Meet IEM’s New Administrative Director

We are pleased to introduce you to our Interim Administrative Director, Alyssa Burger. Alyssa will lead IEM’s strategic administrative and operational activities, ensuring effective coordination across IEM's programs and initiatives. She will work closely with IEM faculty leadership, staff, and key collaborators to support organizational priorities.

Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to the University of Minnesota.
Alyssa: My favorite things include Jayce, my 13-year-old, adventures both big and small, and being immersed in nature—especially the things that spark my curiosity, like the power of waterfalls, the sheer enormity of ancient trees, and anything botanical. My interests are many and my hobbies are few, but at the heart of it all is a deep curiosity and a constant hunger to learn more about the world around us and discover what else there is to experience.

My relationship with the University of Minnesota spans approximately 30 years, beginning when I enrolled as a freshman and first-generation college student. Inspired by a passion for body mechanics, anatomy, and physiology, I studied kinesiology in the College of Education and Human Development. I later earned a master's degree in science education, also from the UMN. The university truly became my home and community. Over the decades, I have been deeply involved in the research ecosystem, workforce development, and programming. Having spent more time at the University of Minnesota than anywhere else in my life, I consider the U, science and engineering  and IEM communities a core part of that home.

What excites you most about your new role at IEM?
Alyssa: I am excited by the opportunity to apply a programmatic, mission-based lens to administration—a perspective I believe is less common among administrative directors, who typically come from a finance, business, or HR backgrounds. I see my role as amplifying IEM's work by ensuring that operations, human resources, and finance serve as effective infrastructure for the organization's core mission,  programming, and impact.

IEM sits at the intersection of engineering, clinical care, and industry. How do you approach building relationships across such diverse groups?
Alyssa: Drawing from my two decades in NSF Engineering Research Centers- organizations built specifically to bridge industry, government, and academia- I emphasize the importance of asking key questions, fostering thoughtful dialogue, and sustaining bidirectional relationships where all parties derive value. I see IEM's unique position as an opportunity to engage key stakeholders both within and outside the university, ultimately optimizing and amplifying our impact.

Within your first 90 days, what is one key priority or goal you are most eager to tackle?
Alyssa: My top priority is creating clarity by ensuring that members of the IEM ecosystem understand their value, strengths, and ways in which they advance IEM’s mission. I am also personally passionate about workforce development and want to establish clear goals in that area. I place strong importance on shifting from one-directional communication to a bidirectional approach- inviting the team along for the journey rather than simply communicating information.

What is one of the biggest opportunities you see for IEM and the University of Minnesota within the Minnesota MedTech ecosystem?
Alyssa: I see immense potential for IEM to function as a sum of many parts, creating its own distinct ecosystem within the broader MedTech research and innovation landscape. Our unique positioning gives us the opportunity to harness and amplify the collective strengths of our collaborators and stakeholders.

Higher education and MedTech research involve complex operations. What is a tool, system, or process improvement you are excited to bring to the team?
Alyssa: Rather than a specific tool, I bring a skill set developed over 20 years in high-stakes, multi-institutional ERC environments, where millions of dollars were evaluated annually and efficiency was non-negotiable. My approach focuses on simplicity, cutting through low-impact tasks, and prioritizing high-deliverable efforts. Early signs- such as improved team engagement in all-hands meetings—suggest these strategies are already having a positive effect at IEM.

Is there anything else you want the IEM community to know about you?
Alyssa: Being part of the IEM community feels like coming full circle for me. During my time in college, the only professor I did an informational interview with was Prof. Paul Iazzio. Later, as a 20-year-old, I was one of the first staff members involved when the Design of Medical Devices (DMD) conference was founded.. I believe it is a true privilege to work alongside faculty who are genuinely changing the world, and making engineering relatable and accessible, a role I once described as "making engineering cool"-remains a value I carry into my work today.

Note: Interview conducted by IEM’s Administrative Assistant, Aithy Nguyen. Summary generated with the assistance of Zoom AI and Google Gemini, and reviewed and approved by Alyssa Burger prior to publication.