7:59 a.m., June 10, 2009----Three faculty in the University of Delaware College of Engineering have been appointed to named professorships, effective July 1. Thomas Buchanan has been appointed George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Michael Mackay has been named Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and David Martin is the new Karl Böer Chair of Materials Science and Engineering.

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“These appointments are fitting recognition of the outstanding scholarship and academic leadership of these three highly accomplished engineering faculty,” said UD Provost Dan Rich. “Tom Buchanan is an internationally renowned scholar and one of the most highly respected members of the University of Delaware faculty. We are delighted to welcome Michael Mackay and David Martin to UD. Both bring with them exceptional records of accomplishment, and we are confident that the University will be enriched by their research, their work with students, and their contributions as academic leaders.”

Thomas Buchanan

Buchanan's research interests include muscle coordination modeling, medical imaging, knee stability and osteoarthritis, and kinetic and electromyography patterns after ACL injury.

Buchanan is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Congress of Sports Medicine. He is president-elect of the American Society of Biomechanics and will take over as president later this year.

The 2008 recipient of the E.A. Trabant Award for Women's Equity, Buchanan is credited with playing a key role in the increase in women faculty in engineering at UD and with engaging his female colleagues in collaborative research.

Buchanan, who joined the UD faculty in 1996, served as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2004 to 2008 and was appointed deputy dean in the College of Engineering in 2008. He has also served as academic director of UD's interdisciplinary Biomechanics and Movement Science (BIOMS) Program and director of its Center for Biomedical Engineering Research (CBER).

He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Northwestern University.

The Laird professorship honors the memory of George W. Laird, who earned a master's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering at UD in 1971 and was killed in a tragic accident in 1977. A graduate fellowship in engineering is also offered in Laird's name.

Michael Mackay

Mackay, who earned a bachelor's degree with distinction in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware in 1979, joined the UD faculty in 2008. He was a member of the faculty at Michigan State University from 2001 to 2008 and previously held appointments at Stevens Institute of Technology and the University of Queensland in Australia.

Mackay's current research focuses on polymer-based solar cells, with an emphasis on controlling and measuring their structure and nanoscale phenomena within polymer nanocomposites to create the next generation of materials. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, several national laboratories, and industry.

Mackay is the editor of a book and the author of four book chapters and close to 90 refereed journal papers. He received a Society of Rheology Publication Award in 2001.

He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

The distinguished professorship recognizes deserving senior members of the UD faculty.

David Martin

Martin is currently a professor at the University of Michigan with appointments in three departments: Materials Science and Engineering, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering. He will join the University of Delaware as chairperson of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on July 1.

Martin's research addresses a number of areas in polymer science, with a particular focus on the design and development of materials at the interface between prosthetic devices and living tissue. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Army Research Office, NASA, and industry.

Martin is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and an honorary professor at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology. In the past, he was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and a Visiting Research Scientist at DuPont.

Martin earned his Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The Böer chair honors Karl W. Böer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics and Solar Energy. A pioneer in the fields of solar cells, solar energy systems, and solid state physics, Böer was a faculty member from 1962-1994. In 1987, the University established the Karl W. Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit in his honor. Böer also was awarded UD's Medal of Distinction in 1998.

Article by Diane Kukich