Contributors-at-large

Haluk Beyenal
Washington State University
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Professor of Chem Engineering

Haluk Beyenal is Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture (VCEA), Washington State University. He actively leads initiatives focused on graduate student recruitment, retention, and success, and collaborates with the VCEA faculty in obtaining grants that support graduate education and research.

Steve Burian
University of Alabama
Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources in Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Director of Science at the Alabama Water Institute

Dr. Steve Burian is a Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering and the Executive Director of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) at The University of Alabama. In directing CIROH, Dr. Burian leads a consortium of 28 academic and private sector institutions in the development and implementation of more than 150 research and education projects that translate innovations into operational hydrology applications in NOAA and other partners.

Wayne Chen
Iowa State University
Chair of Aerospace Engineering; Associate Dean for Research and Innovation

Wayne Chen is the Vance and Arlene Coffman Endowered Department Chair and Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University.

John Coulter
Lehigh University
Associate Vice Provost for Research Translation, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics

Mary Crowe
National Science Foundation
Program Director, TIP/ITE

Mary Crowe is a Program Director in the TIP Directorate (Technology, Innovation and Partnerships). She co-leads the ExLENT program and is leading TIP’s workforce working group.  Prior to stepping into this role, she spent her career in higher education building and supporting experiential learning opportunities for students. Over the course of her 30-year career she started, institutionalized, and evaluated the high impact practices such as study abroad, internship, and undergraduate research programs.  

Larry Cummings
Trane Technologies
CEO

Daniel Denecke
National Science Foundation
Lead Program Director

Daniel Denecke, Ph.D. is the Lead Program Director for the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) and Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) programs in the Division of Graduate Education at NSF. Previously, Dr. Denecke served as VP of Best Practices at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), where he led evidence-based studies on a range of topics including Ph.D. completion and attrition and professional development. He has received 10 years of continuous grant funding from NSF and served as PI on approximately $8 million in grants from federal, private foundation, and industry sources. 

Volkmar Dierolf
Lehigh University
AGF Distinguished Professor Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences; Co-PI, IGE-PRIDE 

Tavis Ezell
CUNY Advanced Science Research Center
Business Development Director, ASRC Sensor CAT, Advanced Science Research Center. Nanotechnology Product  Marketing and Business Development

Tavis Ezell is an industry partnership specialist with career experience working in for-profit nanotechnology product development, sales, and business growth. Current role at CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) managing the university's Industry (CAT) program building deep tech startups, industry-academic collaborations, and mentoring PhD students.  

Sophia E. Hayes
Washington University in St. Louis
Vice Dean of Graduate Education and ​Professor of Chemistry

Sophia Hayes is the Vice Dean of Graduate Studies for Arts & Sciences at WashU, and a professor of chemistry.  She has long contributed to tech transfer efforts, both in center-level research teams and is today spearheading efforts for graduate education and training in innovation and tech transfer.

Anand Jagota
Lehigh University
Vice Provost of Research

Anand Jagota is currently Vice-Provost for Research at Lehigh University and Robert W. Wieseman 1916 Professor of Bioengineering and of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.  He worked at the DuPont Experimental Station for about 15 years as a researcher, taking a 2-year hiatus (1994-1996) to teach at his alma mater.  

Eric Jankowski
Boise State University
Professor, Director of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering

Prof. Jankowski joined the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University in 2015, and has served as School Director since 2024. His research spans molecular modeling for organic composites, software development training for scientists across molecular modeling communities, and the use of reflective practices in engineering education. He is eager to learn about and develop new training opportunities for graduate students that more efficiently position them for career success. 

Sabrina Jedlicka
Lehigh University
Deputy Provost of Graduate Education

Farin Kamangar
Associate Vice President for Research
Morgan State University

Farin Kamangar, MD, PhD, is a University Distinguished Professor and Associate Vice President for Research at Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Kamangar specializes in cancer epidemiology and clinical trials. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

Christopher Kitts
Santa Clara University
Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Associate Dean

Dr. Christopher Kitts is the Terry Endowed Professor at Santa Clara University, where he serves as the Director of the Robotic Systems Laboratory (RSL) and the Faculty Director of the Ciocca Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Through his work with RSL, he manages nearly two dozen partnerships with external companies, agencies, and institutes. Dr. Kitts has just been named the university's Director of External Partnerships which will focus on developing deep partnerships with external organizations to support student success, the university's research and education programs, and the objectives of external partners.

