Amir Faghri, professor and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been named dean of the School of Engineering, Chancellor Mark Emmert announced last week. The appointment is effective May 18.

Faghri has been head of the mechanical engineering department since 1994. He was previously on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Science Engineering at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, from 1982 to 1993, where he was a Brage Golding Distinguished Research Professor.

"I look to Amir to provide the strong and effective leadership necessary to bring the school through a period of transition to its rightful place among its collegial partners at the University, among its peers nationally and internationally, and among business, industry and the engineering profession," said Emmert. "Further, I look to him to lead the School of Engineering as a partner in the University's efforts in strategic planning, building selective excellence, enhancing the quality of students and faculty, and fund raising," he said.

Faghri received his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1974 and 1976, and a bachelor's degree with highest honors from Oregon State University in 1973.

He has written two books and has more than 210 archival technical publications, including 135 journal papers. He holds six U.S. patents as the sole inventor. He has been a consultant for several major research centers, including the Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories, and as principal investigator has received more than $4 million in external research contracts from the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Departments of Defense and of Energy and various industrial companies.

Faghri said he plans to address several issues facing the school, including University/industry relationships, incentive programs to recognize outstanding faculty, the integration of research and education, and promotion of outreach and distance education.

Increasing the school's endowment is another of Faghri's goals. "I would like to take major steps to increase our endowment in the school, with the support and involvement of the University development office, and actively recruit qualified students by providing major undergraduate scholarships as well as graduate fellowships," he said.

"The state of Connecticut needs to support engineering activities related to technology development, deployment and transfer of technology, that will lead to beneficial partnerships between the University and industry," Faghri said. "This will certainly assist the state in transforming its economy from one reliant on traditional manufacturing to one achieving a much greater benefit from high technology."

Faghri has made significant contributions in many areas of heat and mass transfer, including convective heat transfer, heat pipes and multiphase heat transfer.

He serves on the editorial boards of eight journals. His many honors include the 1998 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Thermophysics Awar.

Sherry Fisher