Harriet B. Nembhard was appointed dean of the University of Iowa College of Engineering. When she takes office on June 29, she will oversee a multidisciplinary college with more than $50 million in annual research expenditures, 2,400 students, and 250 faculty and staff. The college has six departments.
“I am honored to be joining the University of Iowa to lead the College of Engineering,” says Nembhard. “I believe the north star for the discipline of engineering is to continually seek creative solutions to elevate humanity and address the needs of our society. The college has made tremendous strides to do precisely this. I am looking forward to working with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community leaders to make the college even greater. We are at a moment where it is imperative that we accelerate our work to build an inclusive community focused on excellence and innovation in order to impact the state of Iowa, the nation, and the globe.”
Currently, Dr. Nembhard is the Eric R. Smith Professor of Engineering and head of the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University. Earlier, Dr. Nembhard was a professor in the department of industrial and manufacturing engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Her research is focused on improving complex systems across manufacturing and health care.
Nembhard earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Arizona State University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.
