Task Force on Diversifying te New York State Economy Through Industry-Higher Education Partnerships

Commission Member Biographies

Sanjoy Banerjee is the CUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the newly-formed CUNY Energy Institute, headquartered at City College, City University of New York (CUNY). Until From 1980 through 2008, Banerjee, was a professor in the Chemical Engineering Department with joint appointments in the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Bren School of Environmental Science, at UC Santa Barbara. Prof. Banerjee served as Vice Chair of Chemical Engineering from 1982-84, Chair from 1984-90, and is considered to be largely responsible for bringing the UCSB Chemical Engineering Department into the top 10 in the country. Previously, he held appointments at UC Berkeley, McMaster University (Canada), and Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) —ultimately serving as AECL’s Acting Director of Applied Science. He is currently a member of the congressionally-mandated US Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). He also serves on the Reference Board of the Norwegian Govt.-Oil Industry Consortium for Oil-Gas Flow Assurance Project (FACE). Recent recognitions include: AIChE Donald Q. Kern Award for energy conversion, ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award and ASME Melville Medal (ASME’s highest literature award), ANS Technical Achievement Award, IChemE Danckwerts Lecturership, Mitsubishi Professor Tokyo University, Burgers Professor University of Delft, and Dow-Sharma Professor University of Mumbai.

Professor Banerjee’s main area of research has been on the behavior of systems far from equilibrium, including rapid phase transitions, turbulence and most recently nonlinear phenomena such as dendrite formation in electrochemical energy storage systems. He also helped to establish several companies based on research collaborations, amongst them Metaheuristics LLC (www.metah.com) which develops highly parallelizable software aimed at very large fluid/thermal simulations, Mindflash Technologies (www.mindflash.com) which applies artificial intelligence techniques to learning systems software, and Gas Reaction Technologies Inc. (www.grt-inc.com) which uses novel metal oxide catalysts to convert natural gas to a variety of liquid products, including gasoline and benzene/toluene/xylene. All these spinoffs are currently profitable.

Banerjee earned his bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Dr. Edward M. Cupoli is Professor of NanoEconomics and Head of the NanoEconomics Constellation at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. His research concentrates on the economic implications of nanotechnology and economic forecasting for nanotechnology, as well as the competitive position of New York State and the U.S. in the world economy.

Dr. Cupoli earned doctoral and master's degrees in economics from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from
LeMoyne College. His extensive experience in government and academia, as well as his close ties with the business community throughout New York State, has provided Dr. Cupoli with a deep understanding of the interrelationship between academia, business, and government.

Prior to joining CNSE, Dr. Cupoli was Chief Economist and Director of Research for the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee, where he played a leading role in gauging and directing state and federal economic initiatives throughout New York State. Before entering public service, Dr. Cupoli was a faculty member at Michigan State University. He has lectured at the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the State University of New York at Albany, the Economics Department at the University at Albany, State University of New York, the College of Saint Rose, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Dr. Cupoli serves as head of the Technology Roundtable of the National Association for Business Economics. He is a member of the New York State Deferred Compensation Board and the New York State Assembly Speakers Board of Economic Advisors, as well as a board member of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.

As Commissioner, Dr. Daines heads one of the nation’s leading public health agencies with a budget of approximately $49 billion. Under his leadership, the Department of Health administers the state’s public health insurance programs, regulates hospitals and other health care facilities, conducts research in a premier biomedical laboratory, and supports public health prevention initiatives. During the past year he helped shape significant health care reforms that were adopted in the state budget, including increased access to health insurance coverage for the uninsured, greater emphasis on primary and preventive care, quality improvement initiatives, and investment in health information technology. Dr. Daines led the implementation of health care facility restructuring measures mandated by the State Legislature in connection with the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century. He is currently leading an effort to reform health care through more effective local health care planning.

Prior to becoming Commissioner, Dr. Daines was the President and CEO of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center from January 1, 2002 until January 2007. Previous to joining the Hospital Center as Medical Director in 2000, Dr. Daines served as Senior Vice President for Professional Affairs and Medical Director at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

Dr. Daines received a Bachelor of History degree from Utah State University in 1974 and served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bolivia from 1970 to 1972. He received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1978. He served a residency in internal medicine at New York Hospital and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, is President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, New York. She has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research, and academe. Her research and policy focus includes energy security and the national capacity for innovation, including addressing the “Quiet Crisis” of looming gaps in the science, technology, and engineering workforce and reduced support for basic research. A theoretical physicist, she was chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1995-1999). She is a Vice Chairman of the Council on Competitiveness and co-chairs its Energy Security, Innovation and Sustainability initiative.

She is past President (2004) and Chairman of the Board (2005) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and AAAS.

She serves on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, and on the Board of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the NYSE Euronext, and a director of IBM, FedEx, Marathon Oil, Medtronic, and PSEG.

Calling her a “national treasure,” the National Science Board selected her as its 2007 Vannevar Bush Award recipient for “a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy.”

Dr. Jackson was recently named to President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Jackson holds a S.B. in physics and a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics, both from M.I.T.

• Upon his arrival he launched “Engaging Excellence,” an employee-driven effort to create the best workplace possible, and to lay the groundwork for the university’s strategic planning process. To date, the process has resulted in hundreds of enacted and proposed improvements.
   
• In Fall 2007, Dr. Smith proposed the $500 million “Upstate Initiative” — a bricks and mortar plan for campus expansion, which has already gained $320 million in approved capital funding. (Projects include major research space expansion, a new academic building, and a Cancer Center.)
   
• Dr. Smith has overseen the expansion of our academic and degree programs and plans to grow our student body by 30 percent over the next five years, to meet the growing demand for doctors, nurses, and other professionals.

Since joining SUNY Upstate, Dr. Smith has been elected to the board of directors of the Metropolitan Development Association, the University Hill Corporation, CNY Biotechnology Research Center, Syracuse 20/20 and the Upstate Medical University Foundation. He is a member of the SUNY Advisory Council for the NYS Commission on Higher Education, the Upstate/Crouse Affiliation Council, and a member of the SUNY President’s advisory group to the SUNY Chancellor. Dr. Smith is the Vice Chair of the National Board of Trustees for the March of Dimes and was the 2008 Honorary Chair for the CNY March of Dimes “March for Babies.” He holds a number of professional memberships including American Public Health Association, Medical Society of the State of New York, and Onondaga County Medical Association. He has been a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1985.

Smith earned his Bachelors degree from Cornell University and his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency and chief residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.