Francis College of Engineering

At UMass Lowell we don't just tell you how to find success in a career in engineering, we show you.

We have strong ties to the regional companies and government agencies shaping the industry, connecting you to a variety of co-op and internship opportunities.

Our distinguished reputation for hands-on, practice-oriented education and cutting-edge research will ensure you graduate ready for work in this dynamic field.

Meet Our Faculty

Ming Wei, D.EngAdjunct Faculty, Plastics Engineering Nanomanufacturing, polymer blends, surface chemistry, polymer characterization, project management
Daniel J. Sullivan, Ph.D.Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering 
Kanti Prasad, Ph.D.Professor, Associate Director CMINDS, Electrical & Computer Engineering, CMINDS 
Eric MaaseLecturer, Chemical Engineering 
David J. Willis, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Wind Turbine Research GroupAerodynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics
Sammy Shina, Ph.D.Professor & Coordinator of College Co-op Program, Mechanical EngineeringElectronic manufacturing, six sigma applications, design of experiments, collaborative engineering, quality & product design
Bridgette Budhlall, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Plastics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of ExcellenceSynthesis & applications of polymer colloids & soft matter towards stimuli-responsive materials. Emulsion polymers. Photoresist polymers for nanolithography, nanofluidic devices & microcapsules & hybrid nanoparticles for biomedical devices, drug delivery systems & biosensors.
Carl W. Lawton, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Program Coordinator, Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineering 
Stephen Orroth, M.S.Professor, Executive Officer, Undergraduate Coordinator, Plastics Engineering Extrusion, die design, processing, thermoforming, blow molding, & rotational molding
Chunxiao (Tricia) Chigan, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringCommunication Networks & Network Security
Xingwei Wang, Ph.DAssociate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of ExcellenceOptical biosensing & biomedical devices
Carol Barry, D.Eng.Professor; Co-Director, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence; Associate Director, NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing, Plastics EngineeringExtrusion, injection molding, electrorheology, novel processing techniques & more...
Yuanchang Xie, Ph.D., P.E.Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental EngineeringTransportation Engineering
Paul DeStefano, Ph.D., P.E., SECBLecturer, Civil & Environmental EngineeringStructural & Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Infrastructure Systems
Ramaswamy Nagarajan, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Plastics Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of ExcellenceBiocatalysis, greener advanced materials (electronic, photo-responsive polymers, molecularly integrated hybrid nanomaterials, materials for energy conversion/storage), elastomers, thermal & morphological characterization of materials, roll to roll manufacture of flexible electronic products
Nick SchottProfessor Emeritus, Plastics EngineeringExtrusion, injection molding, process control, mixing requirements, and product design.
Clifford Bruell, Ph.D.Professor, Department Chair, Civil EngineeringEnvironmental Engineering
Oliver Ibe, Sc.DAssociate Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringMobile & Converged Communications
David Kazmer, Ph.DProfessor, Plastics EngineeringPlastics product design & process engineering
Martin Margala, Ph.D.Professor, Chair - ECE, Deputy Director - AETC, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, AETCDigital & Mixed-Signal VLSI Design & VLSI Testing
Nathan Gartner, Sc.DProfessor, Co-op Coordinator, Civil EngineeringTransportation Engineering
James A. Sherwood, Ph.D., P.E.Professor, Director, Co-Director, Mechanical Engineering; Baseball Research Center; ACMTRLSolid Mechanics, Composite Materials, Sports Engineering, Finite Element Modeling
Tenneti K. Rao, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringElectromagnetics
Jan Chan Huang, Ph.D.Professor, Doctoral Coordinator, Plastics EngineeringPhysical properties of polymers, conducting polymers, thermodynamics of solutions, modeling and numerical methods
Craig Armiento, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringFiber Optics, Semiconductor & Devices
Tzu Yang Yu, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Wind Turbine Research GroupRadar NDE, Structural Engineering, Concrete Materials, Structural Stability & Dielectric Dispersion of Materials
Donald Leitch, M.S.Professor, Department Undergraduate Coordinator, Executive Officer, Civil & Environmental EngineeringStructural Engineering
Krishna Vedula, Ph.D.Professor, Dean Emeritus, EngineeringChemical Engineering
Michele Putko, Ph.D.Lecturer, Mechanical EngineeringMechanical and Industrial Engineering
Jennifer Gorczyca, D.Eng.Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering 
Stephen Johnston, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Plastics EngineeringComputer-aided engineering, computer-aided manufacturing, process control, injection molding, part design, mold design, finite element analysis
