New Teaching and Research Faculty Join the Jonsson School
In 2022, the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas introduced 14 new tenured, tenure-track and instructional faculty members. Research faculty will focus on areas as diverse as computational linguistics and energy materials, while instructional faculty will focus on helping students master complex and challenging content while encouraging students to develop a vision for their careers.
“The University of Texas at Dallas has just surpassed 31,000 students, and the Jonsson School has contributed in a major way to this growth,” said Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, dean of the Jonsson School and Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair. “This year, we are welcoming both junior and mid-career research faculty members who are at the forefront of current research. We have also sought out excellent teaching faculty who are focused on building our students’ skills and confidence in engineering
and computer science. We are thankful that each of these accomplished professionals has joined
our team.”
Adams, also a professor of systems engineering, marked the 2022-23 academic year as the Year of Gratitude, celebrating the accomplishments of staff and faculty at the Jonsson School. The school also continues its focus on improving the educational experience of students through L.A.U.N.C.H, Leveraging our Attention to Undergraduate and Graduate Student Needs, Challenges and Hopes. At the Jonsson School, both research and instructional faculty are recognized for their successes in teaching.
Dr. Polimyr Caesar Dave P. Dingal
Dr. Polimyr Caesar Dave P. Dingal
Assistant professor of bioengineering
Education: PhD in chemical and biomolecular engineering, University of Pennsylvania; bachelor of engineering in chemical and biomolecular engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Previous position: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Research areas: Systems biology, synthetic biology, developmental biology
❝Our lab combines molecular genetics and engineering to study how signaling proteins perform at the molecular level and at the level of the whole animal, ultimately in order to engineer new signaling complexes.❞
Dr. Xinya Du
Dr. Xinya Du
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in computer science, Cornell University; bachelor of engineering in computer science and engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Previous position: Postdoctoral research associate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research areas: Natural language processing, computational linguistics, machine learning, deep learning
❝I plan to enable processing models to acquire information, understand and reason about the dynamic world, while fostering collaborations. I’d like to be a good mentor, enabling students to be independent, insightful researchers.❞
Dr. Mona Ghassemi
Dr. Mona Ghassemi
Associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and chair of the Texas Instruments Early Career Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Education: PhD and MS in electrical engineering, University of Tehran; BS in electrical engineering, Shahed University
Previous positions: Steven O. Lane Junior faculty fellow, College of Engineering Faculty Fellow and assistant professor at Virginia Tech
Research areas: Transportation electrification, clean energy, electrical insulation materials and systems, high voltage/field engineering and technology, power systems and plasma science
❝To achieve net-zero emissions in America by 2050, moving toward all electric transportation and 100% renewables are the main goals. I am excited to shape this field by working with Jonsson School students and faculty.❞
Dr. Levi Good
Dr. Levi Good
Assistant professor of instruction in bioengineering
Education: PhD in bioengineering, Arizona State University; BS in electrical engineering, University of Wyoming
Previous positions: Senior research scientist at UT Southwestern Medical Center; assistant professor, Louisiana Tech University
Instructional areas: Biomedical instrumentation, electrical biophysics, medical imaging systems, brain networks, biomedical control systems
❝My goal is to provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of engineering as they are applied to medical problems so our diverse students will become impactful members of society.❞
Dr. Yunhui Guo
Dr. Yunhui Guo
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in computer science and engineering, University of California, San Diego; MS in computer science and engineering, Zhejiang University, China; bachelor of engineering in communication engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Previous position: Postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Berkeley
Research areas: Machine learning and
computer vision
❝I am honored to join the Department of Computer Science. I aim to build a research group with a culture of inclusion to achieve excellence and educate the next generation of computer scientists.❞
Dr. Ifana Mahbub
Dr. Ifana Mahbub
Assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering
Education: PhD in electrical engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; BS in electrical and electronic engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Previous position: Assistant professor in electrical engineering, University of North Texas
