Faculty
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Robert S. Salzar
Associate Professor, Academic General Faculty, Research TrackDr. Salzar has over 25 years of experience in the field of engineering mechanics, with the last 13 years focusing on injury biomechanics. After a two year post-doctoral NRC appointment with the NASA-Glenn Research Center researching advanced aerospace composite materials, Dr. Salzar… -
Rita Jane Schnipke
RetiredAfter receiving my PhD at UVA, I worked with a venture capitalist to start an engineering software business. After the venture capitalist sold that company to Ansys Inc, I started another engineering software business (Blue Ridge Numerics Inc) with a business partner. That company… -
Ethan A. Scott
Research Assistant ProfessorEthan joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2023. In addition to teaching, he is active in research and helps to manage the UVA ExSiTE Lab. Ethan's research interests focus on the development and application of experimental techniques, to analyze heat and energy transfer in extremes of material size and environment.
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Natasha Smith
Professor, Academic General Faculty, Teaching Track, Director of Undergraduate Mechanical EngineeringMy research interests include pedagogical research focused on student reasoning, technical communication, and hands-on troubleshooting in a lab setting; systems engineering and the design process; reliability assessment and design, particularly using probabilistic methods; and… -
Mark R. Sochor
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Emergency Medicine Vice Chair for Research Department of Emergency Medicine Medical Director, Center for Applied BiomechanicsDr. Mark Sochor is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia. Dr. Sochor is a clinically active emergency medicine physician and the medical director at the Center for Applied… -
Ye (Sarah) Sun
Associate ProfessorSun joined UVA as an associate professor in 2021. Prior to her position at UVA, Sun was an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University.
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Dr. Tang's research program centers on the structure-mechanics relationships of hierarchical biological materials and their clinical and biomedical applications. Many biological tissues, such as our own skeleton, perform a diverse range of functions with remarkable mechanical properties. These exceptional properties arise from the functional
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Kathryn C. Thornton
Professor EmeritusSelected by NASA in May 1984, Thornton is a veteran of four space flights: STS-33 in 1989, STS-49 in 1992, STS-61 in 1993, and STS-73 in 1995. She has logged over 975 hours in space, including more than 21 hours of extravehicular activity (EVA). She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Dr. Ward received a B.S. (1998) in Chemical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology with a minor in Applied Mathematics, M.S. (2001) in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and Ph.D. (2003) in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara.
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Jennifer L. West
Dean, University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science Saunders Family Professor of Engineering Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringDean West’s accomplishments spans 25 years as a researcher, award-winning teacher and mentor, inventor and entrepreneur. Her research focuses on the use of biomaterials, nanotechnology and tissue engineering, applying engineering approaches to studying biological problems and solving unmet medical needs, particularly in the fight against cancer.