College Leadership

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College Leadership

Levi Thompson
Levi T. Thompson
Dean
Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering
Levi T. Thompson is Dean of the College of Engineering and Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering. Previously, Thompson was the Richard E. Balzhiser Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and director of the Hydrogen Energy Technology Laboratory and the Michigan-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. He is an award-winning educator and is internationally recognized for his research to design and synthesize nanoscale materials for catalytic and energy storage applications. Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at UD in 1981 followed by master’s degrees in chemical engineering and nuclear engineering as well as a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Rachel Davidson
Rachel Davidson
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Rachel Davidson is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Chief Diversity Advocate. Her responsibilities include faculty hiring, faculty development and support, promotion and tenure, and teaching and pedagogy. Davidson was previously the Associate Dean for Diversity. Davidson is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a core faculty member in the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. After completing her B.S.E. from Princeton University and M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, Davidson spent two years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, then six years at Cornell University, both as an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. Following a year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Columbia University, she joined the faculty at UD in 2007. Davidson is a Fellow and Past-President of the Society for Risk Analysis, and past-Chair of the Executive Committee of the ASCE Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering (TCLEE). She has been a mentor for the NSF-funded Career Enhancement of Academic Women in Earthquake Engineering (ENHANCE) program and the NSF-funded "Enabling the Next Generation of Hazards and Disaster Researchers" program.
Photo of Dawn Elliott
Dawn M. Elliott
Associate Dean for Graduate and Post-Graduate 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.
Mark Miroztnik
Mark Mirotznik
Associate Dean for Research and Entrepreneurship
Mark Mirotznik is the Associate Dean for Research and Entrepreneurship. His responsibilities include cost share, initiation programs, strategic research initiatives, and entrepreneurship programs and activities. He 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.
Tripp Shenton
Harry (Tripp) Shenton III
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Harry (Tripp) Shenton III is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. His responsibilities include leadership in key undergraduate areas such as enrollment management, advisement, recruitment, student development and support, K-12 Engineering, college event planning, educational assessment and evaluation, and global engineering activities. Shenton, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, joined the UD faculty in 1994 and served as Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2008 to 2017. Shenton’s areas of research focus include structural health monitoring and condition assessment of civil infrastructure, and innovative systems and materials for low-rise construction. He has received external funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Federal Highway Administration, NIST, the Delaware Department of Transportation, the University of Delaware Research Foundation, and industry. In 1999 he received the prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career award. Shenton is an affiliated member of the University’s Center for Innovative Bridge Engineering, Center for Composite Materials, and Delaware Center for Transportation. Shenton received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UD and his doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Dean’s Staff

Joe Ryan
Joseph Ryan
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
Joseph Ryan is the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. His responsibilities include financial planning and management, human resources, information technologies and more. Prior to joining the College of Engineering, he worked with Temple University for more than 10 years, most recently as the Senior Associate Director of Research, Budgets and Administration for the Fox School of Business. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from Pennsylvania State University. He holds an MBA and a master’s degree in business analytics from Temple University.
Kris Graves
Kristian Graves
Assistant Vice President, Regional and Global Programs
Kristian (Kris) Graves is Assistant Vice President for Regional and Global Programs at the University of Delaware. In this role, he leads Development and Alumni Relations efforts for the College of Engineering. Before joining UD in 2018, Graves held leadership roles at Temple University, most recently Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Relations of the College of Liberal Arts, and at West Chester University. Graves holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science and a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rebecca Gregan
Rebecca Gregan
Stephanie Mabee
Stephanie Mabee
Communications Director
Matt Toner
Matthew Toner
Director of Computing Operations

Academic Leadership

Photo of Gregory Chirikjian
Greg Chirikjian
Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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.
Jaime Phillips
Jamie Phillips
Chair, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Professor Phillips researches optoelectronic materials and devices, with primary emphasis on infrared detectors and photovoltaics. His expertise is in the growth, characterization, and device applications of compound semiconductors, including electronic and optical modeling and design. Prior to joining the University of Delaware, Jamie was a faculty member at the University of Michigan where he served in roles of Associate Chair of Undergraduate Affairs in the ECE Division and Director of the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. Before joining academia, he was a Research Scientist at the Rockwell Science Center in Thousand Oaks, California, and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jack Puleo
Jack Puleo
Chair, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
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.
Photos of Weisong Shi
Weisong Shi
Chair, Department of Computer & Information Sciences
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 Sullivan
Millicent O. Sullivan
Chair, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Alvin B. and Julie O. Stiles Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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.
Lt. Col. Victoria Thomas
Lt. Col. Victoria Thomas
Detachment Commander, AFROTC
Lieutenant Colonel Victoria L. Thomas is the commander of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 128 hosted on the University of Delaware’s main campus. Detachment 128 is comprised of active duty Air Force cadre, non-military employees and students from the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College and Wilmington University. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas directs a college-level officer training program while chairing the Department of Aerospace Studies in her role as a professor. Lt Col Thomas earned her commission through the AFROTC program at the University of Washington, while completing a degree in Political Science at Seattle University. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and has completed the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College as well as Air War College, and Joint Professional Military Education-II from the Joint Forces Staff College. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours in T-37, T-44, C-130E/H, C-17A, and TG-16A aircraft. She has previously served in such roles as Director of Staff at the United States Air Force Academy’s glider training program in Colorado Springs, Colorado and as an Air Mobility Strategist assigned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Joint Air Power Competence Centre in Kalkar, Germany.
Joshua Zide
Joshua Zide
Chair, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
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.
Photo of Ryan Zurakowski
Ryan Zurakowski
Interim Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering