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Nicole earned a B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in bioengineering from Kettering University (Flint, MI, USA) in 2012. Through Kettering’s experiential learning program, Nicole worked as a research assistant at Henry Ford Hospital’s Bone and Joint Center (Detroit, MI, USA) for 2.5 years where she further developed her interest in biomechanics. Nicole went on to earn her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO, USA) in 2018. There she gained experience working as a graduate teaching assistant for computer-aided engineering, biomedical engineering capstone design, and biomedical engineering introductory classes. She also served as a Graduate Teaching Fellow for the College of Engineering during the 2016/2017 academic year. Nicole then completed a two-year instructional post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Aileen Huang-Saad in the Transforming Engineering Education Laboratory within the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Michigan. Through this fellowship, she spent the 2019/2020 academic year working with Shantou University (Guangdong Province, China), teaching in their new BME program and assisting in curriculum development and accreditation efforts. She is currently in a one-year lectureship position with Shantou University to continue this accreditation work before starting as an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at West Chester University (Wester Chester, PA, USA) in the fall of 2021. Her engineering education interests include student engagement strategies, student perceptions of engineering disciplines, and program accreditation.

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In February 2021 Dr. Huang-Saad joined the Bioengineering faculty at Northeastern University and became the Director
of Life Sciences and Engineering Programs at The Roux Institute (Portland, Maine). Dr. Huang-Saad has a fourteen-
year history of bringing about organizational change in higher education, leveraging evidence-based practices
at University of Michigan. She created the U-M BME graduate design program, co-founded the U-M College of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurship, launched the U-M National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Node,
and developed the U-M BME Instructional Incubator. She is a canonical instructor for both the NSF and National
Institute of Health (NIH) I-Corps Programs. Dr. Huang- Saad has received numerous awards for her teaching and
student advising, including the 1938E College of Engineering Award, the Thomas M. Sawyer, Jr. Teaching Award, the
U-M ASEE Outstanding Professor Award, the International Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award, and the College of
Engineering Outstanding Student Advisor Award. Aileen has worked in the private sector gaining experience in biotech, defense, and medical device testing at large companies and start-ups. Aileen’s current research areas include entrepreneurship engineering education, impact and engaged learning. Aileen has a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate of Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

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