January 10, 2024

Professor Hani Salim has been named chair of the Department of Engineering and Information Technology at Mizzou Engineering.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve the department and grow with the department to achieve the goals we’ve identified for ourselves,” Salim said. “I look forward to continuing to work with faculty who are very talented and dedicated in their commitment to the education and success of our students.”

Salim has been serving as interim chair since the department was established in fall 2022. It brings together information technology (IT) — which has been offered at Mizzou since 2005 — and engineering technology, a new area faculty have been developing over the past year.

“The IT program has been very successful since its incorporation in terms of keeping up with trends, workforce needs and quality education,” Salim said. “It continues to adapt to changes, and that makes it very attractive to students. I modeled the engineering technology program after IT because if you’re going to repeat a success story, that’s where to do it.”

The IT program allows students to customize studies around software engineering and computer management — including mobile and web application development, networks and database management — or media technology and post-production, including design, color engineering, digital effects and virtual and augmented reality. The proposed engineering technology program aims to meet industry demand for technologists who understand advanced manufacturing and related technologies.

As interim chair of the department, Salim has spent the past year building on previous efforts to strengthen the program, including preparing for an accreditation review that occurred in October. Salim has also met with IT alumni and industry partners who continue to help guide and shape the program to ensure it meets the needs of today’s workforce.

“Dr. Salim has played a pivotal role in helping develop the Department of Engineering and Information Technology,” said Praveen Edara, interim dean of the college. “We look forward to seeing continued student success in IT and welcoming new students as we expand educational opportunities around engineering technology.”

Salim also serves as James C. Dowell Fellow and a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he studies blast mitigation and design. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Technical Committee on Blast, Shock and Impact, as well as the ASCE Blast Protection of Building Standards Committee. He is director of the MU National Center for Explosion Resistant Design.

Learn more about the Department of Engineering and Information Technology here.