Living Our Impact
Driving talent & innovation
AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2025
A bold new model for learning, research, and entrepreneurship
Five years ago, Northeastern University launched a new addition to its now 13-campus global university system: the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine. The institute — founded in partnership and with the generous philanthropic support of David and Barbara Roux and the Harold Alfond Foundation — is a bold new model for learning, research, and entrepreneurship. Differentiated and fueled by dynamic partnerships with more than 300 industry, government, education, and community organizations, the Roux Institute and our partners are making Maine and the surrounding region a talent and innovation center within the global technology and life sciences economies.
Now in its fifth year, this extraordinary partnership among Northeastern University, the Roux family, and the Harold Alfond Foundation has strengthened and enhanced the lives of those it serves while creating exciting impact and building new models for the future of higher education and regional economic development. Together with our partners, we are delivering on Northeastern’s promise to erase the boundaries between the real world and the university by deploying experiential learning and breakthrough research within local contexts. We’re doing this by customizing learning programs and research initiatives to meet the needs of our partners, integrating classroom learning with professional data and experiences, and supporting the launch and development of innovative startup companies.
Experience unleashed — right here, right now
L-R:
Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a global research university that centers education and research on understanding and solving widespread, global problems. As the leader in experiential learning, our education and research programs drive real-world impact and erase the boundaries separating higher education from the rest of the world.
When Northeastern partnered with David and Barbara Roux and the Harold Alfond Foundation in 2020 to create the Roux Institute, the partners sought to bring this unique learning model to Maine with a mission to make the state a leader in AI, data science, advanced life sciences, and hightech, high-growth fields.
Leveraging Northeastern University’s vast network of experts and resources from across the globe, the Roux Institute establishes Portland, Maine, as a major innovation hub, one specifically focused on bolstering Maine’s economy and helping propel Maine’s legacy industries into a tech-forward, sustainable, and prosperous future.
Our goal: To be the indispensable university for partners, learners, and innovators who are making an impact on the world and in the communities where they live.
The Roux
Institute
aims to create
economic prosperity and opportunity through innovative research and educational programs.
The Alfond Foundation, combined with the
founding
support of Barb and Dave Roux, will allow us to set our sights even higher and make our impact even more profound — today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.” “
JOSEPH E. AOUN President of Northeastern University
Joseph Aoun, Barbara Roux, and David Roux
DAVID AND BARBARA ROUX’S VISION
“
Our vision is to train the next generation of talent with the skills necessary to fully participate in the innovation economy. This will attract growing, dynamic companies to Maine to work with the rare talent that we’re creating.”
553 graduates and 1,500+ students enrolled
170 team members
4,655 partner employees trained $37M in external grant funding
125+ startups
Northeastern’s distinctive approach to education, research, and innovation is developing unique talent, unlocking new discoveries, and fueling Maine’s startup ecosystem.
$35 million in scholarships awarded
At the Harold Alfond Foundation, we have long thought that technological innovation and globalization, while challenging to our state, were also transforming the landscape of opportunity for Maine ... and experiential learning in sync with workplace demands of new and existing businesses was a model of education more needed than ever. Northeastern University and its Roux Institute is all of that and more.”
GREGORY W. POWELL CEO of the Harold Alfond Foundation
Northeastern’s Alfond Scholars Initiative provides generous, need-based scholarships and stipends to enable co-operative education and post-doctoral talent development programs.
Greg Powell, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Harold Alfond Foundation, at the 2024 Northeastern University Portland Groundbreaking Ceremony
Northeastern University’s permanent Portland campus, and future home of the Alfond Center and Lunder Innovation Labs, represents a tangible investment in Maine’s economic future. It will be a paradigm for 21st-century education with urban, sustainable, and resilient design. Located at the former home of the iconic B&M Baked Bean cannery, this campus
will transform the 13.5-acre site into public open space that will serve as a community asset in alignment with Portland’s environmental stewardship goals. This educational and cutting-edge research facility will integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the city, creating a vibrant, people-centered environment that enriches the lives of our students and
employees. Additionally, this facility will fuel the work of our industry partners, while establishing the region as a destination for breakthrough innovation and experiential learning in high-tech, rapidly expanding fields.
