Dr. Jeongho Kim is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His area of expertise is in finite element methods, computational fracture mechanics, and composites damage modeling. Dr. Kim has led various research programs working with federal and state agencies and industry partners, including the National Institutes of Health, Pratt & Whitney, National Science Foundation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Dr. Kim serves as an associate editor of Finite Element in Analysis and Design.

Dr. Jiong Tang is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering.  He has extensive research experience on computational structural dynamics, uncertainty propagation, design optimization, modeling and analysis of systems with multi-field couplings, motion and vibration controls, and structural health monitoring.  He has served as Associate Editor for several leading journals, such as ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, and IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

Joe Luciani is Director of Proof of Concept Center (POCC) and Project Specialist for UConn’s Tech Park. His area of expertise is design and prototype creation for product development.  Mr. Luciani is interested in the overlap and creative use of digital design and analog + digital fabrication methods, providing innovative solutions to both the design experience and the expression of craft.

Paul S. Lavoie is the Chief Manufacturing Officer for Connecticut.  Lavoie has extensive manufacturing industry experience including General Manager at Carey Manufacturing in Cromwell, and Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Human Resources at ETTER Engineering Company in Bristol. He has also owned two businesses and served in senior-level positions at publicly traded and privately owned businesses. Lavoie serves as the Board Chair of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, Board Member for the Connecticut Technical Education & Career System, and an Advisory Board Member for UConn’s School of Engineering, in addition to serving on Senator Chris Murphy’s Aerospace and Advance Manufacturing Advisory Council. Paul is also Chairman of the Manufacturing Innovation Fund Advisory Board, established to support the continued advancement of Connecticut’s manufacturing sector. In 2022, Paul was named one of Greater Hartford’s Top 50 Power Players by Hartford Business Journal.

Dr. Jacquelynn Garofano is the Chief Technology Officer at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. Her area of expertise is in materials characterization leveraging combinatorial high throughput methodology focusing on materials informatics approaches, for advanced materials development, additive manufacturing and corrosion mitigation. Dr. Garofano is leading various programs working partner organizations; primarily federal agencies, national labs and consortiums, universities, global industrial corporations and subject matter experts. Currently, with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Energy with Pratt & Whitney, Electric Boat, and others. Dr. Garofano is a UCONN alumna, receiving her master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering (’09, ’11).

Dr. Dianyun Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Her area of expertise involves experimental characterization and computational modeling of lightweight composite materials, including textile composites and ceramic matrix composites. The focus is on the composite processing models, multiscale modeling methods, and progressive damage analysis across different material length scales. Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2014.

Dr. Jiong Tang is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering.  He has extensive research experience on computational structural dynamics, uncertainty propagation, design optimization, modeling and analysis of systems with multi-field couplings, motion and vibration controls, and structural health monitoring.  He has served as Associate Editor for several leading journals, such as ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, and IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

Dr. Wei Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  He has extensive experience on finite element methods, coupled structural dynamics, fatigue, and damage of structures, fluid-structure interactions, uncertainty quantification, and resilience and reliability of structures and systems.  He has served as Associate Editor for several journals, such as ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering, Frontiers of Built Environment, etc. He has led and participated in projects funded by National Science Foundation, NOAA/Connecticut Sea Grant, FHWA/ConnDOT and other industrial partners.