After summer travels with CEC students, Amy Yousefi returns to campus as interim chair
Amy Yousefi, Ph.D. is a Professor and Interim Chair of Miami University’s Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering (CPB)
After summer travels with CEC students, Amy Yousefi returns to campus as interim chair
Amy Yousefi, Ph.D. had a great time leading CEC’s Engineering in Europe study abroad program, which has now run seven different summers since the program first began in 2013.
“It was such a joy to lead this program and see our students thrive in a global setting,” said Professor Yousefi, who now serves as Interim Chair of Miami University’s Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering following the appointment of Jessica Sparks to Associate Dean. “Over the course of 24 days in Italy, and a day trip to Switzerland, students from across four engineering majors came together to learn, collaborate, and immerse themselves in new cultures.”
During the three-week Engineering in Europe program, Yousefi led students on engineering site visits which included trips to the wind tunnel at Politecnico di Milano, the A2A Canavese district heating plant in Milan, a tour of the Lamborghini production facility and a visit to the Ferrari museum in Bologna, and the Verbano Hydropower Plant in Locarno, Switzerland. Yousefi and the students – ten undergraduates majoring in chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and robotics engineering – also visited the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, participated in a pasta cooking class, and took in lectures by local experts on energy efficiency and the circular economy, among other immersive experiences.
Now back on campus for Fall semester, Professor Yousefi has taken on the role of Interim Chair of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering. In this role, she will oversee faculty and staff in strategic goals for the department, as well as the instruction of students as they develop ever deeper knowledge in CPB subject areas such biomaterials, paper science, bioinstrumentation, biomechanics, process control, thermodynamics, and clinical engineering.
“With her standing as a respected scholar and strong advocate for both students and colleagues, Dr. Amy Yousefi offers thoughtful, detail-oriented leadership that will serve the department well during this transition” said Jessica Sparks, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Personnel and Curriculum.
“I am honored to serve as Interim Chair of the Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering,” said Professor Yousefi. “In this role, I look forward to collaborating with our talented students, accomplished faculty, dedicated staff, and distinguished alumni, as well as our valued industry and community champions.”
Amy Yousefi received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from École Polytechnique – University of Montreal in 1996, where she later conducted research on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a postdoctoral associate. In 1999, she joined the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) – Industrial Materials Institute (IMI), which honored her with the “l’Ordre du Mérite” in 2002 (individual) and in 2006 (team). These prestigious honors acknowledge her contributions to automotive and plastic packaging industries. Professor and Interim Chair Yousefi joined Miami University in 2009 as a Maryloo Spooner Schallek Associate Professor, and was promoted to full professor in 2016. Her research on 3-D scaffolds for bone tissue engineering at Miami University has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
