Ertekin takes the reins of MechSE Graduate Programs

MechSE Department Head Tony Jacobi has named Associate Professor Elif Ertekin the new Associate Head for Graduate Programs and Research. She takes over the role after Professor Petros Sofronis’ extraordinary leadership in this position for the last four years. Ertekin will also remain the Director of Mechanics Programs, a role she has had since Fall 2020.

Since Sofronis assumed the Associate Head role in 2020, enrollment in MechSE’s graduate programs grew substantially. This fall, the department will see 114 MS/PhD students matriculate, and the incoming cohort of PhD students is the largest in the history of our department. Last year, the number of doctoral degrees conferred per faculty reached an all-time high of 1.3.

“Throughout this period of growth, Petros worked tirelessly to maintain the excellence of our programs at the highest levels,” said Jacobi. “I know he consistently confronted challenges with immense optimism, always looking for an opportunity to improve our programs. I owe Petros deep gratitude for his selfless, committed service to MechSE, and I am excited to work with Elif in further elevating our top-ranked graduate programs.”

Ertekin, who is also an Andersen Faculty Scholar, joined MechSE in 2011 after postdoctoral research positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and MIT. She earned an MS in engineering science from Penn State University in 2000, and an MS and PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2003 and 2006, respectively.

Her research interests are centered on the theory and modeling of materials using a variety of computational methods ranging from atomistic to continuum scales. She currently serves as the Director of the Network for Computational Nanotechnology Nanomanufacturing Node and Co-Director of the HDR Institute for Data-Driven Dynamical Design. She is an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Physics.