Engineering leadership change
Ogunnaike named interim dean of College of Engineering effective July 1
4:30 p.m., June 13, 2011--Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, William L. Friend Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, has been named interim dean of the College of Engineering, effective July 1.
He succeeds Michael J. Chajes, who concluded his service and returns to the faculty as professor of civil and environmental engineering.
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Provost Tom Apple calls Ogunnaike, the current deputy dean for the college, a distinguished engineering educator whose career encompasses industrial experience, academic prowess and expertise with international knowledge-based partnerships.
“Tunde’s leadership and teaching have had a profound impact on the development of thousands of engineers and industrial practitioners,” Apple said. “His experience and familiarity with the college’s vision make him an ideal individual to take on this expanded leadership role and I am confident that under his direction, the successes and trajectory of the College of Engineering will continue to make an impact in research, graduate and undergraduate education.”
“I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and University administration to continue developing strong partnerships and initiatives that will propel the college along its strategic plan, which is aligned with the University’s Path to ProminenceTM,” said Ogunnaike.
Ogunnaike joined the UD faculty in 2002 as a professor with dual appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute’s Center for Systems Biology, following a 13-year research career with DuPont. He was appointed William L. Friend Professor of Chemical Engineering in 2004 until his promotion to William L. Friend Chair in 2008. He was named deputy dean for the College of Engineering in 2010.
An outstanding scholar and mentor, Ogunnaike earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Lagos in Nigeria in 1976 and a master's degree in statistics and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1981.
He has won a number of awards, including the Donald P. Eckman Education Award from ISA, an international organization involved in instrumentation, systems and automation, in 2007. In 2008, he received the American Automatic Control Council's Control Engineering Practice Award. He also has received the College of Engineering's Excellence in Teaching Award.
The author or editor of four books and more than 75 papers and book chapters, Ogunnaike has served as associate editor of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, and he is associate editor of the American Chemical Society's Industrial & Engineering Chemistry.
He has delivered more than 100 seminars at universities, conferences, symposia and companies, and his textbooks have been used to educate and train engineers in instrumentation, systems and control at more than 29 universities.
Article by Karen B. Roberts
Photo by Ambre Alexander
