Directors Support Faculty Research and Appointments

The Office of Academic Affairs at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) welcomes Siddharth Ramakrishnan, director of research, and Greer J. McPhaden, director of faculty appointments.

Regarding the new directors, Dean of Faculty Jim Berg commented that “Dr. Ramakrishnan is an accomplished scientist whose interest extends to the arts and humanities, as well. He will be highly suited to working with our faculty across disciplinary lines.”

Greer J. McPhaden, he said, “is that rare professional who bridges academic affairs and human resources. Her experience developing a mentoring program at Columbia will be very valuable to us here at BMCC.”

Siddharth Ramakrishnan, director of research

As director of research, Ramakrishnan will promote scholarly research within BMCC, and in projects involving BMCC and other institutions. He will serve as a resource for BMCC faculty seeking to develop strategic research initiatives and respond to emerging opportunities.

As the Jennie M. Caruthers Chair in Neuroscience at the University of Puget Sound, Ramakrishnan was principal investigator on a number of institutional grants. These projects were made possible by the National Science Foundation and private funders including the Mellon Foundation.

Earlier, he served as an associate research scientist in the department of electrical engineering at Columbia University, and conducted postdoctoral research in the school of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ramakrishnan earned a Ph.D. in biological science, summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering in computer science at Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences in Pilani, India.

Greer J. McPhaden, director of faculty appointments

As director of faculty appointments, McPhaden (pronounced “McFaden,” long “A” as in “bake”) will serve as a resource to BMCC faculty, and consult with them on reappointments, promotions, tenure and other milestones.

She comes to BMCC with a solid base of experience, including 12 years as director of faculty development and promotions in the department of medicine at Columbia University. In this role, McPhaden led department efforts to develop, retain and promote clinical, research and tenure track faculty. These efforts often involved partnering with departmental administration, other schools in the University, the Dean’s Office and Provost’s Office.

As a senior professional in human resources, McPhaden holds certification from the HR Certification Institute. She earned both an MBA from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and an MS in non-profit management from the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University. Her bachelor’s degree in English literature is from Columbia College, Columbia University.