Northeastern University’s Portland Campus
Key facilities for the Portland community
The Portland campus will be anchored by facilities that create a comprehensive ecosystem for innovation, research, and collaboration. The state-of-the-art buildings and inclusive landscape design will foster breakthrough moments and transform inspiration into action.
renderings courtesy of CambridgeSeven Associates, Inc.
Purpose-built partnerships that move Maine’s economy forward.
Partnerships are the key to translating our efforts into impact. We aspire to be invaluable to the 300+ partners we serve. Through customized talent development programs, coupled with specific AI solutions, we collaborate with our partners to develop their workforces, ensuring their skills match the demand of a high-tech and AI-driven economy.
Together, we are strengthening Maine’s economy and fueling important regional growth through a shared focus on talent development, acquisition, retention, and innovation. We provide our partners with the talent and technology solutions they need to thrive in a world driven by data, artificial intelligence, and technological transformation.
Talent & Innovation
Our partners leverage Northeastern University’s vast resources and expertise, including talented students, faculty, and researchers. We focus on experiential learning methods to spark innovation and transform organizations. That collaboration also enables partners to take on the challenges across Northern New England communities, creating innovative solutions that strengthen the entire region.
By integrating community projects into our graduatelevel curriculum and engaging with students, partners, and communities, Northeastern’s Roux Institute is providing resources and expertise that drive people and their communities forward.
Partnerships
Philanthropic Spotlights
Meet three of our many champions powering Maine’s innovation future
Robert C. King Fund for Bioinformatics
Maine’s rapidly growing life sciences sector has increased the demand for skilled professionals and for access to the space and resources needed to drive discovery. Through the support of Robert King, the Roux Institute is a catalyst for this momentum.
Intrapreneurship through the Onion Foundation
The Onion Foundation’s visionary collaboration with the Roux Institute’s Intrapreneurship for Nonprofits program is transforming the nonprofit ecosystem in Maine. Through participation in this program, nonprofit leaders are equipped to develop new revenue streams that enhance their missions and fuel their community-oriented work.
The Tarr-Coyne Family Scholarship
Scholarships provide the financial support that is crucial to advancing the lifelong learning pursuits of our students and enabling them to achieve their dreams for career and personal success. With the support of the Tarr and Coyne families, the Roux Institute is making education affordable and attainable for our learners.
Fritz Onion: Co-founder
of the Onion Foundation, Maine-based philanthropist, and angel investor
INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Developing and elevating talent
Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic,” said Steve Smith, President and CEO of L.L.Bean. “This has been a truly worthwhile investment.” “
Steve was reacting to a presentation he had just witnessed that was the culmination of a Northeastern University capstone course specifically designed to address a business challenge that L.L.Bean was facing. The findings were presented by a cohort of eight Northeastern students and five L.L.Bean employees. This unique format is one of the outputs of Northeastern’s learning model which embeds industry-partner employees within a graduate course.
The class was part of a capstone immersion, which brought together L.L.Bean employees and Roux graduate students to help solve a business challenge. The results gave L.L.Bean a framework to take back to their teams and deploy in various ways to dramatically improve sales forecasting, inventory management, marketing, and customer service.
L.L.Bean President and CEO Steve Smith knows that his company needs data-fluent employees to compete in the tech economy. The 113-year-old outdoor retailer has experience evolving with the times and partnered with Northeastern’s Roux Institute to keep employee skills up to date.
INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Driving impactful collaboration
Our relationship with the Roux Institute is grounded in a shared commitment to the development and success of our workforce and the communities we serve,” said Bob Montgomery-Rice, Bangor Savings Bank President and CEO. “By expanding the Bank’s capabilities, we are ensuring that our You Matter More promise remains at the heart of everything we do. Providing employee education focused on data fluency and the responsible and ethical use of AI enables us to continue delivering the exceptional experience our customers across Northern New England expect.”
Bangor Savings Bank understands their customers look to them to be trusted advisors who provide exceptional and personalized customer experiences. Staying competitive in the evolving financial industry required more than just adopting new technology—it meant strengthening the bank’s data fluency and expanding its use of AIdriven tools within its existing IT infrastructure. That’s why Bangor Savings Bank partnered with the Roux Institute to equip their workforce with the skills needed to adapt and innovate. The two-
year Accelerating Insights initiative is delivering AI projects that enhance customer experiences, internal efficiencies, and business outcomes.
