Drexel Engineering is pleased to announce five promotions to professor and three non-tenure-track promotions recognizing excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service across the College.
Nicolas Alvarez, PhD, has been promoted to professor in chemical and biological engineering. Over the past year, Alvarez’s group developed practical electrical tests to track how battery coatings dry and to spot when particles start to jam or crack. The team also built models showing how print settings and how a resin hardens can lead to defects in 3D-printed thermoset parts, and showed how different drying methods change the conductivity and strength of particle-based coatings used in energy and manufacturing.
Amir Farnam, PhD, has been promoted to professor in civil, architectural and environmental engineering. New studies from Farnam’s lab move sustainable infrastructure toward job-site reality by adding tiny, channel-like features inspired by nature inside concrete to manage moisture and temperature while maintaining strength. The group also demonstrated ways to turn industrial byproducts into lightweight ingredients for concrete and to fine-tune the flow of fresh mixes that use lower-carbon cement blends, enabling durable, lower-carbon structures at scale.
Ekaterina Pomerantseva, PhD, has been promoted to professor in materials science and engineering. In newly published work, Pomerantseva’s group reported bilayered and layered-hydrated vanadium oxides that stabilize ion transport and structural water in beyond-lithium batteries. Highlights include improved rate capability in potassium-ion cells and zinc-ion cathodes derived from MXene precursors, where careful control of interlayer chemistry and morphology has yielded durable capacity and faster charging in aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes.
Christopher M. Sales, PhD, has been promoted to professor in civil, architectural and environmental engineering. Sales’ latest work bridges environmental microbiology with emerging treatment technologies. His team built full-room experiments of germicidal ultraviolet light known as far-UVC to quantify how lamp placement, how many people are in the room, and ventilation combine to reduce airborne pathogens. In parallel, the group advanced cold-plasma, or electrified-gas, treatments that break down PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, in dry-gas reactors and identified operating strategies that push the breakdown closer to harmless mineral end products.
Matthew C. Stamm, PhD, has been promoted to professor in electrical and computer engineering. Stamm’s lab led community benchmarks and methods to detect AI-generated and manipulated media, including a large challenge on spotting AI-cloned voices, and proposed lighter-weight detectors that stay accurate as new generators appear. The tools are designed to work reliably across different datasets and families of image, audio, and video models.
Irina Ciobanescu Husanu, PhD, has been promoted to full teaching professor. A Drexel alumna who joined the faculty in 2006, Husanu is known for strengthening engineering education through cross-disciplinary collaboration and forward-looking curriculum design that connects classrooms to industry. Her scholarly work spans microgravity combustion and renewable energy systems, and her teaching emphasizes hands-on, industry-aligned learning. She was recently named department head in engineering, leadership and society.
Dimitrios Fafalis, PhD, has been promoted to associate teaching professor in mechanical engineering and mechanics. With expertise in computational mechanics and biomechanics, Fafalis brings experience in multiscale modeling and biomedical microneedle design. His teaching portfolio spans mechanics, modeling, and applications of machine learning in engineering.
Xi Wang, PhD, PE, has been promoted to associate teaching professor of construction management in engineering leadership and society. Program director for the Construction Management program and a LEED Green Associate, Wang focuses on workforce development and technology adoption in the construction industry, sustainable practices in construction education, and student success through applied, industry-engaged capstones.