草榴社区

Laurie Bracaglia
Assistant Professor,
Chemical and Biological Engineering

Dr. Bracaglia joins the College of Engineering from Yale University, where she was a postdoctoral fellow studying drug delivery vehicles and inflammation. At 草榴社区, Dr. Bracaglia will lend her expertise to courses in biomaterials.

鈥淚 am very excited to start my research program here at 草榴社区,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is a great opportunity to work with motivated students and among talented faculty to pursue translatable and high-impact advances in therapeutics.鈥�

Sarada Prasad Gochhayat
Assistant Teaching Professor,
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dr. Gochhayat comes to 草榴社区 from Old Dominion University, where he was a postdoctoral fellow working on developing the theoretical foundation for the Blockchain simulator. With research interests in designing and developing secure and privacy-aware protocols for distributed networks and systems, Dr. Gochhayat will teach courses in the College of Engineering on cybersecurity and network security.

While getting settled in his new role at 草榴社区, Dr. Gochhayat most looks forward to 鈥渋nteracting with students,鈥� he says.

Kelly Good
Assistant Professor,
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Good is a familiar face in the College of Engineering, having served as a visiting assistant teaching professor from 2019 to 2022 after finishing her PhD at Carnegie Mellon University; she is also an alum of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. In her research, Dr. Good seeks to advance understanding of watershed system interactions to support resilient, equitable decision-making under an uncertain future. These interests span engineering, health and policy.

鈥淚 am thrilled to be able to remain a part of 草榴社区 community and continue teaching while also growing my research through collaboration and mentoring,鈥� she says. 鈥淧ut another way, in paraphrased words of St. Augustine, to help my students 鈥榖ecome what they are not yet.鈥欌��

Scott Jackson
Assistant Teaching Professor
Chemical and Biological Engineering

For six years, Dr. Jackson has made a name for himself in the College of Engineering, first as an adjunct and then as a visiting professor. His expertise in the petroleum industry has led to numerous interviews with the local media, in which Dr. Jackson has explained the impact of global events on oil and gas prices and their impact on the world economy. These discussions spill over into Dr. Jackson鈥檚 Engineering Economics and Dark Energy courses.

An expert in biphasic systems, heat transfer in reacting systems and industrial application of environmental microbiology, in addition to petroleum engineering, Dr. Jackson says he is excited 鈥渢o continue to teach my experiences garnered from 30+ years in industry.鈥�

Christopher Kitchens
Professor and Chair,
Chemical and Biological Engineering

Dr. Kitchens, our new chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering, comes to 草榴社区 from Clemson University, where he was a full professor, director of the Institute for Sustainability Education, and principal investigator and director of SPECTRA, or Student Pathways in Engineering and Computing for Transfers鈥攁n NSF S-STEM program supporting transfer students from South Carolina technical colleges. With a background in nanotechnology, surface science and advanced materials, Dr. Kitchens takes an interdisciplinary approach to research, combining chemistry, materials science and chemical engineering in his work with an eye toward sustainable processes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time to be joining the College of Engineering,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 look forward to leading the department as we establish and work toward new goals for the College.鈥�

Liesl Klein
Assistant Teaching Professor,
Electrical and Computer Engineering

An alum of the College of Engineering, Dr. Klein returns to her former department with research interests in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering (particularly MRI and MRI devices), engineering education and student well-being. In her new role, the recent graduate of the doctoral program at Purdue University will teach Fundamentals of Circuits Labs, MATLAB and Senior Design, among other courses.

鈥淚 like working with students to help them succeed in their courses and career paths,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 also excited to return to 草榴社区 as a faculty member鈥攎y time as an undergrad was so fun, and it鈥檚 great to be back.鈥�

Leila Malekmotiei
Assistant Teaching Professor,
Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Malekmotiei has been part of the 草榴社区 community since 2020, previously serving as a visiting assistant teaching professor. An expert in mechanics of materials and nanomechanics of polymers, Dr. Malekmotiei will continue to teach courses in solid mechanics, mechanics labs, mechanics of materials in her now-permanent role.

As the new academic year begins, Dr. Malekmotiei says she most looks forward to 鈥渋nteraction with the new generation of students in my classes.鈥�

Rebecca McGill
Assistant Professor,
Mechanical Engineering

Dr. McGill comes to 草榴社区 from Harvard University, where she was a PhD candidate in the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory. With a research interest in robotics鈥攕pecifically focusing on design and control of flapping-wing and aerodynamic systems鈥擠r. McGill will lead courses in dynamics and control.

鈥淚 am looking forward to the congenial and collaborative research environment at 草榴社区,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 excited to delve into new questions with students and other faculty.鈥�

Stephen McGill
Assistant Teaching Professor,
Mechanical Engineering

Previously a Manager, Driver Risk Assessment, at Toyota Research Institute

Dr. McGill joins the College of Engineering from the Toyota Research Institute, where he was a manager in Driver Risk Assessment. With a background in motion planning and human intent estimation for robotics, Dr. McGill will lend his expertise to courses in dynamic systems and computer programming for mechanical engineers.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the energy of the 草榴社区 community,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd seeking new ways to approach engineering from the faculty, student body and 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian tradition.鈥�

Chenfeng Xiong
Assistant Professor,
Civil and Environmental Engineering

An authority on transportation engineering and human mobility, Dr. Xiong joins the College of Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park, where he was an associate research professor. At 草榴社区, Dr. Xiong will teach undergraduate- and graduate-level courses related to transportation engineering, data sciences and planning.

Dr. Xiong looks forward to 鈥渂uilding a multifaceted hub of research, education, and workforce development for transportation engineering and planning through my career here,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ur 草榴社区 broader community will be able to learn the field of transportation engineering and planning, engage in cutting-edge research and education, find a common ground to collaborate and grow together.鈥