Dean's Message: Progress on Key Fronts

We begin fall quarter with good news on two fronts. I’m especially excited that we break ground for the Molecular Engineering Building on October 9. A year ago we worried about having sufficient funds to build out all five levels in one phase. Now the timeline is looking good, as we are achieving excellent value on the construction costs, and we expect to open the doors in early 2012.

I’m also very happy with the caliber of the three candidates for director of the molecular engineering program, all UW faculty members. Each is first rate, and choosing among them will be difficult. We expect to announce the director by year end.

Progress on these two fronts ties closely to a third. This year we have hired 14 junior faculty members, all exceptional, in areas ranging from nanotechnology and molecular engineering to transportation systems, sustainable energy, and even a first joint appointment in computer science and genome sciences. Learn more about these new faculty members.

These 14 plus the 13 faculty hired last year indicate continued growth, despite the economic downturn. We are sustaining our most important work and are well positioned to grow further when the economy rebounds. The faculty we have hired over the past five years are absolutely spectacular, confirmed by the research grants they are securing and national recognition through prestigious CAREER and PECASE awards. Our eight NSF CAREER award winners for 2009 rank us second among peer engineering schools (see Accolades).

We must continue bringing in top young faculty, and the Molecular Engineering Building will help us do so. Many of these faculty members were drawn by this emerging program, and by the University’s strengths in materials science and engineering, bioengineering, and the medical/genome sciences.

Yet another excellent piece of news is the appointment of Dan Schwartz to chair Chemical Engineering. He served the college for several years as associate dean for new initiatives and has been a key driver in developing the molecular engineering program. I’m most excited that he will leverage this expertise to partner with Bioengineering and Materials Science & Engineering on new programs. Eric Stuve has earned a big “thanks” for nearly ten years of service as department chair, for his fine leadership of students and faculty, and especially shepherding curriculum reform.

As fall quarter resumes, the college welcomes a record enrollment of undergraduate and grad students. It’s energizing to see the campus once again in high gear.

Matthew O'Donnell
Frank and Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering