Jonsson School Announces 17 New Faculty Members, 5 Research Thrusts with 6 Cross-Cutting Techs
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas is introducing 17 new research and teaching faculty in 2023 to keep pace with its exponential enrollment growth over the past decade. The Jonsson School is also pleased to announce a focus on five primary research thrusts with six cross-cutting technologies that will inspire collaboration across departments.
“The Jonsson School is addressing some of the most critical problems facing the world, from integrating artificial intelligence in an ethical manner to developing clean energy solutions to keeping our systems secure from cyber criminals,” said Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, dean of the Jonsson School, professor of systems engineering and holder of the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair. “We are tackling these issues by breaking down silos and encouraging our faculty to merge their different skill sets. We are pleased that 17 new faculty have joined the Jonsson School this year, particularly in areas where we have a competitive advantage. We invite more faculty to join us in the coming months.”
The five research thrusts include advanced manufacturing, energy science and technology, health innovations, semiconductor science and technology, and transportation science and engineering. Cross-cutting technologies include robotics engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, imaging science, human interaction and high precision mechatronics.
New faculty bring expertise in cyber-physical systems, biomaterials, nanomaterials, renewable energy and software security. Additionally, both teaching and research faculty are recognized for their work in the classroom as they bring both undergraduate and graduate researchers to participate in emerging areas of inquiry. New faculty play a critical role in advancing the Jonsson School’s goals of outstanding research and inclusive excellence to UT Dallas.
Dr. Shaheen Ahmed
Dr. Shaheen Ahmed
Assistant professor of instruction in electrical and computer engineering
Education: PhD in electrical and computer engineering, The University of Memphis; MS in electrical and computer engineering, Wright State University; BS in electrical engineering, Saurashtra University, India
Previous position: Postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Radiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center; lecturer in electrical and computer engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas
Research areas: Medical imaging, signal processing
❝My goal is to help students learn engineering concepts and motivate them to solve complex engineering problems in the interest of public welfare.❞
Dr. Rawan Alghofalli
Dr. Rawan Alghofaili
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in computer science, George Mason University; MS in computer science, University of Massachusetts Boston; MEng in computer science, Cornell University; BS in information technology, King Saud University Saudi Arabia
Previous position: PhD student and research assistant, George Mason University
Research areas: Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence and visual computing
❝I aim to develop human-centered intelligent AR/VR systems and inspire students to view AR/VR and computing systems in general through an interdisciplinary usability lens.❞
Dr. Kevin Brenner
Dr. Kevin Brenner
Assistant professor of materials science and engineering
Education: PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellowship in electrical engineering from Stanford University
Research areas: Heat transfer, energy conversion, electron devices
❝My research aims to solve fundamental challenges in nanoscale energy conversion and prepare students to tackle engineering challenges in electron devices and packaging.❞
Dr. Yi Ding
Dr. Yi Ding
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in computer science and engineering, University of Minnesota; Master of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, China; Bachelor of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, China
Previous positions: Postdoctoral associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research areas: Cyber-physical systems (CPS), mobile computing, spatiotemporal data mining
❝I build better systems for human through mobile computing and machine learning in applications like smart cities. Let’s work together!❞
Dr. Sourav Dutta
Dr. Sourav Dutta
Assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
Education: PhD in electrical and computer engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Previous position: Research engineer and components research, Intel Corp. in Hillsboro, Oregon
Research areas: Nanoelectronic devices with emerging functional materials for novel computing
❝Our group focuses on addressing grand challenges of building energy-efficient scalable hardware for accelerating novel forms of computing through fundamental materials and nanoelectronics device research.❞
Dr. Yongsheng Gao
Dr. Yongsheng Gao
Assistant professor of bioengineering
Education: PhD in biomedical engineering, University College Dublin, Ireland; Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering in materials science and engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Previous position: Research associate in bioengineering, Harvard University
Research areas: Biomaterials, drug delivery and tissue engineering
❝My goal is to establish a research program that transforms breakthroughs in polymer chemistry and materials sciences into novel tools to address unmet medical needs.❞
Dr. Daniel Gibney
Dr. Daniel Gibney
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in computer science; MS in mathematics; BS in computer engineering, University of Central Florida
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow at The Georgia Institute of Technology
Research areas: Computational biology, algorithm design and analysis
