For Release:           Immediate – May 12, 2023
Contact:                  Steve Ference, Director of University Marketing & Communications
                                 (518) 429-7742 | sference@sunypoly.edu

ALBANY and UTICA, NY – Graduating students celebrated as they took part in SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s  (SUNY Poly’s) 2023 commencement ceremonies and were congratulated by Officer-in-Charge Dr. Andrew Russell and Interim Provost Dr. Zora Thomova, as well as deans and faculty from the institute’s colleges.

SUNY Poly’s College of Engineering held its ceremony Saturday, May 6 at 10:00 a.m., followed by a ceremony at 2:00 p.m. for graduates from the College of Business, College of Health Sciences, and College of Arts and Sciences at the institution’s Utica campus. The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the Albany campus held its commencement exercises Friday, May 12 at 4:00 p.m.

In total, 550 students received a bachelor’s degree and more than 240 earned a graduate degree or certificate of advanced study.

“I am honored to congratulate SUNY Poly’s newest graduates who have dedicated themselves to pursuing academic excellence and are now poised to achieve success thanks to their effort and the support of our talented faculty and staff,” said Dr. Russell. “I am excited that our graduates will now embark on successful careers across New York State and beyond. They will undoubtedly make positive impacts throughout our society. In the future I also look forward to welcoming them back to campus where they will always be welcome.”

The following commencement speakers addressed SUNY Poly’s newest graduates at the ceremonies:

• College of Engineering
  • Dr. Michael J. Hayduk is Deputy Director of the Information Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York. The directorate’s mission is to lead the development and integration of Air Force warfighting information technologies for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, and Cyber. Dr. Hayduk plays a key role in overseeing an annual budget of over $1.8 billion, leading the activities of over 1,200 scientists, engineers, administrative and support personnel, and is also responsible for coordinating AFRL’s Quantum Information Science research portfolio spanning six technical directorates.
• College of Business, College of Health Sciences, and College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dr. Maria Irene Kontaridis, Executive Director, Gordon K. Moe Professor and Chair of Biomedical Research and Translational Medicine, and the Director of Research at the Masonic Medical Research Institute in Utica, NY, also holds a part-time faculty appointment as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology in Boston, MA. Locally, she serves on the Boards of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Enterprises and the Kelberman Foundation (Autism).
• College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
  • Dr. Sasha Bakhru, Founder and CEO of Perosphere Technologies, is leading efforts to develop and commercialize next-generation coagulation diagnostics. He is a Perosphere Pharmaceuticals co-Founder (which was acquired by AMAG Pharma in 2019), Brown University Adjunct Professor of Medical Science, and Lecturer in Entrepreneurship. Dr. Bakhru is a founding member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLX), and is an elected Fellow (2020) of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Notably, he is also the son of Dr. Hassaram Bakhru, Head of SUNY Poly’s Nanoscience Constellation and Distinguished Service Professor of Nanoscience, who is retiring this year after decades of service.

The top three undergraduate degrees awarded by number of students were business administration, computer and information science, and mechanical engineering technology. SUNY Poly also marked its first graduate from the College of Health Sciences’ Health Informatics MS program. 

SUNY Poly’s Utica campus offers a broad array of hands-on educational degree programs in everything from engineering and the arts to cybersecurity, nursing, and social sciences. The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, in Albany, is the world’s first educational institution to provide comprehensive curricula focused on nanotechnology research and development, with educational offerings supported by the world-class intellectual and technological resources of the Albany NanoTech Complex.

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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Poly is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.