Julie Shah and Neel Shah (Heads of House)
Email: sp-headsofhouse@mit.edu
Address: Sidney-Pacific, Apt. #568
Welcome to SP, the best living community at MIT! Along with Alberto and Nuria, we are honored to be able to help carry on many wonderful SP traditions and work with you to create new ones.
We have both spent a lot of time at MIT. In Julie's case, before becoming a professor she spent a decade collecting three MIT degrees. Neel went to Brown and Harvard, but considers MIT his home too after countless visits to hang out with Julie (we started dating in college). While we were graduate students we lived in MIT's Baker House as graduate resident tutors helping to support student life. After graduating we spent several years living across the river in the South End exploring the best of what Boston has to offer. We look forward to trading tips on the best galleries, markets, and restaurants in the city! We also look forward to introducing you to the other members of our family, our son Luca (3 years old) and daughter Lily (1 year old). And of course there is Sidney the puppy and Bolivar the parrot.
Julie is a professor in Aero/Astro, and pursues a wide research agenda than ranges from collaborative robotics to the social responsibilities of computing. Neel is a professor at Harvard Medical School and a practicing obstetrician who works on improving health systems. When we're not working or chasing our kids around, we love cooking (and eating), exploring Boston, and discovering new music and TV shows :)
We decided to become heads of house because it is a pleasure and a privilege to get to know you. Please stop by any time (Room 568) and feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns, whether they are about life at SP or navigating the waters of graduate student life at MIT in general.
Per Urlaub and Eva Dessein
Email: sp-headsofhouse@mit.edu
Address: Sidney-Pacific, Apt. #268
We are Eva Dessein and Per Urlaub, your Associate Heads of House in Sidney-Pacific. We joined the community in summer 2024, and we very much enjoy supporting this amazing community along with Julie and Neel.
We both grew up in Europe (Eva in Belgium and France; Per in Germany) and came as graduate students to the United States and taught at a variety on institutions before joining MIT while working both for several study abroad programs during summers over the years.
What particularly attracts us to Sidney-Pacific is its vibrant international and intercultural community. Having had the amazing opportunity of international education, we both benefitted immensely from being part of engaged and engaging communities while being far away from family and friends. This experience, coupled with our professional commitment as language educators to fostering meaningful intercultural exchanges, help us to contribute enthusiastically to the rich diversity and global dimensions that define the Sidney-Pacific community.
At MIT, Per is Professor of the Practice and Director of Global Languages. He teaches German studies, European studies, and translation studies. Eva is a Senior Lecturer of French. She oversees the MIT’s French Language Program and teaches intermediate and advanced courses in French and Francophone studies. We frequently collaborated on research projects investigating the impact of technology on language, culture, and education. Blixa Bargeld, our eight-year-old dachshund mix, brings energy and joy to everyone she meets in the hallways of Sidney-Pacific. She enjoys treats, sunbathing, long naps, walks on the beach, and belly rubs.