As part of this initiative, they’re working with Northeastern’s AI Solutions Hub to build a unique recommendation engine that helps them better serve their customers. The teams are collaborating to conduct data analysis, explore Bangor Savings Bank customers’ needs, and bring together focus groups to collect qualitative data.
Northeastern University students with Bob Montgomery-Rice, Bangor Savings Bank President and CEO, during their 6-month co-op where they focused on developing AI and data solutions
Accelerating Maine’s Life Sciences Economy
Maine’s bioscience sector, contributing $2.3 billion to the state’s GDP with 54% job growth over the past decade, is supported through strategic collaborative initiatives. The BioPILOT Lab, a partnership between Northeastern University’s Roux Institute and the University of Southern Maine (USM) backed by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), provides early-stage companies access to essential capital equipment for prototyping. USM’s complementary BioIN Incubator program offers short-term wet lab space in the USM Science Building, also MTIsupported.
Additionally, the Life Sciences Impact Forum, hosted at the Roux Institute and sponsored by FocusMaine, convenes industry leaders, academics, researchers, and government officials to tackle pressing challenges while advancing job creation, export expansion, and workforce development statewide.
Left: A group of Life Sciences experts and professionals during the 2022 Impact Forum, hosted by the Roux Institute.
Below: The BioPilot lab contains state-of-the-art equipment to support teams of researchers looking to advance their work and business.
BioPilot Team, L-R: Emmanuella Wiafe, Chris Okonkwo, Marsha Rolle, Chibuzor Eze-Nwosu, Sai Charan Reddy Donapati, Jennifer Fitz
Preparing the talent of tomorrow
Northeastern University has ushered in a new era of higher education, one that strongly contextualizes learning with realworld challenges and data. At the Roux Institute, we put a strong focus on extending education outside the classroom and into the Maine community. We do this through the creation of custom courses that address and solve real issues in our community and economy, the training and upskilling of Maine’s workforce, embedding our students within our industry partners, and tech-forward learning programs that keep our graduates in demand in a modern economy.
Learning
Talent & Innovation
TALENT
SPOTLIGHT
Classroom to co-op to career
For Emmanuella Wiafe, the journey of nearly 5,000 miles from Accra, Ghana to Portland, Maine, was spurred by a deeply personal experience. After studying medical laboratory science as an undergraduate, she was working at a hospital when her aunt died of breast cancer. “Losing her made me want to understand more about cancer and contribute to curing it.” She enrolled in the biotechnology master’s program at the Roux and sought out experiential learning opportunities, from researching breast cancer resistance to treatment, to helping launch the BioPILOT Lab, where she worked with Salmonics LLC and Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies, to completing a co-op at the MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR), where she supported translational research focused on advancing diagnostic science. She’s now a full-time research associate at MHIR.
Rachel Sukeforth has built her career around helping Mainers. When she realized that she needed to level up her data skills, she enrolled in the master’s in analytics program. She now works as a supervisor for data and quality at Maine’s Office of Behavioral Health.
With a bachelor’s in computer engineering and a few years of work experience under his belt, Rahil Jhaveri was hungry for more. He pursued a master’s in data science at the Roux, delving into natural language processing systems. He now works as a data analyst at WEX.
Maine native Charlie Lees pivoted from a career in accounting to one in software engineering, by completing the master’s of computer science – align program. His new skills paid off, enabling him to make an internal move from accountant to software developer at Stone Coast Fund Services.
As a nurse, Paa Kwasi Obeng Adjei was amazed by how much data healthcare professionals have at their fingertips. Through the master’s in analytics program with a concentration in applied machine intelligence, he learned how to leverage that data and is now a financial analyst at MaineHealth Behavioral Health.
Rachel Sukeforth
Emmanuella Wiafe
Paa Kwasi Obeng Adjei
Charlie Lees
Rahil Jhaveri
Driving real world impact
We are already incorporating the data analysis and dashboards the Roux students produced into our operations decisions. For many LifeFlight patients, every minute matters, and these insights from the Roux students will help save lives here in Maine.”
Graduate Programs
Our master’s, PhD, and graduate certificate programs are focused on high-tech fields that will prepare our students for thriving careers in Maine. With a focus on AI and machine learning, biotechnology, computer and data science, and more, the Roux Institute is producing high-tech talent that will help usher Maine’s industries into a new era of growth.
Experiential learning across Maine
The intersection of education, innovation, and workforce development
Co-op
Organizations hire full-time graduate talent to fill key roles and support longterm projects while building durable talent pipelines.
