Amin Salehi-Khojin Named Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Pitt

Following a national search, Amin Salehi-Khojin, an energy and advanced materials researcher and current chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Southern Methodist University, has been named Harry S. Tack Professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. His appointment begins January 2, 2027.

Salehi-Khojin will lead the Swanson School’s largest department, with more than 40 primary faculty and annual research expenditures exceeding $16 million, and more than 600 undergraduate and 220 graduate students across mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, engineering science, and nuclear engineering.

“Amin understands how decisions about faculty recruitment, academic programs, facilities, and external partnerships affect department growth,” said Michele V. Manuel, U. S. Steel Dean of Engineering. “His research crosses the mechanical engineering and materials science boundaries that define MEMS. He has the leadership experience and technical range to lead a department of MEMS’s breadth and complexity.”

“Pitt’s combination of mechanical engineering and materials science fits both my training and my research. With degrees in mechanical engineering and a research program focused on advanced materials for energy systems, I bring perspectives that span both disciplines,” Salehi-Khojin said. “I see this as a unique opportunity to foster balanced growth across the two programs, strengthen collaboration at their intersection, and build greater synergy around shared research, education, and societal missions.

“Strong departments are built on transparency, fairness, and respect, which foster a productive and collaborative environment. I look forward to listening to faculty, staff, and students and working with them to build on the department’s strengths and advance its future.”

Salehi-Khojin’s research is at the forefront of designing and manufacturing complex, next-generation materials for energy systems and extreme environments. He is pioneering high-energy density lithium-air battery technologies to enable the electrification of aviation, and his research portfolio has attracted more than $20 million in grant support. He has co-authored more than 100 journal articles, including four in Science and two in Nature, and holds five granted patents. Foreign Policy has named him one of its 100 Leading Global Thinkers.

Since Salehi-Khojin became chair at SMU in 2024, the department has recruited eight faculty members, including a member of the National Academy of Engineering; launched two new master’s programs, with a third currently in the approval process; established two doctoral specializations; and renovated all of its teaching laboratories with donor support, including those dedicated to heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, robotics, mechatronics, dynamic systems and control, and solid mechanics. A state-of-the-art Machine Shop is also under development. He has also worked with its industry advisory board to ensure that the new programs and facilities reflect student and employer needs.

During his tenure, sponsored research activity substantially increased to more than $1.5 million per tenure-track faculty member, while PhD enrollment grew nearly fourfold. He also spearheaded efforts to secure industry funding, including a $1.65 million Phase 1 award, in partnership with AECOM, to launch an AI-focused PhD and Doctor of Engineering program.

Before joining SMU, Salehi-Khojin was a professor and University Scholar at the University of Illinois Chicago and a visiting joint appointee at Argonne National Laboratory. He earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Karaj University, Tabriz University, and Clemson University, respectively, and completed postdoctoral study in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

William “Buddy” Clark has served as interim chair since September 1, 2025, and will return full-time to teaching and research when Salehi-Khojin arrives. Manuel said, “I am grateful to Buddy for his service and pleased that the department and its students will continue to benefit from his expertise and experience.”

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