HOBOKEN, NJ —
August 01, 2026 |
By DailyHudson Staff
A two-year term begins tomorrow to guide the school’s launch in fall 2026.
If you’ve watched a robot navigate a crowded hallway or a drone weave through trees, you’ve seen the kind of work Brendan Englot does. Starting tomorrow, he’ll trade some of that lab time for a bigger mission: building Stevens Institute of Technology’s new School of Computing from the ground up.
Englot, who’s been at Stevens since 2014 and currently directs the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI), will serve as interim dean for the next two years. During that time, he’ll help shape everything from curriculum to faculty hiring for the school, which is set to open its doors to students in fall 2026.
The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Stevens, which has been expanding its computing programs for years. The new school is designed to let students dig deep into computing itself, but also into how it applies to health, finance, the arts, and other fields. Think of it as a place where a computer science major and a music major might end up in the same classroom, building something neither could do alone.
How we got here
Stevens has long been known for engineering and technology, but the push to create a standalone computing school is a bigger statement. It’s a recognition that computing has moved beyond just one department. It touches everything now, from the way we order groceries to the way doctors diagnose diseases.
Englot’s background fits that cross-disciplinary vision. He’s a mechanical engineer by training, with degrees from MIT, but his work has always lived at the intersection of fields. He’s led underwater robotics projects with the Davidson Laboratory, built autonomous navigation systems, and worked on everything from agricultural tech to defense research. His funding has come from places like the National Science Foundation and DARPA, along with industry partners.
He’s also a teacher. Eight PhD students have graduated under his supervision, and he’s been recognized with an NSF CAREER Award and a spot on New Jersey’s Innovate100 list. That mix of research and mentorship is likely why Stevens President Nariman Farvardin called him a rare combination of skills and expertise.
What this means for Hudson County
For residents, this is more than a campus announcement. Stevens is one of the county’s largest employers and a major driver of its tech economy. A new School of Computing means new faculty positions, new labs, and eventually, new graduates who might stick around and start companies here.
It also means more opportunities for local students. The school will offer rigorous programs in computing and its applications, which could attract high schoolers from Jersey City, Hoboken, and beyond who want to stay close to home while studying something future-focused. In a county where so many families work in tech or commute to New York for it, having a strong computing school right here could change the calculus for some students deciding where to go.
What people are saying
Farvardin was clear about why Englot got the nod. “He has strong collaborations with faculty throughout Stevens as well as demonstrated leadership in facilitating cross-disciplinary partnerships through SIAI,” he said in a statement. “This is precisely the kind of leadership we need as the School of Computing takes shape over these critical first two years.”
Provost Jianmin Qu echoed that, noting Englot’s work puts him “at the center of the cross-disciplinary thinking this new school is built on.”
Englot himself seems ready for the challenge. “This is a pivotal moment for computing education, and I’m honored to help lead the School of Computing through its launch,” he said. “My priority is to build a foundation, in curriculum, faculty hiring and interdisciplinary partnerships, that will position our students, faculty and the school itself to lead for many years to come.”
What comes next
Over the next two years, Englot will be working on the nuts and bolts: hiring faculty, designing programs, and building partnerships, both within Stevens and beyond. Residents might hear about town halls or public events as the school takes shape. For now, the key date is fall 2026, when the first students walk through the doors of the new School of Computing.
It’s a lot of work, but if anyone can build a foundation that lasts, it’s someone who’s spent 15 years figuring out how robots get from point A to point B. Turns out, building a school isn’t all that different. You just need a clear path.
Source: Hudson County View
