Amalya Kostanyan and Varduhi Yeghiazaryan Appointed Assistant Professors

YEREVAN, Armenia ‒ The Zaven and Sonia Akian College of Science and Engineering (CSE) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) welcomed two new faculty in the 2018-19 academic year: Amalya Kostanyan, PhD candidate at Cambridge University; and Varduhi Yeghiazaryan, PhD, Oxford University.

Amalya Kostanyan has been specializing in nano-engineering since 2011 and is completing her PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, UK, to be conferred in late 2018. Kostanyan’s research interests include materials science and nano-engineering, specifically the development of flexible and transparent wearable devices using artificially grown nanomaterials. She is co-inventor of a patent in hybrid graphene-ITO light scattering device with possible applications in smart windows, light shutters, organic displays, etc. Upon the completion of her Master’s degree at the University of Cambridge, Kostanyan joined Cambridge University’s Center of Molecular Materials and has worked with several renowned scientists from different fields of expertise. The courses she is teaching in her first academic semester include Electricity and Magnetism, Nanotechnology, and Circuits.

Varduhi Yeghiazaryan obtained her PhD in Computer Science at the University of Oxford in 2018. Her doctoral research has centered on 3D medical image segmentation. Dr. Yeghiazaryan has received her BSc. in Applied Mathematics and Informatics from the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University in 2012 and her MSc. in Computer Science from the University of Oxford in 2013. Her research interests include medical imaging, 3D image analysis and general-purpose computing on graphics processing units. “I am thrilled to have joined the academically inspiring environment of AUA and hope to make a contribution to its future development.” She will share her knowledge and expertise through courses in Artificial Intelligence and Data Structures.

These two appointments are bound to influence women’s pursuit of careers in engineering sciences. Earlier this year, AUA launched the first phase of “Yes, Armenian Women Can!” scholarship endowment campaign to promote the enrollment of women in engineering and computer science. The campaign aims not only to provide scholarships to students of computer science and engineering, but also to avail them of the opportunity to study with such role models as Kostanyan and Yeghiazaryan and learn from their knowledge and experience in their respective specializations.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.