From Left to Right: De la Fuente, Hasan, Carneiro Marques, McDonald
Drexel Engineering is pleased to announce the addition of four new faculty
members for the 2024 academic year. These accomplished engineers bring
valuable expertise and enthusiasm that will further enrich the learning
experience in the college.
Juan
De la Fuente, PhD, joined the mechanical engineering and
mechanics faculty in March 2024 as an assistant teaching professor. He
holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University and a
B.S. in Mechatronics Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico.
De la Fuente completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of
Calgary and brings over 10 years of professional experience. At Drexel, he
teaches Introduction to Mechatronics for Mechanical Engineers, First Year
Engineering Design, and Engineering Reliability, while also supporting
instruction in dynamic systems courses.
Ali Hasan, PhD, joins the engineering, leadership and
society faculty as an assistant teaching professor. Hasan earned his PhD
from the University of Johannesburg and brings experience teaching courses
such as Renewable Energy Systems, Control Systems, Electrical Power
Systems, Electrical Circuit Fundamentals, and Applied Programming. His
teaching philosophy emphasizes blending theoretical knowledge with
practical applications, preparing students for real-world engineering
challenges. Hasan's approach aims to equip students with both the technical
skills and problem-solving abilities needed in the field.
Amanda Carneiro Marques, PhD, joins the civil,
architectural and environmental engineering faculty as an assistant
professor. She earned her PhD in environmental and water resources
engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Carneiro Marques' research
focuses on assessing water demand and supply projections under climate
change scenarios and developing sustainable water management strategies.
She employs long-term data assessment, environmental tracers, and modeling
to evaluate water quality and support decision-making. Marques is involved
in international collaborative projects, investigating contaminant
patterns, pollutant sources, and surface-groundwater connections. This
academic year, she will be teaching Hydraulics and Geographic Information
Systems.
Matthew McDonald, PhD, joins as an assistant professor of
chemical and biological engineering. McDonald's research concentrates on
separations and process analytics in the pharmaceutical industry, utilizing
automation and machine learning to augment first-principles approaches in
complex mixture separation. His work aims to harness molecular interactions
to remove impurities from pharmaceuticals, biological systems, and the
environment. McDonald completed his postdoctoral work at MIT, developing an
autonomous chemist for exploring new chemistries, and received his PhD from
Georgia Tech, where he studied biocatalysis and crystallization in
antibiotic manufacturing. In Fall 2024, he will teach Separation Processes.