The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside has benefitted from the many contributions of the outgoing leadership team and wishes them well in their new endeavors. Distinguished Professor Charles Wyman retired after a highly successful career and serving as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education; Professor Marek Chrobak will be focusing on his research activities after serving as Associate Dean of Academic Personnel; Professor Marko Princevac has moved to the position of Vice Provost of International Affairs after serving as Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs; Professor Matthew Barth served as director of CE-CERT for many years; Professor Nael Abu-Ghazaleh will be focusing on his research after serving as director of Computer Engineering; and Angela Meluski has moved to California Baptist University as Vice President for Marketing and Communication after serving as the BCOE Assistant Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Marketing.

New BCOE leadership, listed below, began their positions on July 1, 2022.

“Each of these faculty members has a track record of active engagement at BCOE and a keen sense of how to advance our research and education mission,” said Christopher S. Lynch, dean of the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. “Under their leadership, I am confident the college will continue strengthening its research portfolio, attracting top faculty talent and recruiting diverse engineering students.”

Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education | Matthew Barth, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Yeager Family Chair | Under Barth’s leadership, graduate enrollment is set to increase in record-breaking amounts, in particular with interest in new specialized degree programs: Master of Science in Robotics Engineering, Master of Science in Chemical and Environmental Engineering with an emphasis in Air Quality Engineering, and online Master of Science in Engineering with specializations in Mobility Engineering and Engineering Management.

Barth, with a Ph.D. from the University of Santa Barbara, California, joined UCR in 1991 to conduct research in electrical engineering at CE-CERT. Barth’s research focuses on applying engineering system concepts and automation technology to Transportation Systems, and in particular how it relates to energy and air quality issues. Barth is active in the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the U.S. Transportation Research Board, and also served on a number of National Research Council (NRC) Committees. Most recently, Barth is leading NSF SPEAKS, a new UC Riverside program that will train doctoral students to translate science into public policy.

Associate Dean for Academic Personnel | Rajiv Gupta, Distinguished Professor and Amrik Singh Poonian Chair in Computer Science | Gupta will lead recruitment efforts for multiple open faculty positions across BCOE. Gupta is a renowned scholar with an extensive record of research in the areas of compilers, computer architecture, and software engineering. Gupta has been recognized for research contributions with multiple awards, including being named a Fellow of the Association for Computer Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Gupta has graduated more than 34 Ph.D. students, many of which have successful careers at highly ranked universities. Having previously served as Chair of the Committee for Academic Personnel, Gupta brings substantial expertise and experience in academic personnel matters. Before joining UCR in 2007, Gupta held faculty positions at the University of Arizona and the University of Pittsburgh, where Gupta received a Ph.D..

Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs | Huinan Liu, Professor of Bioengineering | Under Liu’s leadership, undergraduate enrollment is set to continue to increase with more than 1,000 incoming students anticipated for Fall 2022. Liu joined the Department of Bioengineering and Materials Science and Engineering Program in 2011 and has since risen through the ranks to become a full professor in 2021. Liu is experienced in promoting the success and mentorship of diverse students, developing outreach and training programs, and attracting funding for the education and research mission of BCOE and UCR. Over the past decade, Liu has mentored more than 150 undergraduate researchers in her lab and capstone projects. She has worked on more than a dozen training programs to increase opportunities for student research and engagement, including National Science Foundation (NSF) MacREU, NSF Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE), National Institutes of Health MARC U-STAR, UC LEADS, CAMP, RISE, Hispanic Serving Institutions Summer Bridge to Research Program, Navy Training Undergraduates through Navy Engagements (TUNE), Mentoring Summer Research Internship Program (MSRIP), CIRM Bridges Program, UC-Mexico Initiative Program, and NIH Medical Scholars Research Program. Most recently, Liu’s collaborations with colleagues across the UCR campus have helped establish the TRANSCEND and STRIDE programs.

Computer Engineering Program Director | Hyoseung Kim, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Kim takes the helm of the Computer Engineering program, which is now ranked in the top 50 of the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Engineering Graduate Schools Rankings – and within the top 40 public programs.

Kim earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and joined UCR in 2016. Kim’s research interests are in real-time embedded systems, especially on the safety, predictability, and efficiency of computing in safety-critical systems, intelligent autonomous systems, and smart agriculture. Among many accomplishments, Kim received Fulbright Scholarship Award in 2011 and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2020. Currently, Kim serves as an executive committee member for the ACM Special Interest Group on Embedded Systems (SIGBED), where previously served on the board of directors. Kim is also the faculty advisor of the IEEE student branch at UCR and serves on the Committee on Research.

Center for Environmental Research and Technology Director | Don Collins, Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering | Having previously served as CE-CERT’s Associate Director of Academic Personnel, Collins will now lead the research center that recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, welcomed a stronger partnership with California Air Resources Board with its new headquarters near the UCR campus, and joined the four-year EcoCAR EV Challenge, in which students will build a next-generation autonomous battery electric vehicle.

Collins received a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to joining UCR, Collins served as the Director of the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and the Environment at Texas A&M University. Collins’ research is aimed at understanding the emissions, formation, properties, and effects of atmospheric aerosols and other air pollutants.