UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nine faculty members in the College of Engineering at Penn State were recently appointed to professorships, including one chair.
All were selected following a recommendation from the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering, Justin Schwartz, for their outstanding teaching and research initiatives.
“We are extremely grateful to those who fund these professorships and chairs, which are critical to furthering scholarly excellence in areas of instruction and research,” said Schwartz. “Not only do they benefit our students, they also enrich our research enterprise, connect us with industry, contribute to the prosperity of the Commonwealth and raise our profile.”
Andrew Zydney, distinguished professor of chemical engineering, Penn State, has been named the Bayard D. Kunkle Professor of Engineering.
Awarded to a distinguished faculty member in the College of Engineering who has a substantial background in engineering, the Bayard D. Kunkle Chair in Engineering provides the holder the opportunity to further scholarly excellence through contributions to instruction, research and public service.
Victor Sparrow, professor and director of the Graduate Program in Acoustics, Penn State, has been named the United Technologies Corporation Professor of Acoustics.
The United Technologies Corporation Professorship in Acoustics is awarded to a full-time faculty member in the College of Engineering with the academic rank of professor, who has excelled in teaching and research in the area of acoustics. It provides the resources necessary to continue and further the scholar’s contributions to teaching, research, and public service activities that enhance the field of acoustics.
In addition, seven faculty members in the College of Engineering were appointed to early career and development professorships, including the Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professorship in Engineering, the Hartz Family Career Development Professorship in Engineering, the Shuman Family Early Career Professorship and the Brennan Clean Energy Early Career Professorship.
Awarded to outstanding faculty early in their academic career within Penn State College of Engineering, these early career and development professorships recognize current achievements and demonstrate a belief in potential.
The following faculty members will hold their respective professorships for a three-year term:
- Mehdi Kiani, assistant professor of electrical engineering, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professorship in Engineering
- Stephen Lynch, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Shuman Family Early Career Professorship
- Ibrahim Ozbolat, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, Hartz Family Career Development Professorship in Engineering
- Aleksandra Radlinska, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, Hartz Family Career Development Professorship in Engineering
- Alexander Rattner, assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professorship in Engineering
- Alan Wagner, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, Hartz Family Career Development Professorship in Engineering
- Xueyi Zhang, assistant professor of chemical engineering, Brennan Clean Energy Early Career Professorship
“Our college is fortunate to have outstanding faculty members at all stages of their careers,” said Anthony Atchley, senior associate dean of engineering. “While there are many more faculty members deserving of recognition than we have ways to do so, we are happy to be able to acknowledge these nine faculty members who have distinguished themselves.”