Michael S. Lehman
Lehigh University
Faculty Director, Technical Entrepreneurship; Professor of Practice

Michael S. Lehman, MD, MBA is Faculty Director of Technical Entrepreneurship at Lehigh University, where he leads an award-winning graduate program that blends product development and venture creation. Trained in medicine and internationally educated in business, he has launched entrepreneurship programs at three institutions, designing cross-disciplinary curricula that connect academia and industry. Dr. Lehman actively contributes to NSF-funded efforts to accelerate research translation, helping doctoral students turn academic work into real-world impact. 

Ying Liu
University of Illinois Chicago
Professor and College of Engineering Interim Associate Dean of Research; Chair Professor, Chemical Engineering

Ying Liu is the Dr. Satish C. & Asha Saxena Professor of Chemical Engineering and Interim Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. She holds courtesy appointments in the Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is also affiliated with Argonne National Laboratory as a faculty member. In addition to her academic contributions, Ying Liu is also an entrepreneur and a founder of a startup biotech company.

Rainer Martini
Schaefer School of Engineering & Sciences
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies & Associate Professor of Physics

Jacqueline McDermott
Purdue University, College of Engineering Dean's Office for Graduate Education
Associate Director of Graduate Student Excellence

Dr. Jackie McDermott is the Associate Director of Graduate Student Excellence in the Purdue Engineering Dean's Office for Graduate Education, where she leads initiatives to strengthen career pathways for engineering graduate students. Her expertise includes program management, professional development, industry-university collaboration, and data-informed student support strategies. She also researches mentoring models, program scaling, and graduate student community building to support systemic change in graduate education.

Ahsan Mian
Wright State University
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Dr. Ahsan Mian is a professor of Mechanical and Materials Eng at Wright State University. He is also serving as a director of research and outreach for College of Engineering and Computer Science. 

Priya Nayar
University Alliance Ruhr
Executive Director

Zilong Pan
Lehigh University
Assistant Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology

Dr. Zilong Pan is an assistant professor in the field of educational technology, his research focuses on emerging educational technologies and innovative methodological approaches in STEM disciplines. 

Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez
University of Kentucky
Associate Director of the Sustainable & Alternative Fuels group, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez is an Associate Director of the University of Kentucky (UK) Center for Applied Energy Research and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the UK Department of Chemistry. He is the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) focused on Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy & Water Systems.

Jill Seebergh
Boeing Research & Technology
Principal Senior Technical Fellow

Dr. Jill Seebergh is a Principal Senior Technical Fellow with Boeing Research & Technology, leading development of coating materials and processes for aerospace applications.  She has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington and serves as an Affiliate Faculty and on the ChemE External Advisory Board.  She’s a member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academies Condensed Matter and Materials Research Committee, and Editorial Board for Journal of Coatings Technology and Research.

Margaret Sobkowicz Kline
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Professor of Plastics Engineering, co-Director, SWIMMER NRT

Meg Sobkowicz is a Professor of Plastics Engineering at University of Massachusetts Lowell and she has a B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and Colorado School of Mines, respectively. Her research interests include renewable polymers, polymer nanocomposites and blends, plastics processing and recycling, rheology, energy applications of polymers, green chemistry, and climate change and sustainability policy. At UMass Lowell she also leads an NSF Research Traineeship in water and materials sustainability, and she works toward increasing the participation and advancement of women in academic STEM careers. 

Adrienne Vincent
Council of Graduate Schools
Assistant Vice President

Adrienne Vincent is the Assistant Vice President, Membership & Alliances with the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), a non-profit membership organization representing close to 500 universities that offer master's and doctoral degrees. In her role, she participates in the development of member programming that addresses graduate student workforce preparedness and higher ed & industry collaboration.

Michael Wittmann
American Physical Society
Head of Education

Michael Wittmann is Head of Education at the American Physical Society, after spending 20+ years at the University of Maine as physics education researcher, co-creator of two graduate degree programs, and physics department chair. At APS, he is project director of several projects, including the Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3) Initiative to help departments thrive and the APS Bridge program to create pathways to physics graduate programs for students from all backgrounds, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to pursue advanced physics education.

Alex Yokochi
Baylor University
Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Programs, Professor Mechanical Eng.

Dr. Alex Yokochi is the Director and Founder of the Chemical Reaction, Energy, and Sustainability Technologies Lab at Baylor University where he also serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 1997 and began his career as a Chemical Engineering Professor at Oregon State University in 2004, receiving promotion to the rank of Full Professor in 2015, and is a Fellow of the AIChE. His research and teaching interests focus on process and reaction engineering, energy and sustainability, advanced materials and material processing, the development of advanced electrochemical approaches to energy conversion (e.g., fuel cells and flow batteries), grid scale energy storage and water treatment.