The UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science has witnessed unprecedented faculty growth over the past few years and the spring 2025 semester is no exception.
Eleven additional faculty members, including one with a joint appointment, will join the college this semester, after 17 new hires in fall 2024. The increase in faculty is part of an initiative to hire 100 new faculty over three years. Close to 30 new faculty joined the college during the previous academic year and 18 new positions have already been posted for the 2025-26 academic year.
“We are thrilled to welcome 28 new faculty members to our college plus another 36 next year. Their diverse expertise and innovative approaches will undoubtedly drive our institution forward, fostering a vibrant academic environment,” says Michael Georgiopoulos, the dean of CECS. “These additions will enhance our research capabilities, enrich our curriculum, and inspire our students to reach new heights. Together, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and making significant contributions to our fields.”
Meet the new faculty who are joining the college this semester:
Chase Brown
Assistant Professor
Brown’s goal is to develop tools across the fields of nanomaterials, photonics, bioinformatics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to facilitate the automation of scientific discovery. His research focuses on the optoelectronic and physicochemical properties of nanomaterials, the design of stimuli-responsive nanoparticles for biofuel catalysis, as well as the application of algebraic topology to genomic meta-analyses and literature-based discovery. Brown earned his doctoral degree in neuroscience and a master’s degree in chemical and biological materials engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He also has extensive industrial experience managing carbon nanotube production, separation and characterization operations as the lead research and development engineer at SouthWest Nanotechnologies.
Yuxun Ren
Assistant Professor
Ren obtained his doctoral degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2019. Since then, he has completed postdoctoral appointments at Vanderbilt University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Maryland, College Park. Over this past year, he worked as a senior scientist in the battery industry.
- Written by Marisa Ramiccio
- Jan. 15, 2025