Avram Bar-Cohen to Step Down as ME Chair

Dr. Avram Bar-Cohen, distinguished university professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has resigned as ME Chair, effective August 30, 2010, after nine years of exceptional leadership. Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Chair, Balakumar Balachandran will succeed Bar-Cohen as Acting Chair while the ME department conducts its search for the next ME chair.

Bar-Cohen will retain his faculty appointment, but will take a leave of absence to temporarily serve the nation as a Program Manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In this new capacity, Bar-Cohen will support programs on thermal energy science and systems. Upon completion of his 2 year appointment with DARPA, Bar-Cohen will return to campus and continue his scholarly activities within the department.

Throughout his career, Bar-Cohen has been influential in advancing the field of thermal packaging through his efforts as a researcher, instructor and administrator. He has co-authored a wealth of textbooks, path finding articles, and journal papers that have significantly impacted thermal packaging research. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious International Centre for Heat and Mass Transfer's 2008 Luikov Medal, is among the very select number of ASME Honorary Members, and is a Fellow of IEEE. Under Bar-Cohen’s tenure, the department achieved a high level of scholarship and national visibility while continually maintaining its rank as one of the top 25 mechanical engineering programs in the country.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering thanks Dr. Bar-Cohen for his many years of dedicated service and wish him well in his future endeavors at UMD--and beyond.

** On August 26, 2010, the Department held a Goodbye Reception for Professor Bar-Cohen at the University of Maryland Golf Course. To see pictures of the event, please visit here.

Published August 12, 2010