University of Cincinnati to Add 50 Engineering Faculty

University of Cincinnati Provost Beverly Davenport has made it her mission to propel the university along its path of growth and expansion, stated earlier by UC President Santa Ono. As UC approaches its bicentennial, Davenport has geared up with plans to enter the next phase of UC with a clear vision through the

Third Century

initiative. One of the Provost’s strategies is to invest heavily in the continued growth of UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) through her strategic hiring and

cluster hiring

plans.

In line with the

Academic Master Plan

and the Third Century initiative, Provost Davenport is pleased to announce a drive by the college to hire 50 additional CEAS faculty members, approximately ten each year, over the next five years. This hiring initiative, labeled “50 in 5,” is sure to benefit the college by adding high-caliber faculty to the existing group of respected educators and researchers.

Third Century focuses on “further defining and aligning our institutional priorities: investing in faculty and staff, re-imagining the student experience, and building the resource base.” This initiative is the result of distilling a dozen-plus strategic documents already in use, creating a streamlined mission for the university as it prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

Third Century reaffirms the university’s core mission of “teaching, research, and community engagement.” Provost Davenport further states that, “The 50 in 5 initiative moves the college and university forward in our commitment to integrative academic experiences such as research, co-op, study abroad, industrial collaboratives, service learning, internships, and practicum experiences, by deepening the pool of research expertise and by increasing the potential for more classes and faculty advisers.”

The faculty joining CEAS come from varied backgrounds but they have a common goal — maintaining the University of Cincinnati’s status as one of the country’s top research facilities. They are eager to continue the tradition of excellence.

College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean, Teik Lim explains, “A number of new CEAS faculty are part of the ‘UC cluster hiring’ initiative in which instructors work in a multi-disciplinary environment, often collaborating with other colleges at UC and the university’s industrial and commercial partners.” The faculty expertise required to work as an interdisciplinary researcher calls for skills and knowledge in multiple fields. Lim continues by explaining, “This ‘cluster hiring’ initiative falls under the provost’s overall mission to strategically hire faculty who are capable of supporting the college’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research and teaching.”

The increase in CEAS faculty, part of a larger university-wide plan, is driven by a rise in enrollment. The 2014 incoming class of CEAS freshmen is more than 1,100 students, pushing the college past previous enrollment records. This growth is due in part to the rise of cutting-edge research, including research opportunities for undergraduates, the college’s innovative curriculum which propels students into engineering courses immediately, and the cooperative education program.

The university’s

co-op program

is currently ranked fourth nationally. UC is not only the birthplace of

cooperative education

, but also supports the largest mandatory cooperative education program at a public university in the country. The program’s strong industry standing contributes to the college’s near 100-percent employment placement record, making UC an outstanding choice for aspiring engineers.

Dean Lim plans to increase enrollment in CEAS to 5,000, continuing the college on its path of expansion. The 50 new faculty members who will soon call UC home further contribute to our growth, as Lim explains, “The University of Cincinnati continues to be a destination institution and home to a top engineering college.”

As more applications arrive from prospective students, and research continues to turn into published works, the evidence of growth both in numbers and in quality is clear to see in CEAS.

“The overwhelming quality and experience of the incoming faculty is proof that UC is headed in the right direction,” says Provost Davenport. “The College of Engineering and Applied Science continues to strengthen with the welcoming of highly qualified individuals both male and female, from many different backgrounds.”

Already joining the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science are ten new faculty members from around the world. Representative of these faculty are:

Nan Niu

, who was recently recognized by an NSF CAREER Award that spans the next five years, joins the CEAS department of electrical engineering and computing systems. Niu received his bachelor of science degree in computer science and engineering from the Beijing Institute of Technology and his master of science degree in computing science from the University of Alberta, in 1999 and 2004, respectively. He received his doctorate in computer science from the University of Toronto in 2009. Most recently, he was an assistant professor in the department of computer science and engineering at Mississippi State University.

Niu’s research interests include: software engineering, information seeking, and human-centered computing which coincide with the college’s work with human centered robotics and logic systems. Logic systems and human centered simulations are at the heart of many of the college’s graduate and undergraduate level research efforts as evidenced by the recent achievements of

Sophia Mitchell

, an aerospace engineering undergraduate student.

Chia-Ying Lin

has been appointed the Dane A. and Mary Louise Miller Chair in Biomedical Engineering at CEAS. Lin received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from National Taiwan University and his master of science degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1997 and 2002, respectively. He

earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2004. Prior to joining UC CEAS, Lin concurrently held four positions at the University of Michigan Medical School: director of the spine research laboratory; assistant professor of biomedical engineering; assistant professor of orthopedic surgery; and assistant professor of neurosurgery. Lin currently holds three patents with two more in the works and has garnered numerous grants totaling over $1.25 million.

Chia-Ying Lin’s research interests include: bone tissue engineering, biomaterials, spinal segmental reconstruction and biomechanics, intervertebral disc degeneration and regeneration, and primary and metastatic spine tumors. In the world of biomedical engineering, University of Cincinnati researchers have developed a

unique nanostructure

that can, because of its dual-surface structure, serve as an improved “all-in-one tool” against cancer.

“I am personally pleased with the college’s independent identification of two faculty who have proven expertise in their respective fields,” says Provost Davenport. “UC is privileged to welcome both Kristin and Eric Rozier to a singular institution in which they are sure to enhance their departments with their rich experiential backgrounds and innovative research.”

Kristin Yvonne Rozier

, a recipient of the 2014 NASA Astrogram Women in Aerospace Award, has been affiliated with NASA's Ames Research Center since September 2008 and a civil servant since November 2003. Rozier earned her bachelor of science and master of science degrees in computer science from the College of William and Mary in 2000 and 2001,

respectively. Rozier received her doctorate in computer science from Rice University in 2012 and immediately started work in Aeroacoustics at NASA Langley where she worked for almost three years before moving to the NASA Formal Methods group. Most recently, Rozier was a primary contributing researcher to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Air Traffic Management project of the Airspace Systems Program at NASA. Select the following link for Rozier’s NASA Ames presentation:

“Dr. Kristin Yvonne Rozier - No More Helicopter Parenting: Intelligent, Autonomous UAS.”

Kristin Yvonne Rozier’s research interests include: formal methods, verification and validation of safety-critical systems, design-time checking of system logic and system requirements with applications in aerospace systems, automated reasoning, runtime monitoring, and fault tolerance and safety analysis. Rozier’s areas of focus are much like that of Professor Kelly Cohen, whose students have built a system around an unmanned aerial vehicle that has faced a

real-world test in a West Virginia

controlled forest burn, proving its usefulness.

Eric Rozier

, a 2014 Eric & Wendy Schmidt Data Science for Social Good Summer Faculty Fellow and 2010 IBM PhD Fellow joins the CEAS Department of Electrical Engineering and Computing Systems. Rozier earned his BS in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary and his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003 and 2011, respectively.

Most recently, Rozier worked at the University of Miami as an assistant professor and at the University of Chicago as a Faculty Fellow in Data Science where he has been collaborating with the former Chief Data Scientist from President Obama's 2012 campaign as part of the Eric & Wendy Schmidt Data Science for Social Good Program, applying Computer Science and Engineering to solve problems with the City of Chicago and the World Bank.

Eric’s research interests include: big data, cloud computing, data privacy, storage systems, fault tolerance, data science, and system modeling. His interests align with UC’s work in intelligent transportation systems in collaboration with AMP Electric Vehicles, who have developed a prototype for a delivery drone. Development of the

HorseFly Octocopter

gives real hope to the potential of delivery drones in the future.

Woo Kyun Kim

is originally from South Korea, where he received his master of science degree in mechanical engineering at Seoul National University and worked in the New Gasoline Engine Development Team at Hyundai Motor Company. He completed his doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Most recently, he worked as a research associate in the department of aerospace engineering and mechanics at the University of Minnesota.

Woo Kyun Kim’s research interests include atomistic modeling and computer simulation of materials systems and simulating atomic force microscope (AFM) experiments to study atomic-scale friction that match well with emerging technology of the

UC Simulation Center

.

Also joining the faculty at CEAS are

Jonathan Corey, civil and environmental engineering

Soryonh Chae, environmental engineering,

Rui (April) Dai, computer engineering,

Nora B. Honken, engineering education.

Look for more on their achievements in upcoming articles and Web postings.

From Seattle to South Korea, these new members of CEAS come with varied experience and rich backgrounds from around the world.

The new faculty will continue their work at UC as members of a greater cause: collaborating, challenging, and encouraging one another in their research endeavors. Increasing research programs and students’ participation within the college, the 50 in 5 initiative ensures the College of Engineering and Applied Science remains at a world-class level.