Course projects
Student teams tackle business challenges and propose solutions while employers receive insights with minimal time commitment.
Working Lab
Student and faculty teams execute paid consulting work with industry partners to deliver actionable insights tailored to
1,900+
Roux student engagements in Co-ops, Course Projects, & Working Lab
108
experiential projects completed Maine companies have partnered with Roux for experiential learning
165
773
total co-op placements
Course Projects
Full-time Jobs
Co-ops
Working Lab Projects
Northeastern’s global network
With 320,000+ global alumni, including 553 graduates from the Roux Institute and 5,000+ alumni and parents in Maine, the Northeastern global network is an expansive lifelong opportunity. As Northeastern alumni explore career opportunities, further their education, engage with any of Northeastern’s 13 campuses, and venture throughout the world, they are supported by an ever growing community of global alumni. The shared Northeastern experience fuels the resources and connections supporting each graduate’s lifelong journey.
5k+ 13 NU alumni and community members in Maine campuses in the U.S., U.K., and Canada in external research funding students co-op placements per year alumni worldwide employer partners across the globe
Cultivating world-class applied research in Maine
Every learner, partner, and entrepreneur at the Roux Institute benefits from the support of our world-class research domains, institutes, and centers. Accomplished researchers at the Roux Institute are making new discoveries and implementing cutting-edge solutions and technologies right here in our Maine communities
Talent & Innovation
Research
Forecasting disease with the CDC
Now in its second year, Epistorm: The Center for Advanced Epidemic Analytics and Predictive Modeling Technology, has made significant strides in the prediction, monitoring, and response to infectious disease outbreaks.
At the Roux Institute, Epistorm is developing the new generation of hyperlocal models for hospital admission forecasting, new mathematical techniques to incorporate wastewater surveillance data into epidemic models, and the analysis of human behavior at scale using high resolution geolocation data from mobile devices. Some of these activities have been co-developed with partners and collaborators such as MaineHealth and the Maine Department of Health/Maine CDC.
Collaborators
Spectus, Qiagen, CDC, Scenario Modeling Hub, Wolters Kluwer, Maricopa County ES Department, Council of State & Territorial Epidemiologists, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services
Transformational Research
The Institute for Experiential AI at Northeastern University develops human-centric AI solutions that combine machine intelligence with human expertise to tackle real-world challenges. The institute partners with companies on high-impact problems in health, life sciences, climate, and responsible AI development while advancing research and creating experiential education opportunities, emphasizing that human intervention is essential for trustworthy and effective AI systems. The Roux Institute is home to the AI Solutions Hub, which deploys data science professionals to work with industry partners to develop and deliver tools and training that address the partners’ company and sector challenges.
The Portland hub of the Network Science Institute (NetSI) focuses on developing innovative network modeling approaches applied to translational, entrepreneurial, and community initiatives. NetSI Roux leverages the Maine ecosystem cultivated by partnerships with major hospital systems and health care providers, industry leaders, and state agencies. At the Roux Institute, NetSI drives the CDC-funded EPISTORM project, which applies its network science approaches to detecting the future infectious disease outbreaks, driven by healthcare data from MaineHealth and Northern Light Health.
The Kostas Research Institute (KRI) develops innovative solutions to urgent national and global security threats through applied research across five technical thrusts: Advanced Manufacturing & Sustainment, Assured Communications & Electromagnetic Dominance, Chemical & Biological Innovation, Embedded Intelligence Robotics & Autonomy, and Mission Intelligence Decision Analytics & Support, delivering capabilities from advanced additive manufacturing to AI-powered decision systems. In Maine, at our joint facility at Brunswick Landing, KRI and Roux researchers study applications of additive and advanced manufacturing to meet challenges in the naval shipyards, and train the workforce in these emerging technologies.
The Institute for Experiential AI Network Science Institute Kostas Research Institute
Quinn Campbell, Research Engineer II, working in the advanced manufacturing lab in Brunswick, ME. This cutting-edge technology enables the repair of corroded and damaged metal components, offering a transformative solution for manufacturers across industries.
Building a team of rising research talent
Northeastern University’s research centers and institutes are drawing top talent from all over the world. Experts in AI, engineering, computer science, and life sciences are conducting groundbreaking research right here in Portland, Maine.
