Faculty Directory

Igor Kourkine

Professor of Instruction

Deputy Director and Director of Admissions, Master of Science in Biotechnology Program

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Departments

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Affiliations

Master of Biotechnology Program

Research Interests

My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that students should develop both the theoretical underpinnings and practical, hands-on tools for the 4Cs (creative thinking, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration) across technical and non-technical contexts. As AI tools continue to improve and take on more routine technical tasks, these human-centered skills will only grow in importance. In my engineering courses, principle-based understanding remains foundational, but I increasingly emphasize empirical, practice-oriented learning: using concepts to interpret evidence, make decisions under constraints, and communicate tradeoffs clearly.

I also defend the role of memorization by reframing it as disciplinary fluency: reliable recall provides the raw material for critical evaluation and supports creative insight through recombination, often after subconscious “incubation.” Finally, when time constraints force tradeoffs in coverage, I prioritize “simple but profound” ideas (concepts that structure thinking and transfer widely), so students leave with durable intellectual tools rather than short-lived exposure to content.