Xuejun Lu, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringOptoelectronics, Nanophotonics & Fiber Optics
John Ting, Sc.D., P.E.Vice Provost for Enrollments; Professor, Emeritus Dean of Engineering , Academic Affairs, Civil Engineering 
Susan Faraji, Ph.D.Professor, Civil EngineeringStructural Engineering
Alfred A. Donatelli, Ph.D.Professor, Dept. Chair, Transfer & Readmit Coordinator, Chemical EngineeringHeat & mass transfer to non-Newtonian fluids; permeation through polymer films and membranes; mathematical modeling, simulation & control of dynamic processes.
Meg Sobkowicz-Kline, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Plastics Engineering, Climate Change InitiativeRenewable polymers, nanocomposites, organic photovoltaics, rheology, scattering
Stephen Driscoll Burke , M.S.Professor, Plastics EngineeringNew polymeric materials, additives, fillers, economic evaluations, elastomers, & rheology
Frank Tredeau, Ph.D.Lecturer, Electrical & Computer Engineering Power Electronics, Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles, Battery Management Systems, Battery Evaluation
John W. Walkinshaw, Ph.D.Professor, Program Coordinator - Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering; Paper Engineering  
Tingshu Hu, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringDynamic Systems & Control
Jay A. Weitzen, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringWireless Communication
Alkim Akyurtlu, Ph.D.Professor, Graduate Coordinator - Doctorate, Electrical & Computer EngineeringElectromagnetics
Joey Mead, Ph.D.Co-Director, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence; Deputy Director, NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing; Professor, Plastics Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of ExcellenceRubber technology, thermoplastic elastomers, design, properties and processing of elastomers, nano materials.
Christopher Hansen, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, ACMTRLMaterials science, self-healing materials, micro-patterning & additive manufacturing techniques
Christopher Niezrecki, Ph.D.Professor, Director - Wind Energy Research Group, Co-director - Structural Dynamics & Acoustic Systems Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering; Structural Dynamics & Acoustic Systems Laboratory, Climate Change InitiativeModeling & control of vibrations  & acoustics, smart structures & materials
Vinod Vokkarane, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer EngineeringCommunication networks and Reliability
Mufeed Mah'd, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Biomedical EngineeringDigital Signal and Image Processing
Xiaoqi (Jackie) Zhang, Ph.D.Professor, Graduate Coordinator, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, Climate Change InitiativeEnvironmental Engineering
Hongwei Sun, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Mechanical EngineeringMicro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Microfluidics
Dalila Megherbi, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Director CMINDS, Electrical & Computer Engineering, CMINDSDigital Image Processing, Computer Vision, AI, Networking, Distributed & Embedded Systems
Samson Mil'shtein, Ph.D.Professor, Director - AETC, Electrical & Computer EngineeringSolid State Devices, Biomedical Engineering, Biometrics
Joel Therrien, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, Biomedical EngineeringNanoelectronic Devices
Aldo CrugnolaProfessor & Dean Emeritus, Plastics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology ProgramMechanical-physical properties, process-induced changes in physical molecular structure
Fang Lai, Ph.D.Professor, Plastics EngineeringPlastics processing, process control and instrumentation, powder technology, industrial hazard assessment, SQC/SPC, & statistical methods
Eugene E. Niemi, Jr. Ph.D.Professor, Mechanical EngineeringAerodynamics, Wind Tunnel Testing, Thermofluids
Yan Luo, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringComputer Architecture
Michael J. Geiger, Ph.D.Lecturer, Electrical and Computer EngineeringComputer architecture, embedded systems
Juan Pablo Trelles, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Wind Energy Research Group Renewable energy engineering, plasma science & engineering, semiconductor manufacturing, computational transport phenomena
Chronis Stamatiadis, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Graduate Coordinator, Civil & Environmental EngineeringTransportation Engineering
Peter Avitabile, D.Eng.Professor & Co-Director, Mechanical Engineering; Structural Dynamics & Acoustics Systems LaboratoryModal Analysis, Analytical and Experimental Structural Dynamics
Joseph C. Hartman, Ph.D., P.E.Dean of Francis College of Engineering, College of Engineering 
Majid Charmchi, Ph.D.Professor, Associate Chair & Graduate Coordinator, Mechanical Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of ExcellenceHeat and Mass Transfer, Computational Fluid Dynamics
Charles Thompson, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringAcoustics, Systems & Field Theory
Ioannis Raptis, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, RoboticsNonlinear dynamic systems theory and control design, robotics, fault detection and failure prognosis.
Seongkyu Yoon, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Director, Chemical Engineering, MA BioManufacturing Center (MBMC) 
Robert E. Parkin, Ph.D.Professor, Program & Graduate Coordinator - Solar Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Renewable Energy EngineeringRobotics, Control, Manufacturing
Gilbert J. Brown, Ph.D.Professor, Chemical EngineeringEnergy Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
Samuel Paikowsky, Sc.D.Professor, Director, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering Research Laboratory, Wind Energy Research GroupGeotechnical Engineering
Glenn Sundberg, Ph.D.Chair, Associate Professor, Engineering Technology 
Rebecca DarlingtonAdjunct Instructor, Mechanical Engineering 
John R. White, Ph.D.Professor, Chemical Engineering 
Prakash Rai, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering 
Pradeep Kurup, Ph.D.Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, Geotechnical Research LabGeotechnical Engineering
John Duffy, D.Sc.Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, Solar Engineering Graduate ProgramMechanical engineering, control systems science, solar engineering, environmental engineering, education, statistics and manufacturing systems
Julie Chen, Ph.D.Vice-Provost for Research, Professor, Co-Director, Mechanical Engineering, ACMTRLComposite Materials, Nanomanufacturing.
Theodore Grosch, Ph.D.Lecturer, Electrical & Computer EngineeringRF & microwave circuit design, radar systems, cellular systems, & commercial product development.
Edward L. Hajduk, D.Eng, PELecturer, Civil & Environmental Engineering Geotechnical Engineering
Emmanuelle Reynaud, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, ACMTRLMaterials Science, Nanomanufacturing
Sukesh Aghara, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Program Director - NEET, Chemical Engineering (Nuclear) 
Frank J. Bonner, Ph.D.Professor, Grad. Program Coordinator, Grad. Student (Chemical) Faculty Advisor , Chemical Engineering 
Nese Orbey, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering 
Amad TayebiProfessor Emeritus, Plastics EngineeringFibrous materials and composites.  mechanical behavior, performance and failure of plastics products.  air filtration and respiratory protective devices, automated assembly systems. Patent law.
Anh Tran, Ph.D.Professor, Graduate Coordinator - Masters, Electrical and Computer EngineeringLogic Design & Switching Theory
Ziyad Salameh, Ph.D.Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Wind Turbine Research GroupPower & Energy
Zhiyong Gu, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Graduate Coordinator, Chemical Engineering Nanomaterials and nanotechnology, nanowires
Kavitha Chandra, D. Eng.Professor, Electrical & Computer EngineeringCommunications networks
Daniel F. Schmidt, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Plastics Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, Biomedical Engineering, Wind Turbine Research GroupMaterials preparation and structure/properties relationships in polymer nanocomposites, polymer crosslinking and network formation, pre-ceramic polymers, sol-gel chemistry and materials analysis (porosimetry, permeation testing, thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction & spectroscopic techniques)
John McKelliget, Ph.D.Professor, Chair & Undergraduate Coordinator, Mechanical EngineeringComputational Fluid Dynamics, Thermal Plasma Processing
Sanjeev Manohar, Ph.D.Associate Dean, Professor, College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence 
Steven Grossman, Ph.D.Professor, Plastics EngineeringStructure-property relationships of plastics, reactive processing of polymers, polyblends and additives, & new polymerization reactions
Stephen McCarthy, Ph.D.Professor, M.S. Co-Coordinator, Director, Co-Director, Plastics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center, Center for Irish PartnershipsMedical devices, biodegradable polymers, mechanical behavior, applications of CAD/CAM
George Cheney, M.S.Professor, Undergraduate Coordinator, Electrical & Computer EngineeringEmbedded Systems, Analog/Digital Design
Robert Malloy, Ph.D.Professor & Department Chair, Plastics Engineering, Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence, Center for Irish Partnerships Plastics product design, polymer processing, recycling of thermoplastics.

The UMass Lowell Edge

Engineering News
Skinny wooden bats used in Major League Baseball have to withstand up to 8,000 pounds of force when they make contact with the ball.

Breaking Bad: The Dilemma of Baseball Bats

Prof. Peter Avitabile, left, works with a student in his lab.

NSF Funds Ultrasonic Research

Mechanical engineering capstone students are recreating a sphinx statue for the Lowell Cemetery with 3D scanning and composite research.

Engineers Saving the Lowell Sphinxes

Prof. Peter Avitabile, second from right, shows the vibration shaker system to, from left, mechanical engineering graduate students Jesus Reyes and Julie Harvie and civil engineering Asst. Prof. Tzu-Yang Yu.

Donated Equipment to Benefit Students, Researchers

Boston Globe: Professor Seeks Substitute for BPA

More News