College Leadership
Pamela Norris
Dean
Pamela M. Norris began her tenure as dean of College of Engineering in 2025. A professor of mechanical engineering, Norris is recognized globally as a leading expert in nanoscale heat transfer. An interdisciplinary scientist, she holds patents for innovative thermal management techniques for jet-blast detectors and landing pads and for applications of aerogels in areas that include biological warfare detection and lab-on-a-chip. She is well-known for her mentoring skills and for her dedication to broadening participation in the STEM disciplines.
Dawn M. Elliott
Associate Dean for Graduate and Postgraduate Education
Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Dawn Elliott is Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate and Post-Graduate Education. A biomechanical engineer by training, she is internationally known for her research focused on low back pain and osteoarthritis, studying how and why the intervertebral spine and cartilage break down with aging and developing and testing therapeutics used in treatment. Elliott, who joined UD in 2011 as director of the biomedical engineering program, spent 12 years in the University of Pennsylvania’s Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, where she has served on the Bioengineering Division executive committee and in 2012 chaired the Summer Bioengineering Conference in Puerto Rico. Elliott earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan, a masters of engineering mechanics from University of Cincinnati and a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University.
Joshua Enszer
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Dr. Joshua Enszer has been a member of the UD faculty since 2015 and currently serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. His research focuses on chemical engineering education, including game-based learning, metacognition, and modeling and simulation. Dr. Enszer earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics from Michigan Technological University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. In his new role as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Dr. Enszer will provide leadership in key areas such as enrollment management, advisement, recruitment, student development and support, K-12 engineering outreach, college event planning, educational assessment and evaluation, and global engineering initiatives.
Mark Mirotznik
Associate Dean for Research and Entrepreneurship
302-831-4241
Mark Mirotznik is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and associate director in the Center for Composite Materials. Mirotznik has held a longtime interest in the development of novel materials and advanced manufacturing methods for the next generation of printed electronics. As the director of UD’s Functional Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, he has worked with his students and collaborators to push the boundaries of functional devices and systems that can be fabricated using advanced additive manufacturing methods. In addition to his academic positions, he also holds the position of senior research engineer for the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Carderock Division. Mirotznik earned his Ph.D. in biomedical/medical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and his BE in electrical and electronics engineering from Bradley University.
Jamie Phillips
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
302-831-2128
Dr. Jamie Phillips joined the University of Delaware in 2020 as Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. From August 2024 through February 2025, he served as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering, providing steady leadership during a transitional period. He holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Phillips will oversee the full spectrum of faculty-related processes, including recruitment, hiring, mentorship, promotion and tenure, awards, and retention. He will also be responsible for shaping the college’s culture and engagement at both the university and community levels.
Dean’s Staff
Heather A. Barron
Mark Dobbins
Sr. Business Officer
Rebecca Gregan
Patricia M. Guyton
Executive Assistant to the Dean
Stephanie Mabee
Matthew Toner
Academic Leadership
Greg Chirikjian
Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Willis F. Harrington Professor
Gregory S. Chirikjian is an internationally recognized scholar of robotics and fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Chirikjian is a roboticist and applied mathematician whose research interests include applications of group representation theory within engineering disciplines, kinematics, motion planning, medical image registration and the mechanics of macromolecules. His current research focuses on affordance-based reasoning in the context of robotics.
Lt Col Brian F. Nicholas
Detachment Commander
Lt Col Brian F. Nicholas currently serves as the commander of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 128 hosted at the University of Delaware. He directs a college-level Air and Space Froce officer training program as the Chairman of Aerospace Studies Department and is a Professor of National Security Studies. Detachment 128 comprises cadets from the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Wilmington University, and Delaware Technical Community College. Before assuming his current position, Lt Col Nicholas was the Chief of the B-21 Raider Program Integration Office, Air Force Global Strike Command, Whiteman AFB, MO. Lt Col Nicholas received his commission from the University of Pittsburgh AFROTC in 2007. He current holds both a Navigator and Senior Pilot ratings with over 3000 flying hours in T-43, T-1A, T-38A/C, T-6A, KC-135R/T, C-12C/D, E-11A, and B-52H. He has flown combat missions in operations Inherent Resolve, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, and Unified Protector.
Jack Puleo
Chair, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
302-831-2442
Jack Puleo, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, joined UD’s faculty in 2004 and has served as the department’s Associate Chair and the Director of the Center for Applied Coastal Research since 2017. Puleo’s research focuses primarily on sediment transport in nearshore environments, with other research projects including those concerning inlets, remote sensing of coastal and riverine processes, wetlands, object motion on beaches and beach safety. He teaches and works with undergraduate and graduate students, and he is actively involved in outreach activities aimed at providing opportunities for young researchers and early career professionals. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Oceanography and Mathematics from Humboldt State University, a master’s degree in Oceanography from Oregon State University and a doctoral degree in Coastal Engineering from the University of Florida. He is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award, three excellence in teaching awards and an excellence in advising award.
Weisong Shi
Chair, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
Alumni Distinguished Professor
Weisong Shi is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Delaware (UD), where he leads the Connected and Autonomous Research (CAR) Laboratory. Dr. Shi is an internationally renowned expert in edge computing, autonomous driving, and connected health. Before joining UD, he was a professor at Wayne State University (2002-2022) and served in multiple administrative roles, including Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Engineering and Interim Chair of the Computer Science Department. Dr. Shi also served as a National Science Foundation (NSF) program director (2013-2015) and chair of two technical committees of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society. Dr. Shi has published more than 280 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. He is the founding steering committee chair of several conferences, including the ACM/IEEE Symposium on Edge Computing (SEC), IEEE/ACM International Conference on Connected Health (CHASE), and IEEE International Conference on Mobility (MOST). He is a fellow of IEEE and a distinguished member of ACM.
Millicent O. Sullivan
Chair, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Alvin B. and Julie O. Stiles Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
302-831-8072
Millicent Sullivan is the Alvin B. and Julie O. Stiles Professor and the Associate Chair of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, and she also is a Professor in Biomedical Engineering at UD. Millie graduated from Princeton University with a B.S.E. degree in Chemical Engineering and a Certificate in Engineering Biology in 1998. Subsequently, she attended Carnegie Mellon University as a Clare Boothe Luce Graduate Fellow, where she earned her Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering with Professor Todd Przybycien in 2003. As a Ruth L. Kirchstein NIH postdoctoral fellow, Millie worked with Professor E. Helene Sage in the Matrix Biology/Hope Heart Program of the Benaroya Research Institute. In 2006, Millie moved to the University of Delaware. Her laboratory develops new biomaterials for drug delivery, gene delivery, and tissue engineering, with specific therapeutic targets including metastatic breast cancer, bone repair, wound healing, and cardiovascular repair. Her lab has new work in synthetic cell design using engineered polypeptides. Specific fundamental foci include de novo peptide design, peptide and polymer self-assembly, and subcellular processing mechanisms. Sullivan is Core Director in the Delaware COBRE Center for Musculoskeletal Research, a member of the Penn Center for Targeted Therapeutics and Translational Nanomedicine (CT3N), and an Affiliate Member of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute. She is an AIMBE fellow, member of the Gene and Drug Delivery study section at NIH, and Honorary Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne, and she has been the recipient of awards and honors including a Fulbright Future Award, the Centennial Professorship, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Merck Faculty Fellow Award.
Joshua Zide
Chair, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
302-831-3244
Dr. Zide’s research interests focus primarily on the nanoscale engineering of novel semiconductor and composite electronic materials for energy conversion and (opto) electronic devices. More specifically, Dr. Zide’s work focuses on the epitaxial growth of semiconductors and metal/semiconductor nanocomposites by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These nanocomposites consist of conventional III V semiconductors with epitaxially-embedded nanoparticles. The resulting material can have electronic, optical, and thermal properties which are extremely different from the constituent materials. New semiconductors being explored include dilute bismuthides, in which the incorporation of small amounts of bismuth cause anamolously narrow bandgaps, making these materials useful for optoelectronics and thermoelectrics.
Ryan Zurakowski
Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering
View the College of Engineering Administrative Organization Chart and Responsibility Map