Western New York, and beyond. He most recently served as the director of undergraduate studies in environmental engineering, and previously served as the CSEE director of graduate studies, director of the UB Environment & Society Institute, and played a lead role in the establishment of UB's RENEW Institute.

“This is an exciting time to study civil and environmental engineering. The anticipated federal and state infrastructure investments provide an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine our discipline in response to climate change and our evolving understanding of how the built environment intersects with environmental, economic, and racial justice,” says Rabideau. “As chair, I hope to leverage CSEE’s deep knowledge to advance the state-of-the-art in these areas and to offer world-class educational opportunities.”

A passionate advocate for sustainability and education, Rabideau’s research interests include groundwater modeling and remediation, stormwater management, chemical effects on lead water distribution pipes, and environmental ethics. His research has been supported by over $12M in external funding from NSF, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Buffalo Sewer Authority, Buffalo Water, National Grid, and Motorola, among others. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and numerous conference proceedings.  Rabideau has served on multiple scientific advisory committees at the national and regional levels including recently co-authoring the National Research Council study of future alternatives for managing groundwater restoration at complex waste sites.   He and his students were part of a research team that developed the prize-winning groundwater remediation system that has operated successfully for over a decade at the nearby West Valley Demonstration Project nuclear facility.  

He has been recognized by the University for his leadership, innovation, collaboration, and engagement in sustainability, and by the New York State Society of Professional Engineers for his contributions to engineering education.

Rabideau earned his PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and also holds BS and ME degrees in Civil Engineering and an MA in Philosophy.  

He follows Joseph Atkinson, who has diligently led CSEE with a calm and steady hand for the past six years. During Atkinson’s tenure, the department launched several new graduate programs, including master’s and PhD programs in Environment and Water Resources Engineering and a master’s program in Engineering Sustainability. On the undergraduate side, he successfully guided both the civil and environmental engineering programs through the ABET review process with very positive outcomes.

He initiated and led a strategic planning process to inform departmental hiring, research, and academic program development, and a mentorship program to encourage greater alumni involvement and provide students with more professional opportunities.