JoAnn Browning

Dean

College of Engineering

Meet JoAnn Browning, dean of the College of Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio. New to both UTSA and Texas (she and her family moved to San Antonio from Lawrence, Kansas, in August 2014) Browning has dived into her new leading role, and is making big plans for the college’s future, as well as its present.

“Joining UTSA is an incredible opportunity to take what I have learned about managing healthy growth in an engineering program and applying my knowledge so that the growth benefi ts UTSA’s talented and diverse student body,” said Browning.

Before joining UTSA, Browning served as the associate dean of administration and professor of civil engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas. Her career at KU included service on the University Senate, as a faculty mentor for Student Athlete Support Services, and as a member of the Campus Historic Preservation Board and Bay View Alliance KU Leadership Group, among numerous department, college and university committees. She twice was awarded the university’s Miller Award for Distinguished Professional Service (2004 and 2011) and was the 2012 recipient of the Henry E. Gould Award for Distinguished Service to Undergraduate Education.

“Dr. Browning has great experience as a researcher and an administrator, a strong commitment to student success and, most importantly, a track record of collaboration and consensus-building,” said John H. Frederick, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “She is committed to expanding the college with a clear understanding of our goals of becoming a Tier One university and to further building on the college’s community and industry partnerships.”

Browning said that leaving KU was a diffi cult decision, but she knows that she made the right choice when she took the position as dean at the UTSA College of Engineering.

“When I came to visit UTSA I was so impressed with the students, faculty, and leadership, I knew that I had to be a part of this incredible university,” said Browning. “We are doing amazing research here in the college that will have a positive impact on not only our local community, but the world, and I want to be a part of that.”

Over the next ten years, Browning says one of the college’s goals is to nearly double the student body as well as add 20 new faculty positions. And with UTSA President Ricardo Romo recently announcing GoldStar Initiative, a four-year, $40-million dollar program to help recruit 60 new top-tier researchers, Browning and the college have both the will and the way to grow the engineering faculty.

“I want to focus on healthy growth,” said Browning. “We are not growing just for the sake of it, we are developing a managed plan that not only includes growing our faculty and student body, but growing our facilities and programs as well.”

Besides growing the college, Browning is exploring ways to augment student development.

“One of my main focuses is to get the majority of our students involved with experiences outside of the classroom such as internships, research experiences, international experiences, and student group leadership,” said Browning. “These are all great ways to help broaden our engineering students’ perspectives and prepare them for their journey after graduating with an engineering degree.”

In addition to growth and student success, Browning is creating faculty development and mentoring programs to ensure the success of engineering faculty.

“We have some of the best faculty in the state and in the nation, and I want to make sure that they have the support they need to succeed in the classroom and as researchers,” said Browning.

With Browning’s leadership and focus on student success, growth and research, the College of Engineering and its faculty and staff are well on their way to helping UTSA reach the goal of Tier One status.

Junghee Lee

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology

Where are you from?
I am originall from South Korea. Before joining UTSA I lived in Atlanta, Georgia, wihile study for my Ph.D

Why did you choose to come to UTSA? I was impressed by the university’s enthusiastic push toward becoming a top-tier university.
What are your current research interests? I am interested in parallel computing, embedded system design, and cybersecurity.

What do you hope to accomplish here in COE? I hope to perform innovative research that has profound impact on both academia and industry.

What are your hobbies or interests outside of work? I used to read books or take a walk, but nowadays I spend most of my free time playing with my kids.

Pranav Bhounsule

Mechanical Engineering

Ph.D., Cornell University

Where are you from?
Originally from Goa, the smallest state in India. More recently, I moved from Disney Research in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Why did you choose to come to UTSA?
In a limited time, UTSA has developed into a great school and it is working its way to even bigger heights. I saw a lot of potential ways in which I could contribute to the school’s mission to develop into a Tier One institute.

What are your current research interests?
Mainly bipedal walking robots. One of my goals is to program such robots to walk as well as their human counterparts, if not better.
What do you hope to accomplish here in COE?
Develop a sustainable research program and provide outstanding research opportunities to the students in robotics and controls.

What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
Triathlons, a sport in which you swim, bike, and run, in that order.

Adolfo Matamoros

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Peter T. Flawn Distinguished Chair
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Where are you from?
I am originally from Costa Rica, where I lived until I was 25 years old. I came to the United States in 1992 to pursue a graduate degree in engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduating, I moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where I worked for 15 years before coming to UTSA.

Why did you choose to come to UTSA?
San Antonio is a growing city with lots of opportunities to offer. Coming to UTSA presented unique opportunities for professional growth for me and my family.

What are your current research interests?
My general area of research is structural engineering. Within structural engineering I have performed research in several areas including earthquake engineering, reinforced concrete, composite materials, fatigue damage in steel bridge structures, and highway sign structures.

What do you hope to accomplish here in COE?
Prior to my arrival at UTSA, the undergraduate program in Civil Engineering had become a well-established and respected program in the state. The next step for UTSA in its path to become a nationally recognized university is to solidify its graduate and research programs. Succeeding in this goal will provide new opportunities to UTSA students and alumni. A strong research program provides undergraduate students with opportunities to be involved in the development of cutting- edge technology and to work with professors who are at the forefront of the engineering profession. Those experiences are essential for building up their careers and to stimulate their intellectual curiosity. As a member of the faculty of UTSA I hope to be a part of that growth process.

Lide Duan

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Ph.D., Louisiana State University

Where are you from?
I am originally from China, where I received my bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2006. I then came to the U.S. for my graduate studies, and received a Ph.D. in computer engineering from Louisiana State University in 2011. After that, I worked in industry (a semiconductor company named AMD) for two and a half years as a senior CPU design engineer on future CPU microprocessor design and performance modeling.
Why did you choose to come to UTSA?
I decided to come back to academia from industry because I have learned a lot and gained experience in real CPU design during my time spent at AMD. And now I think it’s a good time for me to utilize my industrial experience to guide my research in new areas. UTSA is a great university that can provide tremendous resources and a great environment for my future research.

What are your current research interests?
My research is in generic computer architecture areas. In the past, I have been focused on processor reliability. However, I am interested in new directions now such as power and energy efficient computer architectures, architectural support for emerging technologies and trends, datacenter design and energy efficiency, and so on.

What do you hope to accomplish here in COE?
My plan is to obtain external fundings and quickly establish a research lab in my research areas. I hope we will have publications in prestigious conferences and journals, and continuously graduate master’s/PhDs from my group.