The appointment is effective Oct. 1, Provost Dan Rich has announced.
A national search for a new dean of the College of Engineering will be conducted, Rich said, with the search committee chaired by Tom Apple, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Members will be Thomas Buchanan, chairperson of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Dominic Di Toro, Edward C. Davis Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Jack Gillespie, director of the Center for Composite Materials and Donald C. Phillips Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and C.P. Huang, Donald C. Phillips Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Kristi Kiick, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Babatunde Ogunnaike, William L. Friend Professor of Chemical Engineering; Dennis Prather, College of Engineering Alumni Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Michael Vaughan, senior assistant dean in the College of Engineering; and David Weir, director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.
“I am very pleased that Michael Chajes is willing to serve as interim dean,” Rich said. “He has a thorough understanding of the priorities of the College of Engineering and will ensure that the college moves forward during this time of transition.
“Dr. Chajes is a respected academic leader, and he enjoys the confidence of his colleagues, both in the college, across the campus and around the country.”
“This is an exciting time for the College of Engineering, and I am honored to have this opportunity to work with the faculty, staff and students to maximize our potential in the coming year,” Chajes said.
Chajes received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, graduating with honors in 1984. He completed graduate work at the University of California at Davis, receiving his master's degree in 1987 and his doctorate in 1990. There, he was twice awarded the university's outstanding graduate student teaching award.
In 1990, Chajes joined the faculty at UD as an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering. He was promoted to associate professor in 1996 and to professor in 2002. He served as acting associate chairperson in 1996 and as associate chairperson from 1998-2001.
In 2001, Chajes was appointed chairperson of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In addition, he chairs the University's Chairs Caucus Steering Committee and served on the Task Force on Oral and Written Communication.
Chajes conducts research in bridge evaluation and rehabilitation, including the use of nondestructive evaluation techniques and the application of advanced materials, primarily fiber-reinforced polymers. He is an affiliated faculty member of the Center for Innovative Bridge Engineering, the Center for Composite Materials and the Delaware Transportation Center. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the Delaware Department of Transportation, and several industrial groups and foundations.
Based on this research, Chajes has published more than 100 papers and presented his work through more than 70 talks.
Chajes is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, for which he chairs the Department Heads Council Executive Committee and serves on the Educational Activities Committee and Government Affairs Committee. He also served as a member of the committee that planned the summit on the “Future of the Civil Engineering in 2025” that was held in 2006.
Chajes is also a member of the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Engineering Education. He is a registered professional engineer in Delaware and served on the state's Professional Engineering Registration Board from 1995 to 2000.
The College of Engineering has undergraduate and graduate programs across five departments: chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering.
Enrollment in 2006-07 was 1,206 undergraduates and 525 graduate students.
Kaler has been dean of the college since 2000.
Article by Neil Thomas
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson
