People

Mechanical engineering faculty and staff play a central role in student success at the UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science. They are not only experts in their fields, but dedicated mentors who guide students from the classroom to their careers.

Faculty bring real-world experience and cutting-edge research into teaching, helping students connect theory to practice. Through hands-on labs, design projects, and research opportunities, students learn directly from professors who are advancing knowledge in areas such as manufacturing, energy, robotics, materials, healthcare technologies, and computational modeling.

UWM’s mechanical engineering faculty are accessible and invested in student growth. Small class sizes and close interaction mean students receive individualized guidance—whether they are exploring research, preparing for internships, applying to graduate school, or planning their next steps after graduation.

Beyond the classroom, faculty support students through mentorship, professional development, and industry connections. Their commitment helps students build confidence, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills that employers and graduate programs value.

At UWM, mechanical engineering faculty don’t just teach engineering—they help students become engineers.

Key College Contacts
Mechanical Engineering Industry Advisory Committee
  • Andre Deriaz, Grob Inc
  • Jim Edgar, Independent Consultant
  • Andrew Hastert, Rockwell Automation
  • Lianna Hawi, Rockwell Automation
  • Charlie Moreno, Foley & Lardner LLP
  • Roger Neitzell, Hellermann Tyton
  • Sydney Nerad, Amazon Robotics
  • Molly Nordin, GE HealthCare
  • David Raschke, Octane Coffee
  • Kyle Schultz, Milwaukee Tool
Faculty by Research Area

Mechanical engineering research at the UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science spans foundational and emerging areas that address global challenges in manufacturing, energy, health, and intelligent systems. Faculty-led research offers students opportunities to collaborate on impactful, interdisciplinary projects.

Manufacturing & Materials

Research in this area focuses on designing, processing, and monitoring materials for performance, durability, and sustainability.

Faculty expertise includes:
Additive and advanced manufacturing
Metal casting, composites, and foundry technologies
Microstructure-based modeling
Structural health monitoring
Self-healing and multifunctional materials

Faculty:
Pradeep Rohatgi, Nathan Salowitz

Energy & Sustainability

Faculty advance technologies that improve energy efficiency, storage, and generation across industrial and renewable systems.

Faculty expertise includes:
Batteries and battery safety
Renewable energy systems
Energy modeling and systems analysis
Combustion, alternative fuels, and diagnostics
Industrial energy assessment and conservation

Faculty:
Ryoichi Amano, Brian Armstrong, Deyang Qu, John Reisel

Fluids, Modeling & Tribology

This research area emphasizes theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches to complex flow and transport phenomena.

Faculty expertise includes:
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
Flow and transport in porous media
Tribology (friction, wear, lubrication)
Filtration, wicking, and oxidation processes

Faculty:
Michael Nosonovsky, Krishna Pillai

Robotics, Controls & Intelligent Systems

Faculty develop smart, responsive systems that integrate sensing, actuation, and control for human-centered and autonomous applications.

Faculty expertise includes:
Robotics and robotic assistive devices
Embedded computing and control systems
Sensors, actuators, and adaptive systems

Faculty:
Brian Armstrong, Habib Rahman

Health, Imaging & Bioengineering

Research in this area applies mechanical engineering principles to healthcare, diagnostics, and rehabilitation.

Faculty expertise includes:
Biomechanics and rehabilitation engineering
Musculoskeletal modeling and imaging
Biosensors, BioMEMS, and bionanotechnology
Computational biology and medical diagnostics
Advanced medical and biological imaging

Faculty:
Brooke Slavens, Woo Jin Chang, Roshan D’Souza, Yongjin Sung

Innovation, Design & Entrepreneurship

Faculty support the translation of engineering research into real-world impact through design, startups, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Faculty expertise includes:
Technology innovation and commercialization
Entrepreneurship and startup development
Human-centered design
Art and engineering integration

Faculty:
Ilya Avdeev, Nathaniel Stern

Mechanical Engineering Faculty & Staff

Amano, Ryoichi
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Director, Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)
Armstrong, Brian
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Avdeev, Ilya
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Director, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center (LEC)
  • Co-Founder and Executive Director, UWM Student Startup Challenge
  • Director (PI), Milwaukee Regional Energy Education Initiative
Chang, Woo Jin
  • Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
D'Souza, Roshan
  • Richard and Joanne Grigg Professorship
  • Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Judes, Avie
  • CEAS Lab Manager
  • Lab Manager, Makerspace
Lim, Saniel
  • Teaching Faculty II, Mechanical Engineering Department
Musinski, William
  • Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering
Nosonovsky, Michael
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Pillai, Krishna
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Qu, Deyang
  • Johnson Controls Endowed Professor in Energy Storage Research
  • Department Chair, Biomedical Engineering
  • UWM Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Rahman, Mohammad Habib
  • Richard and Joanne Grigg Professorship
  • Professor and Department Chair, Mechanical Engineering
  • Affiliate Professor, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering
  • Switzer Research Distinguished Fellow
Reisel, John
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Secretary of the University
Rohatgi, Pradeep
  • Distinguished Professor, Materials Science and Engineering Department
  • Distinguished Professor, Biomedical Engineering
  • Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Director, Center for Advanced Manufacture of Materials
Salowitz, Nathan
  • Alan D. Kulwicki '77 Faculty Fellowship
  • Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Founder, Advanced Structures Laboratory
Schnorenberg, Alyssa Joy
  • Scientist I, Mechanical Engineering Department
  • Associate Director, Mobility Lab
Slavens, Brooke
  • Richard and Joanne Grigg Professor of Mechanical Engineering, EMS Office 1080
  • Affiliate Faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science & Technology
Stern, Nathaniel
  • Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Professor, Art & Design
  • Director of Academic Engagement & Creative Impact, Lubar Entrepreneruship Center
Sung, Yongjin
  • Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Yahiaoui, Mohamed
  • Teaching Faculty 3, Mechanical Engineering
Zhang, Xiaoxiao
  • Scientist I, Mechanical Engineering Department
Zheng, Dong
  • Scientist III, Mechanical Engineering Department
Contact
Contact Info: ceas-me@uwm.edu

Street Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
3200 North Cramer Street
Milwaukee, WI 53211

Mailing Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
P.O. Box 784
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0784