Leadership
Enrique Lavernia, Dean
The dean is the administrative head, providing academic leadership, managing resources and representing the College of Engineering to the Chancellor, the Provost, UC Davis and wider communities. The dean is also a member of the faculty of the College.
Distinguished Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- Contact Information
- Email Dean Enrique Lavernia
- Phone: (530) 752-0554
- Kemper Hall 1021A
- Website: Advanced Materials Research Group
- Research
- Synthesis of structural materials and metal matrix composites with particular emphasis on processing fundamentals; thermal spray processing of nano-structured materials; spray atomization and deposition of structural materials; solidification processing of metal matrix composites; synthesis and behavior of nano-crystalline materials; mathematical modeling of advanced materials and processes
- Education
- Ph.D., Materials Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1986
- M.S., Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984
- B.S., Solid Mechanics, Brown University, 1982
Enrique J. Lavernia returned as dean to the College of Engineering on January 1, 2011. His most recent appointment was provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of California, Davis, from January 2009 – December 2010, serving as the campus’s chief academic and operating officer.
He joined the campus in 2002 as dean of the College of Engineering, where he was also promoted to Distinguished Professor in 2007. During his tenure as dean, the College of Engineering became one of the nation’s fastest-growing engineering schools, with 15 undergraduate majors, more than 200 faculty and 4,100 undergraduate and graduate students. The newest majors to be developed are Optical Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Computational Applied Sciences, all designed to meet student and industry needs. A new, state-of-the-art classroom and lecture facility opened in 2007.
Prior to his arrival to Davis in 2002, Lavernia served as Chair and Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at UC Irvine. He was named the 1998 Biochemical and Biochemical Engineering Materials Science “Science Teacher of the Year” at UCI. He was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2000. Other honors include Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2006) and Fellow, ASM International (1998).
In addition, Dean Lavernia is a fellow of the Ford Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Iketani Science and Technology Foundation of Tokyo, Japan, and Rockwell International. Named Presidential Young Investigator by the National Science Foundation, Lavernia also received a Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research. In 2010 he was named Miegunyah Fellow by the University of Melbourne, Australia. In 2011 Dean Lavernia received the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award (HEENAC) and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Distinguished Scientist Award.
Dean Lavernia’s research interests include synthesis of structural materials and metal matrix composites with particular emphasis on processing fundamentals; thermal spray processing of nano-structured materials; spray atomization and deposition of structural materials; solidification processing of metal matrix composites; synthesis and behavior of nano-crystalline materials; and mathematical modeling of advanced materials and processes. He has published 400 journal and 200 conference publications on topics ranging from nano-materials to aluminum alloys.
Dean Lavernia earned his B.S. with Honors in Solid Mechanics from Brown University in 1982, his M.S. in Metallurgy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in 1984, and his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from M.I.T. in 1986.
Associate Deans
The associate deans, also faculty members, provide leadership in matters related to the academic mission, faculty, instruction and student services. They report to the dean of the College.
Karen McDonald
Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- Contact Information
- Email Associate Dean Karen McDonald
- Phone: (530) 752-0559
- Website: Plant Bioprocess Lab
- Research
- Research and development of plant-based expression systems and bioprocesses for production of biopharmaceuticals, biofuels and biopolymers
- Education
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, 1985
- M.S.,Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1980
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, 1979
Jean VanderGheynst
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Contact Information
- Email Associate Dean Jean VanderGheynst
- Phone: (530) 752-0556
- Website: VanderGheynst Lab
- Research
- Investigating a diverse array of biological systems to address relevant problems in fields such as plant biotechnology, biofuels, and pest management
- Curriculum Vitae
- Education
- Ph.D., Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Cornell University, 1997
- M.S., Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Cornell University, 1994
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, with Distinction, Syracuse University, 1991
Bruce Hartsough
Associate Dean, Academic Personnel and Planning
Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Contact Information
- Email Associate Dean Bruce Hartsough
- Phone: (530) 754-7748
- Research
- Harvesting to improve forest health and reduce fuel loadings; forest biomass for energy; minimum-impact harvesting methods; harvesting short rotation plantations; mechanics and dynamics of forestry equipment; modeling and systems analysis of forest operations.
- Education
- Ph.D., Forest Engineering, Auburn University, 1986
- M.S., Forest Engineering, UC Davis, 1983
- B.S., Agricultural Engineering and Renewable and Natural Resources, UC Davis, 1976
Chairs
Academic chairs are faculty members and have critical leadership roles in their units, acting as liaisons to higher administration and serving to advance the research, teaching and service missions of their departments.
Yin Yeh
Applied Science
Raul Piedrahita
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Kyriacos Athanasiou
Biomedical Engineering
Ahmet Palazoglu
Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Sashi Kunnath
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Prasant Mohapatra
Computer Science
Rick Kiehl
Electrical and Computer Engineering
C.P. van Dam
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering