Dr. Fotis Sotiropoulos Selected Dean Of Stony Brook University College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

STONY BROOK, N.Y., Sept. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following a competitive national search, Dr. Fotis Sotiropoulos has been appointed Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Stony Brook University, effective October 15, 2015. Dr. Sotiropoulos is the James L. Record Professor of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering, and Director of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN). Prior to his appointment at UMN, Dr. Sotiropoulos was on the faculty of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a joint appointment in the G. W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.

"On behalf of Stony Brook University, it is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Fotis Sotiropoulos to the senior leadership team; I am confident that he will propel our acclaimed College of Engineering and Applied Sciences to the top tier of our nation's engineering programs," said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. "We have many opportunities to contribute to the national and international call for STEM scholars, innovation and career development, so I also look forward to working with Dr. Sotiropoulos to support the goals of CEAS, its students, faculty and academic departments."

Dr. Sotiropoulos received his Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and his MS, also in the same field, from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to his graduate studies, he received the Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. He has also been trained as a postdoctoral associate and an assistant research scientist at the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research. His research focuses on simulation-based engineering science for fluid mechanics problems in renewable energy, environmental, biological, and cardiovascular applications. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the Sandia National Laboratories, private industry, and other state and federal agencies, over the last ten years, Sotiropoulos has raised over $17M in externally-sponsored funds for research, as well as $17M in research facility development and renovation.

"Dr. Sotiropoulos' vision, energy and drive, and ability to lead interdisciplinary teams of scholars to pursue complex problems will be an invaluable asset in promoting excellence in education and guiding a high-impact research agenda," said Provost Dennis Assanis. I am excited about the prospect of working closely with Fotis to capitalize on the momentum we have built and lead our CEAS faculty and students to success."

A Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), Sotiropoulos has authored over 160 peer reviewed journal papers and book chapters, and has twice won the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Gallery of Fluid Motion (2009, 2011), and is a recipient of a Career Award from the National Science Foundation. He is also a 2014 distinguished lecturer of the Mortimer and Raymond Sackler Institute of Advanced Studies at Tel Aviv University and is serving or has served on the editorial boards of the ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, the International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, and Computers and Fluids.

"I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to join the faculty of Stony Brook University and serve as the next dean of CEAS," said Dr. Sotiropoulos. "In an era when exponential technological innovation is driving economic growth and societal prosperity and is critical for sustaining humanity, the College is uniquely positioned to make a positive difference in the state of New York, the nation and the world. Through creative, cross-disciplinary research and educational programs, we will produce the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators. Leveraging the excellence of our faculty, strong commitment to diversity, Stony Brook's strategic location, the unique partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the international opportunities provided by SUNY Korea, the College is destined to reach new heights of excellence and national prominence. I was inspired by the infectious enthusiasm and powerful vision of President Stanley and Provost Assanis and I am excited and energized to work under their leadership. As dean I will strive to develop productive partnerships with other colleges of the university and actively engage our faculty, students, alumni, friends and community stakeholders in a team-effort to build a world class College of Engineering and Applied Sciences."

About the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Comprised of nine academic departments, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University offers 18 undergraduate and graduate programs to an enrollment of more than 3,800 undergraduate students, with an average SAT score exceeding 1300, and with an enrollment of more than 1,500 graduate students. The CEAS has a faculty body of 162, which includes prominent faculty whose distinctions include 30 NSF CAREER and Presidential Young Investigator Awards and who include recipients of the National Medal of Science, recipients of the National Medal of Technology, members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 16 SUNY Distinguished Professorships.

About the Search

Dr. Sotiropoulos' selection as Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences was made following a national search under the direction of co-chairs Joseph Mitchell, Chair of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, and Wendy Tang, Associate Provost for Online Learning and Associate Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and with the participation of a dedicated search committee. The search process was assisted by the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.

About Stony Brook University

Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,450 acres. Since welcoming its first incoming class in 1957, the University has grown tremendously, now with more than 25,000 students, 2,200 faculty and 20 NCAA Division I athletic programs. Its membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 40 public universities in the nation and Kiplinger named it the 29th best value in public colleges for in-state students and 20th for out-of-state students. One of four University Center campuses in the SUNY system, Stony Brook University co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory, putting it in an elite group of universities that run federal research and development laboratories. As the largest single-site employer on Long Island, Stony Brook is a driving force of the regional economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounts for nearly 4% of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County.

CONTACT: Lauren Sheprow, [email protected], 631-632-4965

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SOURCE Stony Brook University

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