Numerous faculty members have been appointed new endowed positions in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Hong Liang has been appointed the Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. Professor. The Texas A&M professor received her doctoral degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology and is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as well as a Fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, and has been awarded a Charles H. Barclay, Jr. 45 Faculty Fellow from the Texas A&M College of Engineering. Her research interests include surface science, tribology and advanced materials and structures.
Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs Dr. Daniel McAdams has been appointed the Robert H. Fletcher Professor. McAdams has received many awards, including the 2017 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a recent best paper award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for a publication on his research efforts in engineering design. The Texas A&M professor received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from The University of Texas. His research interests include design theory and methodology with specific focus on functional modeling, bio-inspired design methods materials design and technology evolution.
Dr. Anastasia Muliana has been appointed the G. Paul Pepper ’54 Professor. The Texas A&M professor was previously appointed the Cain Faculty Fellow I. Muliana received her bachelor’s degree in Indonesia at the Bandung Institute of Technology, and received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2015, Muliana was awarded the Dean of Engineering Excellence Award from the Texas A&M College of Engineering. Her research interests include nonlinear and time-dependent constitutive material modeling, mechanics of composites and smart materials, nonlinear analyses of flexible structures, and durability of polymers and composites.
Dr. Richard Malak has been appointed the Gulf Oil/Thomas A. Dietz Career Development Professor I. Malak is an associate professor and has been previously appointed the Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer and electrical engineering, and a master’s and doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests include theory and computational methods for complex systems design.
Dr. David Staack has been appointed the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Career Development Professor. Staack is an associate professor at Texas A&M, and received his doctoral degree from Drexel University, after receiving his master’s degree from Princeton University and bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. Staack previously held the position of Pioneer Natural Resources Faculty Fellow I and is the director of Engineering Laboratory Instruction. His research interests include plasma engineering, micro-and nano-scale plasmas and plasma enhanced fuel conversion and combustion.
Assistant Professor Dr. Douglas Allaire has been appointed the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Faculty Fellow. Allaire received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in aerospace engineering. In 2017 he was awarded both the Dean of Engineering Excellence Award and the James J. Cain Graduate Teaching Award. His research interests include computational methods for the analysis, design and operation of complex systems.
Texas A&M University Professor Dr. Debjyoti Banerjee has been appointed the James J. Cain ’51 Faculty Fellow I. Debjyoti earned a bachelor’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi in Engineering Science and Computational Science and a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests include thermos-fluidics fundamentals, micro/nanotechnology and nanofluids.
Associate Professor Dr. Waruna Kulatilaka has been appointed the Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I. Kulatilaka received his bachelor’s degree from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, his master’s degree from Texas A&M and his doctoral degree from Purdue University, all in mechanical engineering. He is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an Associate Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research interests include combustion and propulsion, optical diagnostics and imaging, and laser spectroscopy.
Assistant Professor Dr. Justin Wilkerson has been appointed the James J. Cain ’51 Faculty Fellow II. Wilkerson received a bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M in aerospace engineering and both his master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. His research interests include nanomechanics, dynamic behavior of materials, shock physics and planetary science.