The department will welcome four new faculty members this year. All assistant professors, they are Jeremy S. Guest, Oscar Lopez-Pamies, Cassandra J. Rutherford and Daniel B. Work.
Guest has research interest in the development of biotechnologies and decision-making tools that enable the design of more sustainable environmental infrastructure systems. His primary focus is on sanitation and the development of bioprocesses that reduce life cycle environmental impacts, reduce costs, and increase performance reliability by achieving energy, nutrient, and product recovery from wastewaters.
His honors include a being named a Rackham Graduate School Predoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan (2010-2011); a Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute Ph.D. Fellow, also at the University of Michigan (2008-2009); and winning the Outstanding Student Instructor Award, University of Michigan (2008-2009).
Guest will arrive in December 2011.
Lopez-Pamies has research interests in the mechanics and physics of heterogeneous materials with a particular emphasis on soft-matter systems. He focuses on the development of mathematical theories to describe, explain, and predict the macroscopic behavior and stability of these materials in terms of their microscopic behavior. His theoretical modeling of soft solids, such as rubber, enables the design of materials that have superior performance, tuned to the exact application. His work provides bridges between material science and a wide range of applications in civil, environmental, mechanical and other engineering disciplines.
His honors have included the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2011); the Best Oral Presentation by a Young Researcher Award, 7th EUROMECH Solid Mechanics Conference ( 2009); and the Thesis Award from École Polytechnique (2007).
Lopez-Pamies arrived in August 2011.
Rutherford’s research interests lie in the characterization of marine sediments subjected to dynamic loading and the relationship between geohazard triggering mechanisms and sediment properties. She is also interested in the advancement of laboratory testing devices, offshore sampling equipment, and procedures to minimize and quantify disturbance. Her research contributes to the development of offshore foundations, such as wind turbine foundations and subsea structures for oil production.
Her honors have included being the inaugural recipient of the Cassie Rutherford Volunteer Organization Award, an award named after her for exceptional volunteerism and awarded by Texas A&M Student Research Week (2006); the Montgomery Endowed Fellowship Prize from the Texas A&M Office of Graduate Studies (2004); and the Buck Weirus Spirit Award from Texas A&M (2004).
Rutherford will arrive in December 2011.
Work has research interests in control, estimation, and optimization of cyber physical systems, mobile sensing, and inverse modeling and data assimilation, applied to problems in civil and environmental engineering. His modeling work enables the management of complex systems depending on instantaneous feedback information, for example, the redirection of traffic in response to congestion and the monitoring of air quality.
His honors include being a Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellow of the U.S. Department of Transportation (2008); being an Eno Fellow of the Eno Transportation Foundation (2010); and a TRANNY Award from the California Transportation Foundation, given for the “Best Intelligent Transportation Systems Deployment 2008-2009.”
Work arrived in December 2010.