Michele Manuel, who has served as chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Nuclear Engineering Program at the University of Florida since 2017, has been named the new U.S. Steel Dean of Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, effective Sept. 1, 2024, Provost Joe McCarthy announced in a statement on May 28.
“(Manuel’s) outstanding higher education and industry experience uniquely position her to lead the Swanson School forward,” McCarthy said, calling her transformational scholar and educator and a seasoned innovator and entrepreneur.
Manuel, who will be the first woman to serve as engineering dean, began her academic career at the University of Florida, joining the faculty in 2008. As department chair, Manuel led and advanced strategic planning, increased endowments, established and grew several professorships, scholarships, and innovative professional development programs, substantially increased research development and awards, and managed the recruitment and onboarding of more than 20 faculty members.
She is a National Academy of Engineering member and fellow of the American Society of Metals. She is also the recipient of numerous awards, notably including The Materials, Metals, and Minerals Society (TMS) Brimacombe Medalist, TMS Early Career Faculty, Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, National Science Foundation CAREER, NASA Early Career Faculty, and NASA agency-wide Group Achievement awards.
Her research led to the founding of Element12 Biotechnologies LLC, a medical device company advancing the biodegradable metals market for orthopedic applications. She has served on the TMS board of directors, contributed to the recent National Academies report on NASA’s 2023-2032 Decadal Strategy, and serves on the Board of Governors of Acta Materialia, Inc.
She earned her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida.
Manuel will replace Sanjeev Shroff, who has served as interim dean for two years. He stepped in after James Martin, who served as dean for four years, moved to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research as vice chancellor for STEM research and innovation.
McCarthy said in his announcement that Shroff “has done an outstanding job, leading the school through a successful ABET accreditation process, significantly increasing the production of doctoral degrees, and a nearly 50 percent jump in research expenditures to a school-record high of over $64 million. In addition, Sanjeev has been instrumental in advancing collaborative, interdisciplinary research and training grants, particularly in connecting engineering/science researchers to basic biomedical researchers and clinical practitioners.”
Shroff has agreed to “continue to contribute to the broader Pitt community in this arena,” McCarthy said, by serving as special assistant to the provost and the senior vice chancellor for health sciences for interdisciplinary and translational research, training and education.
Shroff was named interim in 2022 and the search for a new engineering was delayed until a new chancellor was named in 2023. The search committee was co-chaired by Adam Leibovich, dean of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and Stephen Wisniewski, vice provost for budget and analytics.
— Susan Jones
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