Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, professor of public and nonprofit management in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas, was recently named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).
Sabharwal is the first person to be chosen for the honor while a member of the UT Dallas faculty. Teodoro Benavides, associate professor of practice of public and nonprofit management and Dallas city manager from 1998 to 2004, was named a fellow in 2000 before joining the UTD faculty.
Chartered by Congress, NAPA was established in 1967 as an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organizations. Sixty leaders in public administration were selected for this year’s class, a group that joins nearly 1,000 fellows, including public managers, scholars, Cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, diplomats, business executives and labor leaders.
“I am enthusiastic about my role and look forward to collaborating with an exceptional group of NAPA fellows in our shared pursuit of better governance and working together to further the academy’s vision of justice, fairness and inclusion,” Sabharwal said.
Terry Gerton, president and CEO of NAPA, said this year’s class was the largest to date.
“All are nationally recognized and respected for their expertise in the field of public administration,” she said. “We welcome these outstanding new fellows and invite them to help us advance the academy vision.”
The new fellows were inducted during the annual NAPA fall meeting Nov. 1-3 in Washington, D.C.
Sabharwal also was recently appointed UT Dallas’ associate provost for faculty success. She said her mission in her new position is to create a supportive environment in which all faculty members feel a sense of belonging at UT Dallas.
“This involves the facilitation of our faculty orientation, faculty mentoring program, conducting exit surveys and celebrating exceptional mentors with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring,” she said.
Semiconductor Researcher Earns Innovation Award
Dr. Bilal Akin, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, has received the Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC) 2023 Innovation Award.
The annual award recognizes patents and intellectual property arising from SRC research that have made a significant impact on the semiconductor industry.
Akin was honored for his patent that has helped develop a tool to detect early signs of failures in silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors in power electronics systems. Some of Akin’s findings have been deployed in Texas Instruments’ (TI) UCC5870 gate driver, a key part of a power conversion system in electric vehicles that enables large currents to flow through power transistors to different transistor structures. This product has been used by more than 10 automotive original equipment manufacturers.
“Witnessing our innovations in action within the realms of industry and the automotive market is a testament to our team’s excellence,” Akin said.
Akin, an IEEE fellow, is director of the Power Electronics and Drives Lab at UT Dallas. His research focuses on the design, control, and condition monitoring of power electronics systems and motor drives. He earned a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award in 2015. Before joining UT Dallas in 2012, Akin was a research and development engineer at TI and Toshiba Corp.
Student Receives Department of Energy Fellowship
Dylan Boylan, a mechanical engineering doctoral student in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, has received a U.S. Department of Energy Innovation in Buildings (IBUILD) Graduate Research Fellowship.
The fellowship, managed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, is designed to strengthen the pool of graduate student scholars who are equipped for research-intensive careers in fields that support the technologies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, or building decarbonization. The fellowship provides financial support for students to conduct innovative research at their home institutions.
Boylan is a researcher in the Bioinspired Thermal Fluid laboratory of Dr. Xianming (Simon) Dai, lab principal investigator and associate professor of mechanical engineering.
“Dylan’s outstanding achievements in heat transfer and building energy have earned him this prestigious fellowship,” Dai said. “With support from the Department of Energy, he aims to create an innovative and affordable technology for low-income families residing in humid regions.”
As part of the fellowship, Boylan is developing slippery surface coatings to improve the efficiency of dehumidification in buildings. He said the coating, which removes condensate quickly, is vital for improving condensation heat transfer, thus reducing energy consumption during the dehumidification process. The proposed scalable and durable coatings can be applied to thermal energy systems to improve energy efficiency.
“In regions like Dallas, where hot and humid conditions are common, maintaining specific temperature and humidity levels in buildings is a significant energy challenge,” said Boylan, who is also a recipient of the Excellence in Education Fellowship at UT Dallas. “My ultimate goal is to make these coatings high-performing heat transfer-wise, user-friendly and suitable for retrofitting in existing building systems. This is particularly vital in economically disadvantaged areas where frequent equipment replacements may not be feasible.”
Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communications manager.