News Archive

Murthy, a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, has been director of the National Nuclear Security Agency's (NNSA) Center for Prediction of Reliability, Integrity and Survivability of Microsystems (PRISM) since 2008. As director, Murthy has led research involving large-scale simulation of micro-electro-mechanical systems.

As chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Murthy will oversee the education of approximately 1,400 undergraduates and 320 graduate students, and work with about 63 faculty members.

Murthy's research interests focus on the development of novel and broadly applicable computational techniques for flow, heat and mass transfer. Recent work has addressed sub-micron thermal transport and the development of numerical techniques for micro-electro-mechanical systems, micro- and nano-electronics and for emerging energy technologies.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

UT has a strong research reputation in engineering, and I've always thought of it as a dynamic and creative place. And it doesn't hurt that it's in Austin either - especially if you're visiting from up north in the middle of winter.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Austin's a true original. There's this enormous sense of place - you can't mistake it for anywhere else. I can see why people never want to leave.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I love to draw and paint, though it's been a while since I've done much more than sketch. I like to read - mostly history, travel and biography nowadays. I love to travel and will go pretty much anywhere, though Africa's my current obsession. I'm hoping to sneak a week in Namibia before I start work in January.

In his new role, Deshpande will direct the Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Robotics Lab. The lab focuses on the development of robotic devices to assist in rehabilitation, to improve prostheses design and to provide fitness opportunities for people with severe disabilities.

Among Deshpande's contributions to the robotics field, he designed and built an anatomically correct test-bed (ACT) Hand, which is an advanced hand prostheses with mechanical elements that mimic hand biomechanics including tendons, bones and joints. The research has provided some of the first analyses of biomechanical features and neural control strategies within the human hand.

Deshpande received his doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2007.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

The University of Texas at Austin has one of the most prestigious Mechanical Engineering Department in the country, so I was attracted by the academic status. Coming from a big football program (Michigan), I am happy to be part of another football powerhouse.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Austin seems everything it promised to be - great food, fantastic music and beautiful city. Temperature-wise it is hot but after spending long winters in the midwest and northeast I am looking forward to not having to shovel snow.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I love music. I listen to all types of music and dabble with Indian Classical Music. I play Tabla - the Indian hand drum. Also I like to be outdoors hiking, camping and swimming.

Biros formerly served as an assistant dean for infrastructure and as an associate professor at Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Computational Science and Engineering and Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.

His research interests include fast numerical algorithms for scientific computing; parallel algorithms; integral and differential equations; inverse problems; complex fluids; soft tissue and cardiovascular mechanics; and medical image analysis.

Biros received his doctorate degree from Carnegie Mellon University, served as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and has received numerous awards for his research and teaching.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

UT Austin attracted my interest for a host of reasons. UT is well known for being a
leader in computational sciences and engineering and is home to one of the top Supercomputing Centers in the world, the Texas 
Advanced Computing Center. UT has stellar programs in Mechanical Engineering,
 Computer Science and Mathematics, so it is only natural that UT attracts the brightest faculty and students. Based on the caliber of UT’s academics, faculty and students, programs and resources, UT is an ideal fit for my teaching and research interests.

Finally, UT is well known to have a devoted and loyal network of supporters consisting of UT grads and non-grads alike. I’m grateful to W.A. "Tex"
 Moncrief and the anonymous donors who have so kindly provided financial support for my teaching and research endeavors. I am honored to be joining such an outstanding academic community and I 
look forward to becoming a productive and contributing member of the UT family.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

It's August, most people complain about the heat, but I really like the weather. Austin has lovely neighborhoods with character and people are very polite and friendly. Great city!

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

Reading, tennis, swimming, hiking.

Most recently, Sacks served as the John A. Swanson Endowed Chair at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering. In his new role, Sacks will teach and conduct research focusing on the use of computational simulation methods coupled with medical imaging and biomechanical experimentation to develop novel approaches for patient-specific predictive therapies for the treatment of heart and valvular disease.

Sacks has received numerous national research and teaching awards, and is the technical editor of the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. He is an inaugural fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In December 2006, Sacks was selected as one of the “Scientific American” 50 leaders in science and technology.

Sacks earned his doctorate degree in biomedical engineering from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and will hold one of the newly endowed chairs created to attract top computational engineers and scientists, the W. A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Simulation-Based Engineering Science Chair.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

A number of reasons, both professional and personal. Specifically:

1) The opportunity to develop a major center for cardiovascular simulation within ICES.

2) Working with Dr. Tom Hughes and others in the institute.

3) The Department of Biomedical Engineering and its state-of-the-art facilities.

4) The ability to recruit students from Engineering Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, both top departments in their areas.

5) Austin and its culture.

6) Proximity to family.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Very positive - laid back, easy to get around, lots of interesting things to do and courteous people.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

Classical music, photography and biking.

Her research interests are in the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms that underlie the function of lipid membranes in cells, as well as the opportunity to create bio-inspired materials and systems that borrow these mechanisms. The long-term goals of her work are to build cell-like synthetic membranes and use the organizational principles of the lipid membrane to build functional systems such as assays, actuators and environmentally responsive materials.

Stachowiak received her bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from The University of California Berkeley.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

I grew up in Texas and attended UT Austin as an undergrad. It feels like a dream come true to be coming back. I've always admired the size and scope of UT - you can find someone at UT working in almost every area of research. I'm also proud that UT is one of our nation's best public universities.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

I've liked Austin since I was a kid, when I would come to see my cousins in the summertime. It's also a great university town, as I experienced during my undergraduate years. I've been away for almost a decade, so I'm looking forward to rediscovering Austin and seeing how it has changed.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband. We like to go hiking, travel and go to the opera. Now that I am coming back to Austin, I look forward to spending more time with my family in the area, especially my sisters.

While obtaining her doctorate degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and during postdoctoral training, Jiang developed several technologies that enabled discoveries of the immune system that previously were not possible due to technological limitations. Her technology developments seek to answer complex questions, such as: How does the immune system develop and age? What are the molecular signatures of autoimmune diseases? Why does the immune system tolerate tumors? Jiang believes that by using a systems approach, scientists and engineers can better understand the immune system, modulate it and personalize medicine and treatment.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

Its excellence in both research and education and a collegial environment.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Summer is hot. People are friendly. The city is beautiful and full of energy.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

Hiking and reading. Besides, I like to play in the park with my kids.

His research interests include network modeling, dynamic traffic assignment (such as large-scale simulation of transportation systems), transportation user behavior and infrastructure systems.

With undergraduate degrees in mathematics and civil engineering, past employment in traffic operations, and research experience in multiple domains, Boyles aims to build a strong research program at the Cockrell School based on fundamental innovations in transportation systems analysis and on their application to critical issues in practice.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

When I was a graduate student here, I was impressed not only by the world-class research being conducted here, but also by the collegial atmosphere and community which exists among the faculty and students. It's rare to find a university which offers both of those, and I am very excited to join the faculty at UT and become a part of this community again.

What do you like about Austin?

The city has such a unique culture and feel to it – when you're in Austin, you know that you're in Austin and not anywhere else. Also, my wife and I met in Austin, so this city will always be a special place for both of us.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I'm a musician who likes to play the piano, sing in choral ensembles, and enjoy opera and symphony concerts. I also like to stay active by hiking and running – just not when it's 100 degrees outside!

Blackhurst has worked as a professional engineer, most recently for Waterstreet Engineering in Austin. His research expertise is in construction engineering and research management, and his research objective is to provide decision support and methods to transition to more sustainable infrastructure systems.

Blackhurst earned a master of science in environmental and water resources engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

To be fair, I am a bit biased since I am an alumni (MS – Environmental and Water Resources Engineering 2001). I had a tremendously positive experience as a Master's student at UT-Austin. The curriculum was challenging and engaging. The Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department has clearly created a unique and positive culture. I look forward to being part of the program again.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

I spent most of my twenties in Austin. What's not to like? Ok... The heat is pretty brutal, but it keeps everyone from moving in! Austin is a unique and special American city. Austinites have cultivated a culture of open-mindedness, curiosity, and intelligence while maintaining a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The food is also very good... There's no better place to get breakfast than Austin.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I play music and spend time with family and friends.

Baldea formerly led research as a development associate at Praxiar Technology Center in Tonawanda, New York. While there he initiated and led a research program focused on the dynamic modeling, optimization and control of large-scale air separation plants. Among his achievements, he also co-developed a novel algorithm that is now commercially distributed as part of gPROMS, a platform for high-fidelity predictive modeling for the process industries.

The objective of Baldea's research is to develop theory, models and algorithms for the solution of important and fundamental problems in the area of Energy Systems Engineering. In particular, he is interested in the development of modeling approaches for robust and efficient simulation and optimization of energy generation and storage units; the development of proactive energy management strategies for building systems; and developing efficient model-based fault detection and isolation schemes.

Baldea received his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

The opportunity to be part of and contribute to UT's tradition of excellence in research and teaching in my field, Process and Energy Systems Engineering.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Sunny and warm! Also, a very friendly and diverse community with a thriving cultural scene. The city is easy to navigate and I really like being able to ride my bike to school.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

Road cycling, and there are some great roads out in Hill Country. I also enjoy photography and traveling.

In his new role, Wang plans to develop a research program focusing on novel electromagnetic devices and phenomena enabled by tailor-made photonic media.

Wang earned his doctorate degree in applied physics from Stanford University in 2006. During his Ph.D, he focused on developing integrated photonic crystal devices for optical information processing.

He is a co-author of 24 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds three U.S. patents.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

I am thrilled to work with the top-notch faculty here, who are also exceptionally supportive. I am also very impressed with the facilities and highly talented students at UT. I work at the interface of photonics, electronics and acoustics, so I very much appreciate the breadth of the engineering research programs here.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

The city of Austin has a unique combination of natural beauty and cultural vibrancy. And, from what I hear, Austin seems to be a great place to raise a family.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I love the outdoors. I am a skier, enjoy whitewater rafting and play tennis regularly.

Reddi is a Ph.D. graduate of computer science from Harvard University, and currently works as a research scientist at Advanced Micro Devices’ Research and Advanced Development Laboratories. He is also a visiting lecturer on Computer Science and an associate of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University

Reddi has worked at industry-leading companies, including Intel, Microsoft and VMware. His research interests are in the area of computer systems, specifically looking at integration across the hardware and software boundaries to enable efficient mobile and Internet-scale computing.

He has published more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed conferences and journals and received two Best Paper awards and three Top Picks awards in Computer Architecture.

Reddi is also well-known for his contributions to the widely used dynamic binary instrumentation tool called Pin.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

UT ECE is a highly reputed research department in the field of Computer Architecture, needless to say its overall ranking [in Computer Engineering] is top-10 in the country. I wanted to join the elite fleet of faculty that aspire for such high standards of research and education. I also find the department's long-term goals ambitious and inspiring.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Austin is where I knew I wanted to live even before I graduated and applied for faculty positions nationwide.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

This is a tricky one! I love my work. In many ways it is my hobby. But if you insist, then besides "work," I like taking my dog, Dalia, for walks and playing fetch with her. I also enjoy exercising and socializing with close friends around town.

Prior to his new appointment, van Oort led a successful career at Shell Oil Co., where he most recently served as Onshore Gas Technology Manager. In this role, van Oort was responsible for the implementation of new technology in North American Onshore Gas relating to fit-for-purpose rig development for well manufacturing, frac spread optimization, water management, rig automation and remote operations.