ROW 1: Andrew Neils, Mao Ding, Bill Lenart, Candice Byers, Jennifer Spillane, Cliff Forlines, Mahsan Nourani, Kiran Vanaja, Jack Lesko, Raimond Winslow ROW 2: Saeed Amal, Melanie Tory, Michael Wan, Kathy Simmonds, Hari Palani, Brianna Dym, Tala Talaei Khoei, Michael Wilczek, Louisa Smith, Qingchu Jin ROW 3: Brianne Olivieri-Mui, Umesh Hodeghatta Rao, Kartik Aggarwal, Christine Lary, Guillaume St. Onge, Ryan Bockmon, Jonathan Mwaura, Matteo Chinazzi, Michael Correll, Briana Taylor ROW 4: Soumyo Dey, Scott Valcourt, Chris Okonkwo, Sam Scarpino, Aileen Huang-Saad
Creating an environment that catalyzes innovation
The Roux Institute recognizes that to create a truly innovative economy in Maine, a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem is essential. To cultivate new innovation and bring highgrowth, in-demand careers to Maine, the Roux Institute uses its network of expertise, research capabilities, and resources to incubate and accelerate startups of any stage focused on strengthening our communities, economy, and environment with sustainable tech-based solutions.
Talent & Innovation
Entrepreneurship
$123M+ in investment capital raised
125+ startups incubated & 150+ Maine jobs created
6 Roux entrepreneurship program graduates and Innovator Award recipients recognized for their bold ideas and breakthrough innovations by Women Who Empower in 2025
Supercharging Maine’s startup economy
Programs with real-world impact
This year-long startup accelerator program is designed to support women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized people leading technology ventures. Participants receive education, mentorship, and deep ecosystem support to help accelerate their growth and increase the diversity and equity in the startup ecosystem.
In collaboration with Northern Light Health, MaineHealth, and the Maine Venture Fund, the Future of Healthcare Founder Residency is revolutionizing healthcare innovation in Northern New England. This groundbreaking program gives health tech companies the opportunity to collaborate with Maine’s leading healthcare systems.
A regional hub for climatetech innovation, the ClimateTech Incubator at Northeastern’s Roux Institute is home to dozens of startups, investors, policy experts, and subject matter experts. Seedfunded by Maine’s Governor’s Energy Office, this award-winning program provides access to desk and prototyping space, investor and mentor networks, and networking events.
Our community and student programs ignite the spirit of innovation by providing immersive learning experiences, hands-on workshops, and personalized mentorship. Participants benefit from access to industry leaders, cutting-edge programs, and a supportive network equipping them with the essential resources to launch impactful ventures and thrive as entrepreneurs.
Founder Residency
ClimateTech Incubator Entrepreneurship Education
Future of Healthcare
Five years of growth & innovation
In January 2020, Northeastern University’s Roux Institute launched with a mission to drive economic development and fuel innovation across the state of Maine. Through strategic partnerships with the Roux family and Harold Alfond Foundation, the Institute now collaborates with 300+ organizations to transform Maine’s economy. As a leading source of talent and innovation, we’re enabling unparalleled impact through education, research, career development, and new venture creation in AI, technology, life sciences, and other high-growth fields.
From vision to impact: five years of transforming Maine’s future through education, research, and entrepreneurship.
The Roux Institute launch is celebrated with Barbara and David Roux and representatives from our 10 founding corporate partners.
The Roux Institute receives investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation to provide tuition scholarships, support for postdoctoral researchers, and funding for co-op positions with Maine employers through 2030.
Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun and Maine Governor Janet Mills welcome the first cohort of
During the first Roux Institute Commencement, the 44 graduates from the inaugural cohort are celebrated.
The Roux Institute’s entrepreneurship programming launches along with its inaugural accelerator program.
The launch of the ClimateTech Incubator at the Roux Institute is celebrated with an event featuring climate leaders and investors.
Northeastern receives a $17.5 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch an infectious disease prediction center.
The fourth Commencement of the Roux Institute, on June 13, 2025, celebrates its five-hundredth graduate from inception to date.
The Roux Institute’s founding team and Northeastern University leadership gather at the site of Northeastern University’s Portland campus and future home of the Roux Institute and the Alfond Center for a ceremonial groundbreaking. 25
Roux Institute students.
Roux Institute current students and graduates pose alongside President Aoun at the groundbreaking of Northeastern’s Portland campus in 2024
