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. Four of these new hires join the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, following the previous four that joined in fall 2024.
“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:
Ral Bielawski
Assistant Professor
Bielawski leverages high-performance computing to explore next generation propulsion systems for high-speed vehicles. He particularly focuses on the use of detonations to achieve hypersonic propulsions and understanding multiphase detonations. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Michigan and his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Rohit Deshmukh
Assistant Professor
Deshmukh comes to UCF from Florida Atlantic University, where he worked as an assistant professor. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 2010. After a short stint in industry, he joined The Ohio State University to pursue doctoral studies in aerospace engineering. Subsequently, he continued his research in computational aerospace sciences at Ohio State, first as a postdoctoral scholar and then as a research scientist.
Haonan Ling
Assistant Professor
Ling recently earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California in Los Angeles. He also earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 2017. His research focuses include newly emergent material systems, the interactions of light and matter at the nanoscale, and device research and engineering.
Sihong Yan
Assistant Professor
Yan earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University, where he previously worked as a postdoctoral scholar for the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence (VLRCOE) program. He was also a postdoctoral scholar with the Georgia Institute of Technology’s VLRCOE program. His research focuses on multiphase and thermal fluids problems related to hazardous atmospheric conditions including icing clouds, freezing drizzles and hailstones. He also conducts research on advanced vertical lift vehicles, with a particular focus on utilizing advanced experimental methods to study rotor aerodynamics and fluid-structure interactions
- Written by Marisa Ramiccio