George Nnanna has been named the founding director of the School of Engineering at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He will begin his new role on April 1.
As head of the recently established school, Dr. Nnanna will oversee the university’s first cohort of undergraduate engineering students. Beginning next fall, the School of Engineering will offer bachelor’s degrees in civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Dr. Nnanna will also look to grow the school’s academic and research offerings by leveraging over $20 million in major gifts that have been provided to support faculty hiring, establish endowments, and construct classrooms and laboratories.
Dr. Nnanna brings extensive experience in developing engineering programs in academia to his new position. From 2018 to 2023, he served as founding dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas Permian Basin. For the past two years, Dr. Nnanna has directed the Texas Water and Energy Institute at UT-Permian Basin. Earlier in his career, he was a professor of mechanical engineering and department head at Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University Northwest.
In his scholarly work, Dr. Nnanna researches the characterization of produced water, the development of nanostructures for energy solutions, innovation in appliances and HVAC systems, and water treatment. His discoveries have led to seven U.S. patents and numerous journal articles.
Dr. Nnanna is a graduate of Texas Tech University, where he majored in mechanical engineering. He holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
