Dr. Mark W. Spong
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science recently recognized 16 exceptional professors, teaching assistants and staff members.
“Honoring our outstanding faculty and staff members is something we all look forward to each year,” said Dr. Mark W. Spong, dean of the Jonsson School
“We could not have successful students and programs in our fast-growing school without team members contributing their best efforts to provide a rich educational experience and productive work environment,” he said.
The top honors — the Senior Faculty Research Award and the Junior Faculty Research Awards — went to Dr. Babak Fahimi, professor of electrical engineering, Dr. Bilal Akin, assistant professor of electrical engineering, and Dr. Christopher Hinkle, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, respectively.
Fahimi’s research interests are in electromechanical energy conversion, power electronics, and renewable energy systems. Since joining the University in 2010, Fahimi established the Jonsson School’s program in power electronics and motor design research. His invention of a double-stator switched reluctance machine is a strong contender as an alternative for permanent magnet motors in terms of power, torque density, speed and cost.
His work at UT Dallas has resulted in more than $3 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. Since 2012, seven of his PhD students have graduated from UT Dallas. He currently has 12 doctoral and six master’s degree students.
Fahimi has published more than 60 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) papers, more than 190 conference papers and has produced 11 U.S. patents. He was recently elevated to IEEE Fellow for his contributions to analysis and modeling of AC adjustable speed motor drives.
Akin’s research interests are also in power electronics, as well as adjustable speed motor drives. His research team includes seven PhD and two master’s degree students. Since joining UT Dallas, he has published nine IEEE journal and 15 IEEE conference papers. He has secured $1.5 million in research funding from both federal agencies and industry as sole principal investigator. He has been appointed associate editor of two IEEE journals, Transactions on Industry Applications and Transactions on Vehicular Technology. This year, Akin received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards.
Hinkle’s research focuses on the growth, characterization and device physics of semiconductor materials and interfaces for use in a wide variety of devices. He is particularly interested in two-dimensional materials for applications related to advanced CMOS and power devices, energy harvesting and energy storage. In the past three years, he has published 19 peer-reviewed journal articles, written a book chapter on 2-D materials, and filed a patent as co-inventor with collaborators from Texas Instruments. He has obtained more than $2.3 million in funding from the federal government and industry. In 2014, Hinkle was awarded the Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program Early Career Investigator Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Annual ECS Awards
Senior Faculty Research Award
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Dr. Babak Fahimi professor of electrical engineering |
Junior Faculty Research Awards
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Dr. Bilal Akin assistant professor of electrical engineering |
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Dr. Christopher (Chris) Hinkle assistant professor of materials science and engineering |
Outstanding Faculty Teaching Awards
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Dr. John Cole senior lecturer in computer science |
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Dr. Duncan MacFarlane professor of electrical engineering
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Dr. Nurcan Yuruk senior lecturer in computer science |
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Dr. Rym Zalila-Wenkstern associate professor of computer science
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Outstanding Teaching Assistant Teaching Awards
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Nazim Ahmed computer science |
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Vishal Karande computer science |
Girish Deshpande, electrical engineering, photo not available.
Moinak Pyne, systems engineering, photo not available.
Staff Awards
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Ashley Bradberry academic support coordinator in mechanical engineering |
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Norma Richardson academic support coordinator in computer science |
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Ashley Willess degree plan evaluator in materials science and engineering |
Mary Jo Cherry, administrative assistant in ECS Student Services Office, photo not available.
Outstanding A&P Staff Awards
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Paula Abercrombie assistant director in Texas Analog Center of Excellence |