Biography

Heather Dillon, PhD

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

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Dr. Heather Dillon is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington Tacoma, where her research team is currently working on renewable energy systems, solid-state lighting, energy efficiency in buildings, fundamental heat transfer studies and engineering education.

She is the Chair of the Council on Undergraduate Research Engineering Division and recently served as the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education at the University of Calgary, Alberta. Before joining academia, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer working on both energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, where she received the US Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award. During her time at the University of Portland she received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Member (2017) and the Outstanding Scholarship Award (2020).

Dr. Dillon received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington with a M.S. in Applied Mathematics. Her work focused on chaotic heat transfer with support from an NSF Fellowship. She holds a B.S and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho where she performed research on alternative fuels and thermodynamic equations of state.

Education

Ph.D Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington

M.S. Applied Mathematics, University of Washington

M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho

Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education

University of Calgary, Alberta





Awards

  • University of Portland Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Member

  • Dundon-Berchtold Faculty Fellow in Applied Ethics

  • Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentoring Award

  • NSF Fellowship

  • The DuBose-Crouse Award for Unique, Unusual, and New Techniques in Microscopy

  • Finalist, NSF International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

  • PNNL Outstanding Performance Award - Building America Solution Center

  • PNNL Outstanding Performance Award - International Energy Conservation Code

  • APEX Communication Award for the Morf/Resource Center Tool