Van Oort published more than 75 internal Shell reports and holds four U.S. patents and five international patents on drilling techniques and associated best practices, drilling fluids and wellbore stability, among others.

His research and professional expertise include: well manufacturing technology, wells-related business planning and performance improvement, well engineering, real-time operations center activities, geomechanics/rock mechanics and production technology.

Van Oort received his doctorate degree in chemical physics from the University of Amsterdam.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

With the Cockrell School of Engineering, the University of Texas has one of the largest and very best engineering schools in the world. The generous invitation of the PGE faculty to come to teach and conduct R&D here was simply impossible to resist. Even though I have spent the last 20 years working in industry, I always had the idea of eventually returning to academia to make further contributions to teaching and research, and UT offered me a truly unique opportunity to do so.

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

The dream of virtually every northern European like myself (I was born and raised in the Netherlands) is to one day live in the southern part of France. Austin, with its rolling hills, exposed rock formations, and rivers and lakes, is very much like the beautiful Dordogne region in France. Better still, Austin offers a great arts and music scene, not only of importance to me but also to my very creative family: my wife, for instance, is a painter and a photographer. By moving to Austin, we feel like we have been offered a slice of paradise.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

As far as my hobbies are concerned, I would say that I have eclectic tastes. I am a classically trained pianist with a preference for (late-)romantic and impressionistic classical music (Chopin, Rachmaninov, Skrjabin, Ravel, Debussy) and own a prized 9 ft Bosendorfer concert grand. I am an avid reader with a strong admiration for the "pantheon" of modern American writers (Philip Roth, Don Delillo, Cormac McCarthy etc.). Moreover, I am a fan of extreme fitness and an aficionado of P90X, the fitness program by Tony Horton, which forces me to exercise 4-5 times a week and stay in shape. And, of course, I love art, particularly the artwork of my talented wife and daughter.

Lu then received the prestigious Beckman Fellowship and became a postdoctoral researcher at Professor John Roger’s lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before joining the Cockrell School. Lu's research focuses on the mechanics of flexible electronics in all aspects such as materials properties, structural design, micro-fabrication, mechanical tests, bio-integration as well as analytical and numerical mechanics modeling. Her representative work includes highly stretchable metal thin films supported by polymer substrates, instrumented balloon catheters for minimally invasive surgeries and tattoo-like epidermal electronics.

Her research has been highlighted by news media such as "Nature News," "ScienceNOW," "Technology Review," "Chemical & Engineering News" and others.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

World renowned colleagues, talented students, comprehensive facilities, what else would a young investigator look for?

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

Warm city, warm people.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

Texas Poker, I guess I do have another reason to be here.

Russell is currently an assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, where his research interests include space flight mechanics/astrodynamics, efficient software implementation, orbit estimation, optimal control of nonlinear systems, and general trajectory designs for spacecraft missions to low-Earth orbit.

Prior to entering academia, Russell served as a member of the Guidance, Navigation and Control Section of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was involved as mission designer and orbit determination analyst for projects such as Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, Chandra, Spitzer, Ulysses, Terrestrial Planet Finder, and limited roles on Cassini and Dawn.

Russell has worked on proposals and advanced concepts for space missions to Earth, the Moon, Mars, comets, asteroids and the moons around Jupiter and Saturn. He also supported internal research on developing technologies such as low-thrust trajectory optimization and science orbit design at planetary moons.

Russell is the author or co-author of dozens of journal, conference, and other technical publications, and has received awards and honors from NASA, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and American Astronautical Society. He received his doctorate degree in aerospace engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

What attracted you to the University of Texas?

A legacy of excellence in space flight research, along with Austin being a great city. (Plus I'm a natural born Texan!)

What are your impressions of Austin so far?

I've always enjoyed the people and culture of Austin and the surrounding Hill Country.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I generally value family, friends, travel, sports, music, adventure, and anything outdoors.