❝I am eager to assemble a research group that produces algorithmic results which are both theoretically significant and address real-world challenges in computational biology.❞
Dr. Brian Kim
Dr. Brian Kim
Associate professor of bioengineering
Education: Postdoctoral fellow in bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley; PhD in biophysics, Cornell University; BS in electronic and computer engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
Previous position: Associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Central Florida
Research areas: Neuroengineering, brain-machine interface, electrophysiology and neurochemistry
❝I’m excited to join the Department of Bioengineering. My goal is to establish a strong neuroengineering research program and train future researchers and engineers.❞
Dr. Juyoung Leem
Dr. Juyoung Leem
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Education: PhD in mechanical engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; MS and BS in mechanical engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Previous position: Postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University
Research areas: Nanomaterials, nanomechanics, fabrication and manufacturing, intelligent systems
❝My research group will tackle critical and fundamental problems in nanoscience and engineering. I’m excited to see students learning and growing through courses, research and mentoring.❞
Dr. Bingzhe Li
Dr. Bingzhe Li
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in electrical and computer engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; BS in electrical engineering, East China Jiaotong University, China
Previous position: Assistant professor at Oklahoma State University
Research areas: Computer systems, storage systems and energy-efficient computing architecture
❝My goal is to build intelligent computing systems for big data. I’m excited to teach and collaborate with students in the realm of big data.❞
Dr. You Li
Dr. You Li
Assistant professor of bioengineering
Education: PhD in biomedical engineering, Duke University
Previous positions: Instructor, Department of Radiology, Stanford University, 2023
Research areas: Medical ultrasound imaging and artificial intelligence
❝I aim to provide innovative solutions to clinical and scientific challenges in medical ultrasound imaging and help my students become leaders in this field.❞
Xinchen Ni
Dr. Xinchen Ni
Associate professor of mechanical engineering
Education: PhD and MS in mechanical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; BS in mechanical engineering, Fudan University, China
Previous positions: Postdoc, Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University
Research areas: Mechanics, programmable materials, soft robotics and machine learning
❝I am excited to work with the UT Dallas community to advance materials intelligence to tackle multidisciplinary challenges in aerospace, human health and sustainability.❞
Hossein Pedram
Dr. Hossein Pedram
Assistant professor of instruction in electrical and computer engineering
Education: PhD in computer engineering from Washington State University
Previous position: Lecturer in computer engineering, University of Washington Tacoma
Research areas: Computer networking, computer architecture, distributed systems
❝I bring my 30 years of experience to UT Dallas and try my best to train good engineers.❞
Laisuo Su
Dr. Laisuo Su
Assistant professor of materials science and engineering
Education: PhD in mechanical engineering, Carnegie Mellon University; MS in automotive engineering, Tsinghua University; bachelor of engineering in vehicle engineering, Hefei University of Technology
Previous position: Research associate, Texas Materials Institute at The University of Texas at Austin
Research areas: Renewable energy, rechargeable battery, surface and interface engineering, advanced materials characterizations
❝My goal is to build a clean and sustainable society for the next generations by developing revolutionary energy storage materials with a focus on surface and interface scientific problems.❞
Xinda Wang
Dr. Xinda Wang
Assistant professor of computer science
Education: PhD in information technology, George Mason University; bachelor of engineering in computer science, Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Previous position: PhD student and research assistant, George Mason University
Research areas: Software security, container security, network security, artificial intelligence
❝I am enthusiastic about finding creative solutions to tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges. I look forward to helping students identify and explore their engineering and research passions.❞
Dr. Yanwen Xu
Dr. Yanwen Xu
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Education: PhD in industrial engineering, MS in industrial engineering and statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; BS in mathematics and applied mathematics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
Previous position: PhD student and research assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research areas: Data analytics, predictive modeling and uncertainty quantification, reliability analysis, smart design and manufacturing
❝My goal is to advance the theory and practice of complex systems design and to equip students to meet the challenges of today’s complex design world.❞
Dr. Kianoosh Yousefi
Dr. Kianoosh Yousefi
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering
Education: PhD in mechanical engineering, University of Delaware; MS and BS in mechanical engineering, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
Previous position: associate research scientist, Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Columbia University
Research interests: fluid dynamics, turbulence, turbulent boundary layer flows, air-sea interactions, free surface processes, surface gravity waves.
“I plan to advance the understanding of turbulent air-sea interactions through interdisciplinary collaborations and innovative research and prepare students for real-world challenges through mentorship and engaging coursework.”