Dayton Engineer
School of Engineering Appoints Three New Endowed Chairs
The University of Dayton School of Engineering has appointed three endowed chairs in engineering innovation, engineering leadership and mechanical and aerospace engineering.
They began their appointments on Aug. 16 and will be installed along with their counterparts from the School of Business Administration and College of Arts and Sciences at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24.
“I am so proud of each and every one of our three new endowed chairs,” said Dr. Gül E. Kremer, dean of the School of Engineering. “The vision they bring to their respective research, teaching and leadership domains are key to growing the impact of engineering at UD and beyond, and providing top-notch experiences for our students.”
Dr. Jun-Ki Choi - O. Jack and Opal Anderson Faculty Fellowship in Engineering Innovation Endowed Chair
Dr. Choi is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the renewable and clean energy engineering graduate program. He serves as a director of the UD Industrial Assessment Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
His research focuses on sustainable design and manufacturing, energy and resource efficiency, life cycle management, circular economy, and macroeconomic modeling for energy/environmental policies.
As an endowed chair, he hopes to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating cutting-edge technologies and emphasizing sustainability to cultivate a new generation of engineers and business leaders. He will play an integral role in mentoring students to grow their engineering interests into entrepreneurial innovations.
The O. Jack and Opal Anderson Faculty Fellowship in Engineering Innovation was established in 2010 with a donation from Mr. O. Jack and Mrs. Opal Anderson to support the partnership between the School of Engineering and the School of Business Administration to prepare students to design products better. The gift funds a faculty position for a person with backgrounds in both engineering and business. In 2003, the Andersons contributed $60,000 to the Design and Manufacturing Clinic, now known as the Innovation Center.
Dr. Keigo Hirakawa - Bernhard Schmidt Chair in Engineering Leadership School of Engineering Endowed Chair
Dr. Hirakawa is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and undergraduate program director for the department. He is also the director of the Intelligent Signal Systems Laboratory.
His research areas include statistical signal and image processing, computational imaging, and computer vision. He collaborates across disciplines and industry partners to design and develop novel image sensors, or to extend the capabilities of existing sensors beyond what they were designed to do by joint hardware-software optimization.
As the Bernhard Schmidt Chair, Hirakawa’s goal is to seek new opportunities in curricular development by taking advantage of multidisciplinary research collaborations that are already occurring among faculty at UD. His vision for curriculum innovation is to help students see beyond the traditional boundaries of their respective engineering and science disciplines to define their own career paths.
The Bernhard Schmidt Chair in Engineering Leadership was established in 2003 in honor of Dr. Bernhard Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt’s tenure at the University of Dayton spanned 52 years. He served as a professor and Chair in the School of Engineering and was a dedicated teacher, mentor, and colleague who epitomized the best in an educator – a willingness to share knowledge and encourage excellence.
The Bernhard Schmidt Chair in Engineering Leadership was established to position the University of Dayton School of Engineering as a school of excellence and a leader in engineering education.
Dr. Sid Gunasekaran - Hans von Ohain Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Gunasekaran is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and director of the Low-Speed Wind Tunnel, Water Tunnel and the Merlin Flight Simulator. His research centers on developing design guidelines for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles by exploring complex steady and unsteady aerodynamic and propulsor interactions through both traditional and novel flow diagnostic techniques.
Sid’s commitment to modern pedagogical practices earned him the 2018 School of Engineering Vision award and the 2023 Kern Entrepreneurial Education Network National Rising Star award for striving to instill entrepreneurial mindset in students.
As the Hans von Ohain Chair, he hopes to enhance student success in full alignment with the School of Engineering and UD’s strategic plans through amplifying his research and innovative classroom activities. He is determined to elevate his research contributions to improving the aerodynamic efficiency of modern air vehicles and development of novel flow diagnostic technologies through cross-disciplinary collaborations. He is committed to integrating advanced air mobility and UAV design into the curriculum, providing students with hands-on learning experiences that align with industry needs. Additionally, Dr. Gunasekaran is dedicated to promoting diversity within aerospace engineering by creating opportunities for underrepresented students.
The Hans von Ohain Endowed Faculty in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering was established in 1999. Dr. Hans von Ohain designed and developed the engine in the world’s first turbojet flight (1939). Dr. von Ohain and Sir Frank Whittle are credited as independent co-inventors of the jet engine. In 1979, Dr. von Ohain joined the University of Dayton Research Institute as a senior research engineer in the Aerospace Mechanics Division and a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.