Administration
Message from Dean Bruce R. White
UC Davis Engineering has been making a difference for the state, the nation and the world, finding technical solutions to meet fundamental societal needs while also preparing thousands of highly skilled engineers to join us in the workforce.
Today we face distinct economic challenges at the very time engineering solutions are so vitally important to society’s future. The College is in good shape and we will weather this storm. We build upon a firm foundation of service to society, addressing issues in such important areas as energy, environment, health and well being, information technology management and civil infrastructure.
Our 200 plus professors are extremely productive as researchers and teachers and are honored for excellence in leadership by major professional organizations; they are consistently recognized with national awards for their work. Additionally, both research funding and gifts to the College have grown significantly over the past year. We continue to recruit top students to our undergraduate and graduate programs.
We are recognized leaders in renewable energies, such as biomass, wind and alternative fuels, as well as transportation, data visualization, optical communications, network security and biomedical imaging. Our researchers have provided expert advice and leadership on such serious topics as electronic voting security, California’s low-carbon fuel standard, plug-in hybrid vehicles, longer lasting road surfaces, anaerobic digesters that convert organic wastes into usable energy, and drug delivery systems that precisely target diseased cells.
I am honored to be trusted with the leadership of this remarkable institution of research and learning. In the coming years, the College will continue to engage the intelligence and skill of exceptional students, preparing them for careers in an ever changing global economy. We will continue to strive for diversity among our faculty and students, something for which we are already recognized. We are ranked 3rd among the nation’s top 50 engineering programs for percentage of female faculty. The percentage of women students continues to increase and remains significantly above the national average. And the number of Hispanic students has doubled in the past five years.
Providing a diverse engineering work force consistent with California’s population is key to solving pressing societal problems in energy, health and environment.
I thank you for your interest in the College of Engineering at UC Davis.
Bruce R. White
Dean, College of Engineering
January 1, 2009
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-5294
email: Bruce White
phone: (530) 752-0554
fax: (530) 752-8058
Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University
M.S. and B.S., Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Research: Turbulent boundary layer flows, aerodynamics, environmental aerodynamics, experimental fluid mechanics, wind engineering, particle flows.
Lab: http://mae.engr.ucdavis.edu/~wind/
Associate Deans
Karen McDonald, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
email:
Karen McDonald
Phone: (530) 752-0559
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, 1985
M.S.,Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1980
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, 1979
Lab: http://www.chms.ucdavis.edu/faculty/mcdonald.php
Research: Research and development of plant-based expression systems and bioprocesses for production of biopharmaceuticals, biofuels and biopolymers.
Jean VanderGheynst, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
email: Jean VanderGheynst
Phone: (530) 752-0556
Ph.D., Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Cornell University, 1997
Undergraduate Studies: http://engineering.ucdavis.edu/pages/future_students/undergraduates/index.html
Lab: http://vandergheynst.engineering.ucdavis.edu/
Research: Investigating a diverse array of biological systems to address relevant problems in fields such as plant biotechnology, biofuels, and pest management.
Bruce Hartsough, Associate Dean, Academic Personnel and Planning
Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
email: Bruce Hartsough
Phone: (530) 754-7748
Ph.D., Agricultural Engineering, Auburn University, 1986
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.