Research areas: Radiofrequency and microwave integrated circuits and interfaces for wireless power and data telemetry applications
❝I plan to advance my research through collaboration. The courses I plan to develop will focus on interdisciplinary perspectives. I hope to explore fundamental phenomena, which will hopefully lead to breakthrough discoveries.❞
Dr. Rebecca McClain
Dr. Rebecca McClain
Assistant professor of instruction in materials science and engineering
Education: PhD in chemistry, Northwestern University; BA in chemistry, Wellesley College
Previous positions: Research and development chemist at ZS Pharma, Inc. and Fulbright fellow
Instructional area: Achieving rational design of solid-state materials through in situ x-ray diffraction
❝My goal as an assistant professor of instruction is to provide my students with a safe environment to develop their problem-solving skills, science literacy and self-efficacy.❞
Dr. Kristin Miller
Dr. Kristin Miller
Associate professor of bioengineering and mechanical engineering
Education: Postdoctoral fellow in biomedical engineering, Yale University; PhD in bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania; BS in biomedical engineering, Texas A&M University
Previous position: Associate professor of biomedical engineering at Tulane University
Research areas: Biomechanics, mechanobiology, reproductive health, growth and remodeling, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
❝I look forward to teaching mentoring and working alongside the next generation of scientists and engineers, as well as nurturing collaborations between UT Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center.❞
Dr. Hui Ouyang
Dr. Hui Ouyang
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Education: PhD in mechanical engineering, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; MS in mechanical engineering, The University of Akron; BS in energy and power engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Previous position: Associate professor of instruction at the University of Texas at Dallas in mechanical engineering
Research areas: Aerosol science and technology, aerosol transport in the lung, bioaerosol control
❝I want to educate students through courses and research projects. With students, I aim to build an aerosol measurement and control lab and advance research in indoor air quality.❞
Dr. Brian Ricks
Dr. Brian Ricks
Assistant professor of instruction in
computer science
Education: PhD, MS and BS in computer science, The University of Texas at Dallas
Previous position: Research assistant at The University of Texas at Dallas
Instructional areas: Network intrusion detection, network traffic generation, probabilistic graphical models, fault diagnostics
❝Freshman year is a critical time to motivate students, particularly when igniting that spark of interest. My goal is to help students learn new material as they begin that climb to the summit.❞
Dr. Berrak Sisman
Dr. Berrak Sisman
Assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering
Education: PhD in electrical and computer engineering, National University of Singapore; MS and BS, FMV Isik University, Turkey
Previous positions: Postdoctoral researcher, National University of Singapore; assistant professor of computer science, Singapore University of Technology and Design
Research areas: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, speech synthesis and emotion
❝I am very excited to contribute my strengths in leadership, research and education at UTD! I look forward to offering my best to students for their excellent learning experience.❞
Dr. Yapeng Tian
Dr. Yapeng Tian
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in computer science, University of Rochester; MS in electronic engineering, Tsinghua University, China; BS in electronic engineering, Xidian University, China
Previous positions: PhD student and research assistant, University of Rochester
Research areas: Computer vision, computer audition, multimodal learning
❝I am enthusiastic about tackling fundamental problems in building intelligent
perception systems, and I look forward to collaborating with students and colleagues from different fields.❞
Dr. Cormac Toher
Dr. Cormac Toher
Assistant professor of materials science and engineering in the Jonsson School; assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Education: PhD in physics and BA in theoretical physics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Previous position: Assistant research professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University
Research areas: Computational materials science, materials thermodynamics, disordered materials, energy materials, electronic materials
❝My goal is to establish a research program that combines first-principles calculations, big data and machine-learning to design and discover new materials for energy and nanoelectronic applications.❞
Dr. Yue Zhou
Dr. Yue Zhou
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Education: PhD in electrical engineering, Pennsylvania State University; MS and BS in physics, Nanjing University, China
Previous position: Assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, South Dakota State University
Research areas: Energy storage, energy conversion, advanced manufacturing, electronic materials and devices
❝I look forward to integrating my research program and education activities to benefit next-generation engineers, especially minorities, in the field of sustainable energy.❞