2024 Dean's Report

DEAN'S REPORT

WE ARE ACCELERATING EXCELLENCE

Accelerating Excellence: Partnering to the Top 25

Dear Colleagues,

There is no better time to be part of the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences! The rapid and record growth continues in our research, enrollment, and impact. Growth that would not have been possible without our many valued partners.

Our school hired 28 new faculty last year, and is recruiting 20 more over the next year. These exceptional scholars work across academic fields to solve societal challenges in regenerative medicine, wireless communications, clean energy technology, robotics and intelligence, wearable electronics, and much more. We are also elevating our position on the national stage, as our faculty lead or play critical roles in a new information fusion institute and a semiconductor technologies center, as well as several initiatives, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed $400 million consortium, Empire AI, which aims to place New York at the center of the artificial intelligence revolution.

These investments in our research and educational programs have helped us eclipse $100 million in research expenditures, and enroll more than 3,100 graduate students this year, among whom include 2,500-plus international students—all records for our school. We also received a historic gift of $40 million from alum and benefactor Russell L. Agrusa, to support engineering and computer science education and the construction of our new hub for student learning and activity, Agrusa Hall.

Our unprecedented growth and global leadership are not possible without the collaboration of our colleagues from academia, industry, and government. Together, we can further leverage our strengths to solve society’s greatest challenges and make a profound impact on communities around the world.

We look forward to continuing these valuable partnerships and developing new collaborations as we work toward our mission.

Sincerely,

Kemper Lewis, PhD, MBA Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

RANKED NO.

30 AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN 2023 BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

DEGREES AWARDED 2022-23 GRADUATE

1,482 MASTER’S

99 PhD UNDERGRADUATE

1,016

ENROLLMENT 2023-24

3,172 GRADUATE STUDENTS

4,860 UNDERGRADUATES

$102M IN ANNUAL RESEARCH AND RISING JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023

DEGREE PROGRAMS

37 GRADUATE PROGRAMS

15 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

79 WE WELCOME STUDENTS FROM COUNTRIES ACROSS THE GLOBE TO OUR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Accelerating Excellence: New National Initiatives

UB to lead New York’s new $400 million consortium, Empire AI

The University at Buffalo was named the home for Empire AI, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed $400 million consortium that aims to put New York State at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution.

Our university will serve as the statewide location for a state-of-the-art AI computing center that will facilitate innovation, responsible research and economic development in AI.

UB was chosen, in part, in recognition of its decades-long leadership in AI. Our legacy of innovation spans nearly 50 years, from creating the world’s first autonomous handwriting recognition system to using AI to help diagnose and treat young children with speech and language processing challenges.

AI FOR SOCIAL GOOD

The consortium will also empower UB students like Holliday Sims (pictured above), a computer science major who intends to use AI for social good. Sims has conducted research on how AI can improve the child welfare system and is passionate about increasing Black women’s participation in computer science.

Strengthening intelligence and national defense

UB LAUNCHES COLLABORATIVE INSTITUTE FOR MULTISOURCE INFORMATION FUSION

The only dedicated multisource fusion center in the United States and one of only two in the world, UB’s renowned Center for Multisource Information Fusion is elevating its research infrastructure and expanding its offering of academic programs to become the Collaborative Institute for Multisource Information Fusion. The new institute is uniquely positioned to leverage strategic partnerships with government, industry and academia to advance data fusion in support of space defense, big data, automated decision making and cybersecurity.

Leading the charge in microelectronics

UB LAUNCHES CENTER FOR ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES

The new center will help supercharge research and innovation in the semiconductor industry, bolster Western New York’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and strengthen the nation’s STEM workforce. Its formation follows significant federal investment in microelectronics, including the designation of the Buffalo-RochesterSyracuse region as a federal tech hub under the CHIPS and Science Act.

28 New Faculty Join Our Growing Team

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Ramkumar T. Annamalai

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

Maura Sepesy Assistant Professor of Teaching

RESEARCH AREAS: Chemical and biomolecular engineering education

Kaihang Shi Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Multi-scale chemical and materials modeling

CIVIL, STRUCTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Ziqi Song Associate Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Transportation systems modeling and optimization

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Roshan Ayyalasomayajula Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Wireless systems and mobile computing

Zongchen Chen Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Theoretical computer science Kelin Luo Assistant Professor of Teaching

RESEARCH AREAS: Algorithm design and analysis Shamsad Parvin Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Machine learning, distributed computing, networking

Bibhudatta Sahoo Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Analog and RF circuit design

ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Ian Sellers

Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Solar cells, space photovoltaics

Rui Zhang

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Optical and wireless communications

Rachel Bonnette

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Learning sciences, disability studies, inclusion

Courtney Faber

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Epistemic thinking, identity, academic change

Nicole Lowman

Assistant Professor of Teaching

RESEARCH AREAS: Rhetoric of race, technical communication

Monica Miles

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Environmental justice, critical race theory

INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Xiaoyu Chen

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Statistical machine learning, health care, manufacturing Assistant Professor

Prashant Sankaran

RESEARCH AREAS: Artificial intelligence, operations research

Jing Yang Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Human-robot interaction, wearable sensors, health care

MATERIALS DESIGN AND INNOVATION

Eloise Bihar

Visiting Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Autonomous biosensors and wearable electronics

Wei Chen

Associate Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Predictive materials intelligence and discover

Eric OseiAgyemang

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Materials for energy applications

MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Ketki Lichade

Assistant Professor

RESEARCH AREAS: Advanced manufacturing

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES

Reza Rashidi

Associate Professor of Practice

RESEARCH AREAS: Design, energy harvesting, sensors, MEMS

Chen Zeng

Assistant Professor of Teaching

RESEARCH AREAS: Robotic systems design optimization

Jianzhen (Jason) Liu

Assistant Professor of Teaching

RESEARCH AREAS: Computational and dataenabled sciences

Vochita Mihai Professor of Teaching

RESEARCH AREAS: Computational and dataenabled sciences

Jeffrey Salzmann

Assistant Professor of Research, Shared Instrumentation Laboratories

RESEARCH AREAS: Optics, microelectronics, photolithography, device physics

I am thrilled to welcome these exceptional scholars to the SEAS community. Their efforts will chart new paths that propel us toward even greater achievements in research and education.

- Kemper Lewis, Dean

275+

FULL-TIME FACULTY AND GROWING FAST

25

FACULTY NAMED FELLOWS OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES SINCE 2020

20

NSF CAREER AWARDS AWARDED TO OUR FACULTY SINCE 2020

ACCELERATING EXCELLENCE THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM