The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has named Dr. Srinath Ekkad, an Indian American professor with application expertise in gas turbine and thermal management of systems, as the next Dean of the College of Engineering. His appointment begins Aug. 5.
Ekkad joins UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, from North Carolina State University, where he served as Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering since 2017.
“Dr. Ekkad’s record of building faculty, strategically growing undergraduate enrollment, enhancing graduate education, expanding research, and cultivating industry and alumni relationships made him the clear choice from a strong national candidate pool,” said Dr. David Puleo, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.
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“Dr. Ekkad’s priorities — expanding graduate enrollment and research output, deepening partnerships with Redstone Arsenal, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Cummings Research Park, and building a pipeline of industry-engaged undergraduates — align directly with where the college needs to go,” he said. “I am confident he will accelerate that momentum.”
With a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in India, Ekkad has an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering on Gas Turbine Cooling from Texas A&M University.
A scholar of thermal sciences and heat transfer, Ekkad has built a distinguished research career supported by federal agencies and major industry partners. He has worked extensively on various projects dealing with cooling and heat transfer technology relating to turbine engines, automotive systems, energy harvesting, power plant systems.
Throughout his career, he has combined research excellence with a strong focus on student success, championing experiential and project-based learning while helping connect students with industry partners and real-world engineering challenges.
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Ekkad will assume leadership of the College of Engineering at a pivotal time, as the college prepares for the opening of the Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building and continues to expand its research profile and graduate programs, according to a university release.
As UAH’s largest college, the College of Engineering enrolls more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students and represents more than 35% of the university’s total enrollment.
Prior to joining NC State, Ekkad held faculty and leadership positions at Virginia Tech and Louisiana State University. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Association for the Advancement of Science.