Chulho Yang has been named the inaugural head for the department within the Tickle College of Engineering which will house the applied engineering program, set to launch in the fall of 2025.
Yang arrives at the University of Tennessee after spending the last 17 years at Oklahoma State, where he was a mechanical engineering technology professor and interim head of the Division of Engineering Technology. He brings a strong background in administration, teaching, research, and service, built through extensive experience in academia and industry.
Yang will be leading the launch of a four-year degree program that will prepare students to directly enter the workforce upon graduation with an emphasis on hands-on learning and applied experience. This new department aims to meet industry demand and better serve the university’s land-grant mission.
“I am excited to join TCE and lead an outstanding department while collaborating with incredible colleagues at UT,” Yang said. “The future of this new department looks exceptionally promising, and its graduates will be in high demand across Tennessee and the nation. They will enter the workforce well-prepared with the skills and training necessary for success.”
Yang’s research areas of interest include mechanical system analysis and design, noise and vibration, experimental sensitivity analysis, structural dynamics/health monitoring, design optimization, biomechanics, and protective device/structure.
Before joining OSU in 2008, Yang acquired 11 years of industrial experience with ArvinMeritor technical center, IBM Korea, and KIA Motors R&D Center. Much of his work focused on structural design and optimization, vehicle NVH test, sensitivity analysis, structural health monitoring, human body protection, and design methodologies. Yang has received multiple patents in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Korea.
Yang received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Hanyang University in Korea. He obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.
“Dr. Yang brings a combination of experience and perspective from his time in academia and industry that is ideal to launch this new program, which is designed to help serve out UT’s land-grant mission and meet the emerging needs of the engineering workforce in Tennessee and beyond,” said Dean Matthew Mench, dean and Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair of the college.
Yang will begin his new role at UT on June 1. He’s eager to help spearhead the launch of another engineering department at UT that helps light the way for others.
“While maintaining the rigor expected of engineering programs, we will develop a future-ready curriculum aligned with the evolving needs of current and emerging industries,” Yang said. “By emphasizing practical knowledge and essential engineering skills, we will ensure our graduates are equipped for thriving careers.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, [email protected])