Engineering faculty member named Innovator of the Year

Excellence in research and discovery recognized at UTSA Innovation Awards

Bing Dong, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was named 2017 UTSA Innovator of the Year.

The University of Texas at San Antonio recognized engineering professor Bing Dong as its 2017 Innovator of the Year at its fifth annual Innovation Awards. His selection was based on a number of factors including the launch of his startup, grant awards, I-Corps participation, and licensing of his numerous technologies.

Dong earned his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University. Before joining UTSA in 2013, he was a senior research scientist at United Technologies Research Center. His current research interests include building energy modeling, intelligent building operation, occupant behavior in buildings, and buildings-to-grid integration towards smart community and city. His lab, Built Environment Science and Technology (BEST), is interdisciplinary, combining mechanical engineering, artificial intelligence, electrical engineering, and social science research. In 2017, he received the UTSA Faculty Research Award for Highest Funding as Principal Investigator (assistant professor category) and a Distinguished Service Award from the International Energy Agency. He has published one book, six book chapters, and over 50 journal and conference papers.

Additionally, UTSA recognized 29 other members of its research community. Organized by the UTSA Office of Commercialization and Innovation, these annual awards are presented in four categories, reflecting UTSA’s success at commercializing new knowledge and technologies.

“Our goal is to cultivate a research-intensive environment where our faculty and students can flourish and their research contributions have meaningful impact societally,” said Bernard Arulanandam, interim UTSA vice president for research.