GCoE Welcomes New Faculty
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The following join the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering as assistant professors:
Iman Ghamarian, Ph.D., most recently was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan. His expertise is in materials science and engineering with current research linking orientation microscopy to atom probe tomography data. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Sharif University of Technology in Iran, a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and a doctorate from Iowa State University.
Erkan Kayacan, Ph.D., joins the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in January 2022. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Istabul Technical University in Turkey, and a doctoral degree from the University of Leuven in Belgium. Prior to OU, he served as a lecturer with the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland in Australia. His postdoctoral work includes Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a recipient of a Best Systems Paper Award presented each year at the Robotics: Sciences and Systems conference.
Hiroshi Ozawa, Ph.D., comes from Tokyo Metropolitan University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and system engineering from Doshisha University in Japan, and master’s and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering from Nagoya University in Japan. He received an award for Distinguished Young Researcher from the Japan Society of Fluid Mechanics.
Bin Xu, Ph.D., most recently served as a research assistant professor at Clemson University. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Hunan University in China and a doctorate in automotive engineering from Stanford University, where he was a visiting scientist. His research explores energy management on hybrid electric vehicles using improved dynamic programming.
Dong Zhang, Ph.D., most recently was a postdoctoral research associate at Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests are in energy storage systems, dynamic systems and control, electrified transportation and data-driven decision making. He earned bachelor’s degrees from both Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and the University of Michigan, and both master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.
The School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering welcomes Reza Foudazi, Ph.D., as an associate professor. From 2013-19, he taught at New Mexico State University, where his honors included an Early Career Award from the Polymer Processing Society. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran and a doctorate from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa.
Shreya Vemuganti, Ph.D., joined the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science as an assistant professor. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Osmani University in India and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of New Mexico. Her research explores innovative materials and methods supporting the development of next-generation materials toward efficient, smart, resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure.
Five have joined the School of Computer Science as assistant professors:
Golnaz Habibi, Ph.D., joins the School of Computer Science in January 2022. She earned a bachelor’s degree from K.N. Toosi University of Technology in Iran; a master’s degree from Tarbiat Modares University in Iran; and a doctorate from Rice University. She has served as a postdoctoral associate at the Aerospace Controls Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to MIT, she was a robotic engineer at Autel Robotics.
Sina Khanmohammadi, Ph.D., focuses on developing tools that improve the diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disorders by integrating data science, systems science and neuroscience. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hertfordshire in England, and from the University of Tabriz in Iran. He earned a doctorate from Binghamton University State University of New York. He was a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and also in the Department of Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Prior to OU, Ji Hwan Park, Ph.D., served as an assistant computational scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has a wide range of research interests that cover visualization, visual analytics and machine learning. He earned a doctorate from Stony Brook University.
Richard Veras, Ph.D., earned a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University, where he continued his studies as a postdoctoral researcher. He then served as a computer system research scientist at the Center for Computation and Technology at Louisiana State University.
Shangqing Zhao, Ph.D., earned a doctorate from the University of South Florida in 2021. At the University of South Florida, he was affiliated with the Florida Center for Cybersecurity. His research focuses on network and mobile system design and security and has been spotlighted at prestigious conferences and published by organizations including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Joining the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering as a professor is Thirumalai “Venky” Venkatesan, Ph.D. He also serves as a professor of physics and astronomy and the director of the Center for Quantum Research and Technology at OU. Venkatesan is an internationally noted leader in advanced technology innovation. He joins OU from the National University of Singapore, where he served as the director of the Nano Institute and was a provost chair professor of electrical and computer engineering, physics and material science. He previously was a professor of electrical and computer engineering and physics at the University of Maryland. Prior to this, he held multiple roles at Bell Labs, Bellcore and Rutgers University.
Two new faculty join the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering:
William Klimack, Ph.D., will teach online Master of Science courses. With an extensive military and professional background, he brings real-world experience to OU, most recently working with Chevron Corp. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University, a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Military Art and Sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a doctorate in operations research from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology. He served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, retiring as a colonel.
Rui Zhu, Ph.D., joins the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering as an assistant professor. She earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial design at Harbin Institute of Technology in China, and a doctorate at The Pennsylvania State University, where she also taught. Her current research focus is sensor-based modeling and optimization of cardiovascular systems.
The Peggy and Charles Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering welcomes three new assistant professors:
Sarah Breen, Ph.D. earned both bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Limerick in Ireland. From 2012-2021, she worked at Northern Michigan University, most recently as an associate professor in biomechanics. She is a Fellow of the International Society of Biomechanics and of the Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom.
John Clegg, Ph.D., comes to OU from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Mitragotri Lab for Drug Delivery at Harvard University, where he was a postdoctoral Fellow in both areas. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of South Carolina and master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Texas at Austin. His research experience also includes a stint at the Mayo Clinic.
Rebecca Scott, Ph.D., most recently was an assistant professor in biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University and a doctoral degree from Purdue University, where she was a National Science Foundation predoctoral Fellow. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Institutes of Health Kirschstein-NRSA award.
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The mission of the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma is to foster creatively, innovation and professionalism through dynamic research, development and learning experiences. The school is organized into seven schools.
