Full-Time Faculty

Hejintao Huang

Professor Robert Smyth studied at The Cooper Union from 1987 to 1990. During this period he was a self-admitted dabbler who took courses in mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. He also explored graphic design at Cooper's School of Art and worked through numerous independent studies following his greatest academic passion, mathematics. Upon completion of a B.S.E. at Cooper, Prof. Smyth moved to the Courant Institute at New York University where he earned a M.S. in mathematics. Subsequently he entered the mathematics department of Rutgers University where he collaborated with Prof. Tilla Weinstein on research into Lorentz surfaces. Prof. Smyth defended his thesis Characterization of Lorentz surfaces via the conformal boundary in 1995.

For approximately a decade Prof. Smyth served Georgian Court University, where he taught a wide variety of courses in mathematics and computer science, directed a graduate program in mathematics and designed the curriculum for new programs in computer science and computer information systems. Currently Prof. Smyth is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at his alma mater, The Cooper Union. Prof. Smyth's teaching career has afforded him the opportunity to work with students in calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, differential geometry, complex analysis, probability, number theory, set theory, the calculus of variations and optimal control theory, abstract algebra, topology, foundations of computer science, computer programming, computer architecture, and data structures and algorithmic analysis -- to name a few.

Prof. Smyth's publications include technical articles on conformal classes of indefinite metrics as well as expository work accessible to advanced undergraduates. Papers available online through the American Mathematical Society include Conformally homeomorphic Lorentz surfaces need not be conformally diffeomorphic , Uncountably many C0 conformally distinct Lorentz surfaces and a finiteness theorem and Completing the conformal boundary of a simply connected Lorentz surface . Prof. Smyth holds three United States utility patents. US6670947 and US7804486 disclose designs for computer input devices which provide precise and intuitive rotational control of three dimensional graphic images. US7275934 describes a fun, educational tool.

Prof. Smyth's hobbies include swimming, table tennis, and learning Chinese. He occassionally performs xiangsheng.

Ja-beom "JB" Koo

Dr. Ja-beom "JB" Koo, earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in 2006 and 2008 respectively from Korea University in South Korea. After graduation, he worked at SK Hynix Semiconductor Inc. in Korea until August 2011, as an Analog Circuit Design Engineer. There, he focused on designing High-speed input/output (I/O) circuit for 512GB Graphic Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) memory chip with 45nm CMOS technology. 

Dr. Koo received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle, in March 2016. He then joined the Analog I/O design team at Intel Corporation in Hillsboro, OR for i5/i7 CPU design. After the first tape-in with CMOS 10nm technology, he moved to the RF technology team in Advanced Design group. He worked as a RF/Analog Circuit Design Engineer and participated in 140GHz Transceiver/Receiver system design for server chips communication. He also had additional responsibilities as a lab manager controlling all measurements for Intel 22nm FinFet technology development. His current research interests are in the area of RF IC design for wireless applications.

“I have long admired the belief of the founder, Peter Cooper, that emphasizes the importance of quality education for all. I am excited to join the Electrical Engineering department of Cooper Union and to take part in fulfilling such belief. I am also thrilled to share what I have learned from my experience in the industry as an engineer with the students. I believe that I can help EE students grow into extraordinary engineers as well as researchers in the field.” – Ja-beom "JB" Koo

mili shah headshot

Mili Shah received her PhD from the Computational and Applied Mathematics Department at Rice University. Prior to arriving at The Cooper Union in 2018 she was an associate professor at Loyola University Maryland. She has received external grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She currently is working with NIST on calibration and registration problems which have applications in computer vision, manufacturing, and robotics.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.