Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering has six new assistant professors beginning as faculty members in the 2018-2019 academic years. Their areas of expertise range from innovative health and energy systems to mechanical and materials science, and they will join colleagues in four departments within the school.

The new faculty members include:

David Anderson
With a focus on electroacoustics, tactile audio and audio signal processing for virtual reality applications and papers published in leading acoustics journals, Anderson joins the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Masoud Barati
With particular interest in developing new optimization and control algorithms for electric power systems, Barati’s current research focus includes the intersection of data science and optimization theory with power grid applications. Barati joins the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Sarah Haig
Joining the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Haig has published papers on environmental engineering and microbiology in leading journals. Her research combines microbiology, environmental chemistry and public health with a focus on drinking water systems.

Joaquin Rodriguez
Rodriguez brings more than 15 years of technical expertise in the manufacture of refinery special products and thermal conversion processes to the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

Liang Zhan
Joining the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Zhan’s research includes bioinformatics, machine learning and algorithm development. In 2017, he received an award from the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging to study early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Xiayun Sharon Zhao
Zhao brings to the Department of Mechanical and Materials Science her research in real-time process monitoring, measurement science and control technology for additive manufacturing.

Read more about the appointments at the Swanson School site.