Faculty

UC Davis engineers Cristina Davis and Heather Bischel are using their respective expertise to develop new ways to detect COVID-19. 

Machine-learning algorithms, while not intended to replace human doctors, can be powerful tools to help process and make sense of patient data. Electrical and computer engineering professor Chen-Nee Chuah and computer science professor Xin Liu are preparing sensors and algorithms to work alongside doctors to treat patients.

To produce food for a growing population and a changing climate, growers need to understand their crops on an individual level.

Irrigating an entire orchard or vineyard with the same level of water and nutrients may make some plants excel at producing nuts or fruit, while others might be getting more than they need. Not knowing this can lead to disappointing crop yields, wasted water, high costs and long-term damage to both the plants and the environment—all of which can devastate a grower.

Each year, the UC Davis College of Engineering recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and community with the Outstanding Faculty Awards. Faculty members are nominated by their respective departments and are selected by the college’s faculty awards committee.

Colleen E. Bronner, an associate professor of teaching and vice-chair of undergraduate studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at UC Davis.

Her research focus is primarily in two areas: inclusive teaching pedagogy, which explores ways to teach that do not privilege or disadvantage people based on their backgrounds and experiences, and diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in engineering.

PROFESSOR YAYOI TAKAMURA is chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UC Davis. She joined UC Davis in 2006 and became vice chair of the department in 2017 before becoming chair in July 2020. She is the first woman to lead the department.

Eight College of Engineering assistant professors received National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) awards this year, setting a college record and helping UC Davis lead the nation.

Harry Cheng is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and is the founder and director of the C-STEM (Computing, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Center.

As part of Black History Month, the UC Davis College of Engineering is engaging our faculty and staff in considering our roles in implicit bias and systemic racism. We all play a part in addressing these long-standing issues and are making spaces to have open, collective dialogue that moves our college and university forward.

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) has honored Ralph C. Aldredge, associate dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Engineering and professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering, with the 2021 NSBE Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Academia.