Six Nebraska Engineering faculty awarded named professorships

In July 2024, six faculty in the College of Engineering were awarded named professorships. The college now has 37 named professorships at three levels – professor, associate professor, and assistant professor.

An endowed professorship is the highest academic honor the college can bestow on a faculty member and is also a tribute to those who fund them.

Funds for the professorships are provided by private gifts to the University of Nebraska Foundation to support current and new distinguished faculty in the College of Engineering. Income from these professorships provide stipends to support competitive salaries and collaborative research, and to help recruit and retain key faculty in support of the college’s overall mission and strategic direction.

The new named professorships include:

Nirupam Aich, Richard L. McNeel Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Focusing on protecting public health through water quality engineering and physical-chemical treatment of drinking water and wastewater, Dr. Aich’s research focuses on the mitigation of emerging water pollution – such as PFASs and other “forever chemicals”. He received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2022.

Seunghee Kim, Charles J. Vranek Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Kim’s research focuses on tackling operations challenges such as carbon utilization and geologic storage, geothermal energy, energy storage, and wastewater injection. This includes pore-scale study of reactive and multiphase fluid flows in porous media, mechanically coupled processes in energy-geotechnology and underground utilization.

Xu Li, Dale Jacobson and Debra Leigh Professor of Environmental Engineering

Centered on environmental quality and public health, Dr. Li’s research is focused on microbes and microbial communities relevant to contaminant biotransformation, resource recovery and antibiotic resistance. This includes designing and optimizing systems for drinking water treatment, wastewater reuse, stormwater management, and agricultural practices for manure storage and land application.

Eric Markvicka, Robert F. and Myrna L. Krohn Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

With an interest in using computer and material science to transform how materials interact with the human body and the world around us, Dr. Markvicka’s research lies in the emerging fields of wearable computing, soft robotics, and multifunctional materials. This has led to the development of new systems composed of soft materials for safe human interactions. He received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2024.

Jae Sung Park, Richard L. McNeel Associate Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Dr. Park’s research encompasses a wide range of fluid mechanics -  from low Reynolds number flows to high Reynolds number flows, focusing on complex fluids, colloidal suspensions, electrokinetics and turbulent flows. This includes developing techniques for energy-saving engineering and nanotechnology and advanced computational algorithms.

Massimiliano Pierobon, Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dr. Pierobon dedicates his research to applying communication and information theory in examining how biological systems transmit and process information. His innovative method has shown significant potential in enhancing the design of intelligent, secure, and efficient drug delivery systems.