Meet the Full-time Faculty Women of Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering

As part of National Women's History Month, we invite you to meet our thirty four full-time engineering faculty women, Spartans all, and hear what they have to say about engineering and teaching.


	Our science teacher, Mr. Kimoto, allowed us as 8th graders to design our own science experiment for the last half of 8th grade science. My friend and I decided to test a local reservoir for the presence of sewage pollution. Most of our samples tested positive, which was surprising to us. At that time there were stories in the news about local groundwater pollution, and even stories about worker exposure to chemicals. I started to think about what I could do to help the environment and to make the places people worked safer. I liked chemistry in high school, so I chose chemical engineering as a major, even though I didn't know a single chemical engineer, nor did I know exactly what they did. Once I met a few, and found out what they did for their jobs, I knew more definitely that this was the right major for me. Sheryl Ehrman The Don Beall Dean of the College of Engineering
We might still be underrepresented in terms of numbers but we don't lack any of the skills our male colleagues have. We have lots to offer to our profession and should not be afraid to step up, take initiatives, and be leaders. Magdalini Eirinaki Associate Professor, Computer Engineering
Pat Backer Professor, Aviation	Melanie McNeil Professor, Chemical Engineering	Dahyun Oh Assistant Professor, Materials Engineering	Younghee Park Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering
	I recommend that all women engineering students get involved with an engineering club. It can feel pretty isolating when you're one of only a very small number of women in your classes. Getting involved in a engineering club can help you make friends with other engineering majors. It can make all the difference to have a group of people going through the same thing with whom you can study, commiserate, and think about plans for the future. Nicole Okamoto Chair and Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Engineering is a challenging and fascinating field. Earning an engineering degree takes grit and hard work, but your journey will be filled with joy from solving difficult problems and learning to build beautiful engineering systems. Xiao Su Chair and Professor, Computer Engineering
Liat Rosenfeld Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering	Melinda Simon Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering	Laura Sullivan-Green Chair and Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering	Birsen Sirkeci Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
	When I was a junior in college, I got a summer internship at General Motors in Michigan. There I got to work with state-of-the-art solid modeling and rapid prototyping. What really piqued my interest was the internal combustion engine. Although I had been a tinkerer all my life, I had never seen a car engine up close and personal, nor participated in the design of one. The thermodynamics I had taken in school came to life, and that was the beginning of my specialization in the thermal and fluid sciences in mechanical engineering. Jinny Rhee Associate Dean and Professor, Mechanical Engineering
I have been curious about any scientific phenomena since I was young. Engineering and physics help me to understand the world. I am proud to specialize in semiconductor device physics and technology, which plays one of the most important roles in the modern society, and positively impacts people's daily lives. Almost any of today's advancements in science and technology strongly rely on semiconductor innovation. Women engineering students have the talent and ability to go into semiconductors, which will open a miracle window for them to explore the world. Lili He Professor, Electrical Engineering
Ayca Erdogan Assistant Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering	Hongrui Liu Assistant Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering	Peggy Boylan-Ashraf Assistant Professor, General Engineering	Juzi Zhao Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering
	My advice for women engineering students is to put family in first place because ultimately, family is the most valuable thing in life. Claire Komives Professor, Chemical Engineering
When I was a little girl, I loved mathematics and physics. As soon as I started to do mathematics calculations or solve physics problems, my brain immediately woke up, which brought me into a completely different world. I believe mechanical engineering is the major that transfers abstract knowledge (mathematics) and organized knowledge (physics) into practical and useful products. The more I learn, the more I find everything is mechanical: from DNA to the universe. Winncy Du Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Hyeran Jeon Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering	Belle Wei Professor and Carolyn Guidry Chair, General Engineering	Niranjani Patel Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
	One of the best choices I made was to major in mechanical engineering. I knew I would fit well in engineering from my experience in learning. Whenever learning equations or concepts, in my mind I was always thinking 'Okay, so what problems can I solve with this?' I really liked the practical aspects and applications of engineering. Especially as a mechanical engineer, it is exciting to see both traditional and emerging fields encompassing design, thermo-fluid engineering, mechatronics, and microsystems serve as the driving thrust for contemporary technology development. Crystal Han Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Lucia Capderila Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering	Maria Chierichetti Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering	Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki Assistant Professor, Technology	Stacy Gleixner Professor, Materials Engineering
Katy Kao Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering	Olivia Hoang Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering	India Mathi Jeyachandran Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering	Mahima Agumbe Suresh Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering
	Wencen Wu Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering	Feruza Amirkulova Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering