Spanier, Hu, Dean Sharon Walker, and Soroush
Drexel University's College of Engineering has appointed three faculty
members to named chair positions, recognizing their contributions to
research, education and leadership in engineering.
Jonathan Spanier, PhD, has been named Hess Family Chair Professor. The position honors the
generosity of Frederic O. Hess and his wife, Augusta V. Hurst Hess, enabling
creation of an endowment. Mr. Hess was a prolific inventor and
industrialist, a pioneer in industrial heating technology, and recipient of both
the Franklin Institute’s Clark Award and a 1962 honorary degree. Spanier
joined Drexel in 2003 following an early career in industry and at a
national lab. He has expertise spanning materials science, physics,
mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. Since 2018, he has
served as MEM Department Head.
Spanier’s research focuses on solid-state electronic materials, with
applications in energy-efficient sensors and devices. Spanier is recipient
of the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and
a participant in the National Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers of
Engineering. Additionally, he is an elected Fellow of the American Physical
Society, cited for outstanding contributions to advancing understanding of
light-matter interactions, nanoscale phenomena in semiconductors,
ferroelectrics and related oxides.
Yong-Jie Hu, PhD, has been appointed as the Hoeganaes Chair, a position
dedicated to advancing powder metallurgy. Established in 2003 by GKN
Hoeganaes Corporation, this endowment supports research in materials science
and engineering. Hu's work centers on computational materials science and
powder metallurgy. Hu develops modeling techniques and databases to predict
the properties of metallic materials and optimize their processing in powder
metallurgy, including additive manufacturing.
Hu's research has contributed to the design and manufacturing of advanced
alloys used in aerospace, automotive, and energy applications. He has led
multidisciplinary collaborations, including joint research projects with
experts from other engineering fields and artificial intelligence. He has
also played leadership in organizing international conferences on powder
metallurgy.
Masoud Soroush, PhD, has been appointed to the George B. Francis Professorship, an endowment
established in 1992 in honor of George Francis, a 1943 graduate of Drexel
University. Soroush has served as the director of the Future Layered
Nanomaterials Knowledge and Engineering (FLAKE) Consortium since 2021 and
was the director of the REU Site: Smart Manufacturing Research Experiences
for Undergraduates (SMREU) 2020–2024.
Soroush specializes in digital solutions, advanced manufacturing,
nanomaterials, nanocomposites, and polymers. His research group has made
significant contributions to various applications, including resins and
coatings, gas separation, water purification, solar cells, and fuel cells.
His contributions to process development and gas separation technology have
earned him national and international recognition, including the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) 2023 Excellence in Process
Development Research Award and the AIChE 2021 Institute Award for Excellence
in Industrial Gases Technology.