Yang and Gopalan Now Full Professors
Promotions for ENG faculty who research materials for brain science and energy applications
Two materials experts from the College of Engineering are among the 22 faculty on Boston University’s Charles River Campus who have been promoted to the rank of full professor.
“The individuals we recognize today have emerged as leaders in their respective fields of research and in their classrooms,” wrote Kenneth Lutchen, former ENG dean and current BU provost ad interim, in an email announcing the faculty promotions. “At a time of transition and challenge in the world, they are meeting the moment by pursuing highly relevant new areas of inquiry, employing innovative new approaches, and entering boundary-pushing collaborations across dozens of disciplines.”
Chen Yang, CAS professor of chemistry, College of Engineering professor of electrical and computer engineering, designs materials and devices for high-precision neuromodulation. Her work enables technologies to better understand how the brain functions and to treat neurological disorders where drug therapies are not available. Supported by major federal, foundation, and private industry grants, she is a past NSF CAREER award recipient, a current American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering fellow, and a member of the American Chemical Society and the International Society for Optics and Photonics. Her research has resulted in multiple granted patents, and she has published 63 articles in top science and engineering journals, including Nature and Science.
Srikanth Gopalan, College of Engineering professor of mechanical engineering, is a materials experimentalist working in the broad area of energy and materials science. He works at the intersection of structure, chemistry, and interfaces and is credited with pioneering the development of reversible solid oxide fuel cells. Supported by grants from federal, state, and industry sponsors—including the NSF and the US Department of Energy—his work is considered vital in the push for clean power generation and sustainable energy. He has published over 83 journal articles and is an active and contributing member to the Electrochemical Society.