Dean - College of Engineering
Location: Raleigh, NC | Department: College of Engineering
About the Department
The College of Engineering at NC State University is among the largest and most preeminent engineering colleges in the nation, recognized for its excellence in education, research, innovation and service. As a cornerstone of NC State’s land-grant mission, the college prepares engineers and computer scientists to solve complex challenges and improve lives through discovery, collaboration and technological advancement. With more than 12,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College of Engineering is one of the largest in the nation. Across nine academic department and three additional affiliated departments in other colleges, the college offers 18 bachelor’s degree programs, 23 master’s degree programs and 14 doctoral degree programs across a broad range of engineering disciplines. The college’s faculty and staff support a nationally recognized educational and research enterprise. The college’s research expenditures are nearly $290 million annually, placing NC State Engineering among the top engineering colleges in the nation for research activity. The college’s research portfolio spans critical areas of national importance including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor technologies, energy systems, cybersecurity, materials innovation, biotechnology, sustainability and resilient infrastructure. The College of Engineering is home to more than 20 federally funded research centers and institutes, along with additional laboratories and collaborative research initiatives that advance interdisciplinary discovery, large-scale sponsored research and partnerships with industry, government and nonprofit organizations. The college has a distinguished record of leadership in major national research efforts, including two National Science Foundation ( NSF ) Engineering Research Centers ( ERC ) — ASSIST and FREEDM — and is one of only two institutions nationally to have simultaneously led two ERCs and one of only two institutions to have been awarded leadership of three ERCs. Among its nationally recognized initiatives are PowerAmerica, a Manufacturing USA Institute advancing wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies; AERPAW , a national platform for advanced wireless research; the Secure Computing Institute; the Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center; and major research efforts in artificial intelligence, clean energy, nuclear engineering, advanced manufacturing and sustainable engineering. The Department of Nuclear Engineering is also positioned at the forefront of the next generation of nuclear technologies. NC State’s long standing leadership in nuclear engineering research and education has been strengthened by significant state investment in advanced reactor research, supporting the university’s role in advancing innovative nuclear energy technologies, workforce development and national leadership in a rapidly evolving energy landscape. Together, these efforts position NC State Engineering as a national leader in research areas critical to technological innovation, economic competitiveness and societal impact. The majority of the College’s departments are located on NC State’s Centennial Campus, a groundbreaking research campus that brings together academia, private businesses and government agencies and is a model for the 21st-century research-intensive university campus. The newest engineering building in the complex, Fitts-Woolard Hall, opened in 2020 and is home to two academic departments, plus the dean’s administrative offices. The college is continuing to expand its physical infrastructure and educational capacity through major state-supported investments. Engineering North Carolina’s Future, a state-supported initiative, is enabling the college to expand engineering and computer science enrollment and includes significant investment in faculty growth, equipment and facilities. In addition, the North Carolina General Assembly has provided $5 million in recurring funding for the initiative as well as major capital support for a new Engineering Classroom Building on Centennial Campus, a transformational facility designed to expand instructional capacity and support innovative approaches to engineering education. The college’s outstanding faculty includes 12 members of the National Academy of Engineering, three members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, three winners of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and an Emmy Award winner. The outstanding young faculty members regularly receive NSF CAREER awards, averaging three to five per year over the past 10 years. U.S. News & World Report currently ranks the college No. 28 in graduate programs and No. 13 among public colleges of engineering. The college offers a robust online learning program called Engineering Online and is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top program among