Dankowicz chosen as new Associate Dean for Graduate, Professional and Online Education

The College of Engineering has appointed Harry Dankowicz as the new Associate Dean for Graduate, Professional and Online Education position effective August 16, 2016. Dankowicz, who joined the Illinois faculty in 2005, is a tenured professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering (MechSE).

“Professor Dankowicz brings strong skills, enthusiasm and energy to the position,” explained Andreas Cangellaris, dean of the College of Engineering. “His conviction for the importance of graduate education as a catalyst for innovation and renewal in higher education left a very strong impression on the Search Committee and myself. His experience with promoting and establishing successful international educational and research collaborations is yet another important asset we count upon as our College continues to explore global educational partnership opportunities.”

A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Dankowicz graduated from KTH Royal Institute of Technology with an master’s degree in engineering physics in 1991, earning a PhD in theoretical and applied mechanics from Cornell University in 1995. Following a post-doctoral and research associate appointment at KTH, he held a faculty position in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In 2005, Dankowicz joined the MechSE faculty as a Cannon Faculty Scholar, and he was named an Associate of the Center for Advanced Study in AY 2011-12, pursuing research on nonlinear dynamics of complex systems. He is a co-author of a graduate-level textbook on computational nonlinear analysis, and is the editor of ASME Applied Mechanics Reviews. In addition, Dankowicz is the inventor of a patented self-calibration technology for harvest combine mass-flow sensors.

An outstanding teacher and a renowned researcher, Dankowicz has been recognized by his students and his colleagues for the excellence and the innovation of his teaching, and by his peers for his contributions to the advancement of the fields of nonlinear dynamics and multibody systems. He is a recipient of the College of Engineering Collins Award for Innovative Teaching. An ASME Fellow, Dankowicz was also a recipient of a Junior Investigator Grant from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research; he has earned both a CAREER and PECASE award from the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Fred Merryfield Design Award from the American Society for Engineering Education.

His previous service to the University includes as co-initiator and founding faculty co-liaison for the Illinois-Sweden Program for Educational and Research Exchange, recognized in 2016 by the Institute for International Education’s Andrew Heiskell Award in the category of Best International Partnership.