June 05, 2025
Appointments underscore commitment to advancing research and educational excellence.
Mizzou Engineering Dean Marisa Chrysochoou has announced faculty members who will hold named professorships beginning Sept. 1. These three-year appointments recognize excellence in research, teaching and service across multiple disciplines.
Scott Thompson has been named the Barton Professor in Fluid Power in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. An associate professor affiliated with the MU Research Reactor, Thompson specializes in metals additive manufacturing, including laser powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition.
Yi Shang continues as a faculty fellow through the Robert H. Buescher Faculty Fellows Fund. A professor and director of graduate studies in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Shang is a noted expert in artificial intelligence, wireless sensor networks and bioinformatics. His prolific research output includes more than 200 refereed papers and six U.S. patents.
Baolin Deng and Binbin Wang have been appointed William Andrew Davidson Professors in Civil Engineering. Deng is a Curators’ Distinguished Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has led more than three dozen research projects and published extensively in environmental engineering. Wang, an associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, investigates fluid dynamics in natural and built environments, with applications ranging from infectious disease transmission to aquatic systems and environmental health.
Yangchuan Xing and Maryam Salehi have been awarded James C. Dowell Professorships in Engineering. Xing, who currently serves as the Cramer W. LaPierre Professor in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, researches electrocatalysis, sustainable powder manufacturing and nanoparticle coatings. Salehi, an associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, focuses on plastic pollution and contaminant transport in water systems.
Mahmoud Almasri, Xiaohua Liu and Zheng Yan will share the C.W. LaPierre Professorship in Engineering. Almasri is a professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science whose publications include research on biosensors and lab-on-chip technologies for environmental and health applications. Liu, in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, researches cell-material interaction, biomimetic materials and controlled drug delivery. He serves as a standing member in the National Institutes of Health Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences study section. Yan, also in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, is a rising leader in soft electronics and a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
Dong Xu and Jianlin (Jack) Cheng will each hold Paul K. and Diane Shumaker Professorships in Bioinformatics. Xu, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has authored more than 400 papers and is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Cheng, previously the William and Nancy Thompson Distinguished Professor Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, focuses on AI for biomedical data and has developed widely used bioinformatics tools.
Roseanna Zia has been reappointed as the Dave Wollersheim Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Zia joined Mizzou from Stanford University, where she was a tenured professor. Her research in colloidal physics and soft matter bridges engineering and biology. She is a recipient of two Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.
These appointments underscore Mizzou Engineering’s commitment to advancing research and educational excellence throughout the College. Congratulations to all the appointees!
Mizzou Engineering faculty work with peers from across campus. Learn more about faculty careers.