Endowed Professorships

The Douglas C. Elder Professorship

The Douglas C. Elder Professorship recognizes a faculty member who provides instruction in construction operations, the analysis and design of structural systems or infrastructure, or managing the construction process. The current holder of the Douglas C. Elder Professorship is Afshin Pourmokhtarian, Associate Professor of Construction Management in the School of Management.

Pourmokhtarian joined Wentworth in 2018 as an assistant professor. Prior to joining Wentworth, he was a postdoctoral research associate at Boston University. He has collaborated on multiple funded projects from the National Science Foundation, EPA, and MACROSYSTEM in addition to his work as a designer and Project Manager on multiple offshore infrastructures and structural steel and concrete buildings.

Pourmokhtarian’s research focuses on the intersection of climate change, the built environment, resiliency, sustainability, and urbanization, as well as safety and risk management and innovative technology such as virtual reality and augmented reality. He has published several peer reviewed journal articles and presented numerous times at national and international conferences on climate change impacts on the Northeastern United States, land use and land cover changes, hydrologic and ecosystem modeling, and the impacts of climate change on construction.

An active member of several professional societies including the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) New England Chapter, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts (AGCMA), Ecological Society of America (ESA), and American Geophysical Union (AGU), he also leads the annual Construction Management program study abroad trip.

Pourmokhtarian received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tehran University in Tehran, Iran, a M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran, and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.

The William E. Roberts Professorship

The William E. Roberts Professorship honors the legacy of William E. Roberts, an educator who taught drafting at Boston Technical High School. The award recognizes a faculty member who provides instruction in computer-aided design, manufacturing, or engineering. The current holder of the William E. Roberts Professorship is Serdar Tumkor, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering.

Tumkor joined Wentworth in 2022, specializing in design and manufacturing with a focus on CAD/CAM, additive manufacturing, and the use of simulation tools in engineering education. Over the course of his 30-year career in education, he taught at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Istanbul Technical University and held positions at Michigan Technological University, Tennessee Technological University, and Technical University of Berlin.

Tumkor’s research centers on creating innovative technologies and tools to help engineers make well-informed design choices by considering factors like cost, manufacturability, usability, and environmental impact. His work aims to elevate Wentworth's reputation in advanced manufacturing, empower students to become impactful engineers, and build strong industry and community partnerships for a sustainable future.

An active member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), he is also a voting member of the ASME Codes and Standards Committee and the founding advisor for the American Foundry Society (AFS) Student Chapter at Wentworth.

Tumkor received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Istanbul University in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Douglas D. Schumann Professorship

The Douglas D. Schumann Professorship recognizes a faculty member who provides instruction in the areas of electromechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, electrical engineering technology, or computer engineering technology. The current holder of the Douglas D. Schumann Professorship is Afsaneh Ghanavati, Associate Professor and Program Director of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering.

Ghanavati joined Wentworth in 2018 as an assistant professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prior to joining Wentworth, she was adjunct faculty in the Engineering Department at Massachusetts Bay Community College, and a Research and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University.

Ghanavati’s primary research interest is in Power Quality; a field combining Power Systems and Signal Processing as well as Microgrid studies.

As an active member of many professional organizations, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE), the IEEE Power and Energy Society (IEEE PES), and the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IEEE IES); she also serves as chair of the School of Engineering Curriculum and Assessment Committee, and as a thesis advisor to Master’s students in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wentworth.

Ghanavati holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Shiraz University in Shiraz, Iran, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a focus in Power Systems from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Learn more about Wentworth's Endowed Professorships

Douglas C. Elder Professorship

The Douglas C. Elder Professorship is awarded to an outstanding faculty member who provides instruction in construction operations, analysis and design of structural systems/infrastructure and managing the construction process.
Alumnus Douglas C. Elder, Trustee Emeritus and generous benefactor of the university, earned an associate degree in Architectural Construction in 1958. Elder was honored for his longtime service and support of Wentworth with an honorary degree in 2002. He is the former owner of Elder Lumber and has also run a real estate management company.
William E. Roberts Professorship

The William E. Roberts Professorship is awarded to an outstanding faculty member who provides instruction in computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE).
Ken Roberts is a Trustee Emeritus and parent of a Wentworth alumnus, and created this Fund in honor of his grandfather, William E. Roberts, who in the 1940’s taught drafting at the former Boston Technical High School. Roberts is a retired financial executive with over forty years of experience with public and private high technology companies. He has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Foster-Miller, Inc., of Waltham, MA, which provided engineering services for corporate and government clients; Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of Massachusetts Computer Corporation of Westford, MA, a manufacturer of micro supercomputers; and Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Dynatech Corporation of Burlington, MA, a diversified manufacturer of high technology instrumentation. Mr. Roberts was formerly Chairman of the Board of Candela Corporation and director of a start-up technology company.
Douglas D. Schumann Professorship

The Douglas D. Schumann Professorship is awarded to a deserving faculty member with a preference for Wentworth’s Department of Electronics and Mechanical Electromechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, and Computer Engineering Technology.
Alumnus Douglas D. Schumann graduated from Wentworth in 1964 with a degree in Aircraft Maintenance. A Trustee Emeritus and longtime benefactor of the university, Schumann was awarded an honorary degree in 2008 in recognition of his years of dedication and service. He is the CEO of P-Q Controls, Inc-Q Controls, a company that was established in 1973 as a producer and supplier of industrial joysticks and controls, and has since grown into one of the largest manufacturers of its kind. For over 40 years P-Q Controls has been an industry leader in the outdoor/off-highway controls market. Mr. Schumann provides generous support to students at the Institute through an endowed scholarship. His lead contribution enabled the Institute to renovate the existing library, culminating in the newly-opened Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons–an innovative learning space enabling students to congregate and study in a state-of-the art facility.