D. S. Fahmeed Hyder named next Head of Trumbull College

D. S. Fahmeed Hyder, a professor of biomedical engineering at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science and professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at the Yale School of Medicine, has been appointed the next Head of Trumbull College, Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis announced at an event in the college last night.

Hyder will succeed Margaret Clark, the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology, who has been Trumbull’s head for 10 years.

College heads serve as the chief administrative officer and presiding faculty member within the residential colleges, and help nurture the social, cultural, and educational life there, a role that has become a cherished Yale tradition.

A world-renowned scientist in the field of biomedical imaging, Hyder focuses his research on mapping the brain’s physiology and chemistry with magnetic resonance advances to identify metabolic markers of degeneration and cancer.

He will begin a five-year term at Trumbull on July 1.

“I am touched by the warm welcome and so excited to be part of the Trumbull community!” Hyder said. “I look forward to getting to know the students, and championing their passions.”

Hyder’s laboratory, which combines expertise in physics, chemistry, engineering, cancer biology, and neuroscience, has produced major contributions in the development of high-resolution fMRI in preclinical models, calibrated fMRI for quantitative imaging of neuronal activity both in human and animal brains, and molecular imaging methods for ionic (i.e., proton and sodium) imbalances that are relevant in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

In addition to collaborating across scientific disciplines and building innovative research teams, Hyder is also a committed and valued teacher. Since joining the Yale faculty in 1999, he has taught and mentored several hundred students and scholars. One of his most popular courses, “Fundamentals of Neuroimaging,” offers both science and writing credits but also training on scientific dissemination and team collaboration.

His research on biomedical imaging advances with magnetic resonance in 25 years — supported by continuous support from the National Institutes of Health — has produced over 230 peer-reviewed papers. He has written books on functional brain imaging and patents on molecular imaging of cancer. He also sits on editorial boards of scientific journals and advisory panels of funding agencies. Through his groundbreaking research, he has won numerous international awards and has built an international track record in mentoring next-generation scientists to see local health disparities in biomedical sciences from a global perspective.

“Professor Hyder’s journey to becoming a scientist has been serendipitous,” Lewis said. “As his homeland of Bangladesh was fighting for independence, his family became refugees and remained in a war camp for three years. After independence, his family had to move abroad for safety. During this transition, he immersed himself in music and athletics; and it was a music scholarship that provided him access to a U.S. college education.

“Professor Hyder’s long journey to Yale has included periods of living as a refugee, seeing firsthand exposure to climate change, encountering religious disparities, and experiencing life as an immigrant during the 9/11 tragedy.”

Joining Hyder as Associate Head of Trumbull is Anita Sharif-Hyder, who currently serves as Associate Secretary for the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct. Sharif-Hyder has an international background and is multilingual: of Bangladeshi origin, she was born in Thailand, and she lived in Venezuela, Kuwait, Egypt, and India during her formative years. With advanced degrees in psychology, she has been putting her cross-cultural counseling background to good use in a professional career in higher education, initially at the International House of Philadelphia and Kaplan Inc., and for the past 15 years at Yale University with the Yale World Fellows Program and Provost’s Office.

“Both Professor Hyder and Ms. Sharif-Hyder embrace hospitality and hope to bring their cultural traditions in service to the vibrant and diverse Trumbull community,” Lewis said. “They will be joined in the college by their daughter, Leila Hyder, an artist, thespian, and social justice advocate (currently a junior at Hopkins School in New Haven), and will have frequent visits to campus from their son, Arman Hyder (Hopkins ’22/Purdue ’26), a basketball enthusiast, world traveler, and foodie, to reignite the traditions of Trumbull such as Potty Court Frisbee and Rumble in Trumbull … so Trumbullians, get ready!”

In announcing Hyder’s appointment, Lewis expressed gratitude to Margaret Clark, the outgoing head of Trumbull, and Associate Head Frederick Polner “for their extraordinary leadership and service to Trumbull.”

Lewis also thanked the members of the search advisory committee: Christina Kraus, the Thomas A. Thacher Professor of Latin in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and chair of the committee; Trumbull fellows Matthew Makomenaw, assistant dean of Yale College and director of the Native American Cultural Center; Mark Mitchell, Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at Yale University Art Gallery; Adam Sexton, lecturer in English and Trumbull College’s writing tutor; Joan Monin, associate professor at Yale School of Public Health (Social & Behavioral Sciences); and Trumbull students Jailon Henry ’23; Brandon Tong ’23; Mary He ’24; Emma Cowles ’25; and Benjamin Hernandez ’26.