Endowed Chairs
Hans von Ohain Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
August 26, 2024. 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.
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. 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.
Bernhard Schmidt Chair in Engineering Leadership School of Engineering Endowed Chair
August 26, 2024. 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.
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.
O. Jack and Opal Anderson Faculty Fellowship in Engineering Innovation Endowed Chair
August 26, 2024. 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. 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.
Dr. and Mrs. Charles R. Wilke Distinguished Professor and Chair in Chemical and Materials Engineering
October 24, 2019. The Wilke Distinguished Professor and Chair in Chemical and Materials Engineering was established in 2003 through the generosity of Charles R. Wilke, Ph.D. and his wife, Bernice. Wilke graduated with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Dayton in 1940. He went on to serve as the first chair and co-founder of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Bernice Wilke was an elementary school teacher. As such, both Charles and Bernice Wilke were committed to education. This chair position was created to strengthen the core engineering areas and provide flexibility to focus on emerging technologies such as bioengineering, environmental engineering, nanomaterials and fuel cell technology.
Dr. Kristen Krupa-Comfort ’02 earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University and then served as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow with the U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory. She came to the University of Dayton in 2013 and is currently an associate professor, the chair of the chemical and materials engineering department, and director of bioengineering. Since coming to UD, she has mentored more than 40 students, published 24 journal articles and been awarded over $2 million in external research funding, including the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Her research merges her expertise in chemical and biological engineering, with a focus on the generation and utilization of enhanced in vitro models. As Wilke Chair, Dr. Krupa-Comfort plans to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration to develop a diverse bioengineering-based research program while increasing experiential learning opportunities.
John F. and Leona D. Torley Chair in Composite Materials
October 24, 2019. The John F. and Leona D. Torley Chair in Composite Materials was established in 1999. The Torley's, who graciously provided the endowment, were prominent Dayton leaders from the 1960s until their deaths in 1998. John Torley, a mechanical and industrial engineer, was president and CEO of Dayton Malleable (Amcast Industrial). He served as a member of the University of Dayton board of trustees and was elected chair in 1977. He received an honorary degree from the University of Dayton in 1982. This position was created to support engineering education and research in the area of composite materials.
Donald A. Klosterman ’89 has over 25 years of experience in processing and characterizing advanced materials, including polymers, composites, ceramics and nanocomposites. In the 1990s, he helped pioneer the use of laminated object manufacturing for the 3D printing of ceramics. He set up several facilities for the University of Dayton Research Institute in the 2000s, including a 2,000-square-foot pilot plant for nanocomposites and a research facility for studying electron beam curing of composites. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Klosterman developed four graduate courses in polymer science and a lab course in composites, which he teaches annually. He advises a diverse array of research students, from undergraduates to Ph.D. candidates, and is the faculty adviser for the University of Dayton chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE).
Frank M. Tait Endowed Chair in Engineering
August 16, 2018. Professor Rebecca Blust, associate professor with the Department of Engineering Management, Systems, and Technology and director of the Innovation Center, has been appointed as the Frank M. Tait Endowed Chair. This position was established in 1970 with a bequest from Mr. Tait, long-time friend and benefactor of the University and founder of Dayton Power & Light Company and Tait Manufacturing. This position was created to help advance research and innovation in the School of Engineering. Prof. Blust has a wealth of both industrial and academic experience in innovation. The Innovation Center is one of the School of Engineering’s flagship experiential learning opportunities and a key industry and community partner. In 2017, the Innovation Center facilitated approximately 150 projects and served approximately 75 percent of graduating seniors. She currently serves as inaugural faculty fellow at the Institute for Applied Creativity (IACT) and is deeply involved with the GEMnasium, a collaborative hands-on ‘test lab’ and innovative transdisciplinary teaching space. Prof. Blust also works with University and community partners to determine an impactful, innovative purpose for the Dayton Arcade complex downtown. She will leverage the endowed chair position to help distinguish UD from other universities by creating an environment that will enhance student capabilities to integrate and apply creative thoughts and ideas to both engineering and societal problems.
Ohio Research Scholars Endowed Chair Professor in Chemical and Materials Engineering
July 1, 2017. Dr. Christopher Muratore was named the Ohio Research Scholars Endowed Chair Professor. Dr. Muratore received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 2002. He was an American Society for Engineering Education Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Plasma Physics Division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, where he developed novel plasma processing techniques to manipulate properties of diverse engineering surfaces. He joined the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 2004 to develop smart thin film nanocomposite materials demonstrating temperature-adaptive mechanical properties and integrated health monitoring. He also led numerous studies on heat transfer at nanoscale surfaces and interfaces. He joined the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Dayton in December 2012 and is now the Ohio Research Scholars Endowed Chair Professor. He is currently engaged in the development of novel approaches for large-scale synthesis of ultra-thin layered atomic structures for flexible electronic devices and molecular sensors.
Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nano Materials, Chemical and Materials Engineering
September 30, 2011. Dr. Khalid Lafdi, with 20 years of carbon science and technology experience, was inducted as the Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nano Materials in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. In 2001, as Carbon Group Leader for the University of Dayton Research Institute, Dr. Lafdi helped advance the University of Dayton’s research vision in nanotechnology. Dr. Lafdi was responsible for establishing the Nanoscale Engineering Science and Technology Laboratory (NEST) and the Carbon Research Laboratory. Ten years ago, he built a state-of-the-art thermal management laboratory and a carbon manufacturing transition facility in order to facilitate scale-up processes and technology transfers of carbon materials and devices. Dr. Lafdi has published more than 140 articles and chapters in refereed journals and edited four books about nanocomposites and thermal management. Furthermore, he holds four patents and has licensed three major technologies in nanomanufacturing to Ohio companies. Recognized for his expertise, the American Carbon Society selected Dr. Lafdi as their 2014 George D. Graffin Lecturer and their carbon “ambassador.” As ambassador, Dr. Lafdi will travel the U.S. and highlight 40 years of carbon science and technology not only for academia but also for industry. As the School’s endowed chair, Dr. Lafdi will lead and mentor collaborative research; expand the University’s nanomaterials program; and create new partnerships with industry, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and the University of Dayton Research Institute.
Wright Brothers Chair in LADAR and Optical Communications, Electro-Optics
September 24, 2010. Dr. Mikhail Vorontsov was inducted as the Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair for the LADAR and Optical Communications Institute (LOCI) at the University of Dayton. Dr. Vorontsov has published over 250 papers and four books on the subjects of adaptive optics, nonlinear spatio- temporal dynamics, phase retrieval problem, imaging and laser communications through turbulence, parallel image processing and correction, optical synergetics, laser beam shaping, computer optics, optimal control theory, and optical neural networks. He is a fellow of ARL, SPIE, and OSA and the recipient of many awards including the University of Maryland’s Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty, U.S. Army Research and Development Achievement Award, ARL Achievement Award for Best Publication, and ARL Achievement Award for Science for the development of a new generation of adaptive laser communication and imaging systems. Through the vision of the Wright Brothers Institute, the chair in LADAR and Optical Communication was created to support the Air Force Research Laboratory’s investment in LOCI through endowment by the University of Dayton, the LOCI partners, and the Ohio Research Scholars Program. This position strengthens the University’s role in unraveling the complex phenomena that obscure images and degrade information that pass through atmospheric disturbances. The chair will grow our talent in critical areas of national need and provide leadership in developing future technologies to mitigate the deleterious effects of atmospheric turbulence on laser communications and remote sensing.