Beth A. Winkelstein

Biography

Beth A. Winkelstein is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Northeastern, where she oversees the university’s 10 schools and colleges, expanding global research enterprise, and libraries. In her role, she serves as a driving force for innovation in experiential learning and research across the university network. 

Winkelstein joined Northeastern from the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as Deputy Provost and the Eduardo D. Glandt President’s Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering and Neurosurgery. Over more than 20 years at Penn, she held several senior leadership positions, including Interim Provost, Vice Provost for Education, and Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. 

At Penn, Winkelstein launched Penn First Plus, a program supporting first-generation and low-income students with financial aid, academic resources, and community. She co-led a $750 million initiative to recruit faculty in strategic academic fields and led efforts to strengthen teaching and expand faculty diversity. 

A world-renowned bioengineer, Winkelstein’s research focuses on how injuries to the spine and joints cause pain, contributing to advances in medical devices and treatment approaches. She was the editor of Orthopaedic Biomechanics and has written more than 175 papers and book chapters. Winkelstein has mentored more than 60 doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and over 70 undergraduates. 

She is an elected Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers. And her honors include the Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award, Van C. Mow Medal, and an Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation. She holds three patents and chairs the American Society of Mechanical Engineers board of editors. 

Winkelstein earned her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Penn as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and her doctorate in bioengineering from Duke University. She completed postdoctoral training at Dartmouth College before joining the Penn faculty in 2002. 

Contact

Beth A. Winkelstein
b.winkelstein@northeastern.edu

Jessica Kupczak
Special Assistant and Project Manager
j.kupczak@northeastern.edu