Interviews

Four finalists have been invited to visit campus for the College of Engineering and Mines deanship at the University of North Dakota.

We encourage the participation of the College of Engineering and Mines (CEM) faculty, staff and students in the interview process.

Candidate Interviews and Open Forums

Below are the times of these meetings, along with the Open Forum, which is open to all campus and community members. Open Forums will feature a 10 to 15-minute presentation by the candidate, followed by Q&A with the attendees.

Participants will be asked to complete a feedback survey for each candidate. We hope you will be able to participate in this important search process and provide your valuable feedback on these candidates.

Dr. Masud H. Chowdhury - April 28-30, 2025

Dr. Masud H. Chowdhury received a B.S. degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 1998 and a Ph.D. in computer engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, in 2004. Dr. Chowdhury’s research interests include post-silicon and beyond-binary computing technologies, Micro and nanodevices and circuits for flexible, transparent, and wearable electronics, and Nanotechnologies for biodegradable electronics, sensing, biomedical, and energy applications. He authored over 200 articles/papers, two books, and several chapters.

Currently, he is serving as the Inaugural Division Director of the Division of Energy, Matter, and Systems (EMS) under the newly formed School of Science and Engineering (SSE) at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC). The EMS Division offers nineteen (19) BS, M.S., and Ph.D. programs in sciences and engineering. He played key roles in academic and organizational reforms, including upgrading research and doctoral programs at UMKC. These efforts helped UMKC secure Carnegie R1 status in February 2025.

He is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Previously, he was the Associate Dean of the School of Computing and Engineering (SCE) and the Department Chair of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (CSEE). He was Chair and Chair-Elect of the IEEE VLSI Systems and Applications Technical Committee from 2012 to 2016. He has also served on the Editorial Boards of 5 leading journals. In addition, he has been serving the professional communities as a symposium chair, conference track chair, Special Session organizer, review committee chair, session chair, federal agency review panel member, and many other roles for the last 20 years.

He traveled globally and presented over 100 invited speeches, keynotes, seminars, conference papers, and posters. He received several awards for his research, teaching, and mentoring.

Dr. CHOWDHURY CV

Visit Schedule

Dr. Gautam Pillay - April 30-May 2, 2025

Dr. Gautam Pillay is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and a Tenured Full Professor of Engineering and Computing Education at the University of Cincinnati. He has served in these roles since 2020.

For 16 years before UC, he was a tenured full professor of engineering and design, vice provost for research, and dean of the graduate school of Western Washington University; chief research officer at West Chester University of PA; a tenured professor of chemical engineering and chief research officer at Rowan University in New Jersey; vice president for research and professor of chemical engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; and executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, a non-profit consisting of eight western research universities.

Additionally, he served for over 20 years at three DOE national laboratories (Los Alamos, Pacific Northwest, and Idaho) as a senior administrator in the director’s office, chief of staff, government relations officer, and program manager.

His research interests include environmental remediation and restoration, battery and fuel cell technologies, defense applications of materials science and engineering, impacts of engineering and science on public policy, and engineering education emphasizing technical communications. He has received numerous research and teaching awards and published numerous technical reports and scholarly journal articles.

Pillay earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University.

Dr. Pillay CV

Interview Schedule

Dr. Ryan S. Adams - May 4-6, 2025

Dr. Ryan S. Adams is a dynamic and visionary engineering academic leader with 30 years of experience in higher education, research, and national service. Currently serving as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Mines at the University of North Dakota, he has driven strategic growth across enrollment, faculty expansion, and research infrastructure, while managing significant annual budgets.

A former U.S. Air Force officer and program manager, Dr. Adams brings unique cross-sector expertise to engineering leadership, with significant external research funding, an extensive peer-reviewed publication record, and national-level engagement with the U.S. Space Force and broader Department of Defense. He has led major curriculum innovations at multiple institutions of higher education, ABET accreditations, and the unification of academic programs across disciplines.

A Senior Member of IEEE and an award-winning educator and mentor, Dr. Adams is committed to fostering inclusive excellence, advancing interdisciplinary research, and preparing the next generation of engineering leaders

Dr. Adams CV

Interview Schedule

Dr. Donald Peterson - May 6-8, 2025

Dr. Donald Peterson is the Director of the Division of Safety Research for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the HHS and CDC. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton in the UK, an Adjunct Professor at West Virginia University, and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He served as Dean of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University and as Dean of the College of STEM and Nursing at Texas A&M University in Texarkana. He was an Associate Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine at University of Connecticut and served as the Chair of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Engineering. He was the co-Executive Director of the Biomedical Engineering Alliance and Consortium, a nonprofit supporting the development and translation of new medical devices.

Dr. Peterson’s research is in injury mechanisms, human-device interaction, personal protective equipment, and exoskeletons, and serves as the Standards Director for the Acoustical Society of America, Chair of the ANSI Technical Advisory Group for ISO/TC 108 on Mechanical Vibration, Shock, and Condition Monitoring, Chair of ANSI S2 and S3 WG 39 on Human Exposure to Mechanical Vibration and Shock, and was inaugural Chair of ASTM International Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits.

As a first generation student and college athlete, he received his BS from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering followed by an MS in Mechanical Engineering and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UCONN.

Dr. Peterson CV

Interview Schedule