MechSE Distinguished Alumni Awards
Michael Kessler
MSTAM 1998, PhDTAM 2002
Louis M. Sardella Department Head and Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Kessler is the Louis M. Sardella Department Head and Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. From 2017 until joining Johns Hopkins in 2023, Kessler was the Dean of the College of Engineering at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Prior to that, he was the Berry Family Director of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University (WSU), where he served as the chief academic and administrative officer. In addition, he was the founding co-director of the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry and University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) co-located at Washington State University and Iowa State University (and now North Dakota State University).
An expert in the mechanics, processing, and characterization of polymer matrix composites and nanocomposites, Kessler’s research interests include the development of multifunctional self-healing materials, polymer matrix composites for extreme environments, bio-renewable polymers and composites, and the evaluation of these materials using experimental mechanics and thermal analysis.
William Profilet
BSME 1984
Business Development Executive and Consultant, Pro Defense Consulting LLC
Profilet is the Principal of Pro Defense Consulting, located in St. Louis, MO. His career has included roles as a Nuclear Trained Submarine Officer in the U.S. Navy, a Senior Director of Business Development at Boeing Defense Space and Security (BDS) and retiring as a Legacy Fellow in Business Development at BAE Systems Electronic Systems.
Profilet spent 27 years with McDonnell Douglas/Boeing, in both Engineering and Business Development roles and another seven years at BAE Systems as a Business Development Senior Director. He retired in March of 2023 after being named as the first Business Development Legacy Fellow in the U.S. for BAE Systems. He established Pro Defense Consulting LLC to selectively consult in the areas of international business development, domestic business development, and business development functional excellence.
In addition to his University of Illinois degree, he also holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and certificates from the Naval War College (National Security Decision Making) and Villanova University (Program Management). Profilet has extensive experience serving on many different boards.
The MechSE Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes our alumni who have established careers and have served in a professional and technical capacity to honor the department and the university. To date, nearly 200 of our deserving alumni have received this award. Any individual with a degree in Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, or Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois, who is not a current MechSE faculty member or alumni board member, is eligible for nomination.
MechSE Outstanding Young Alumni Awards
Venanzio Cichella
PhDME 2018
Assistant Professor, University of Iowa
Cichella is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa and holds a concurrent position as an Assistant Faculty Research Engineer at IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering, a research center specializing in hydrodynamics and maritime research based in Iowa. He is also affiliated with the Department of Applied Mathematical and Computational Science.
His research concentrates on two primary areas: autonomy and soft robotics. As the director of the Cooperative Autonomous Systems (CAS) Lab, Cichella oversees a dynamic team comprising six PhD students, one postdoctoral researcher, and several undergraduate students. During his graduate work at Illinois, he was advised by Professor Naira Hovakimyan.
Arif Nelson
BSME 2013, MSME 2015, PhDME 2018
Assistant Professor, Singapore Institute of Technology
Nelson has been a student at the University of Illinois since childhood, beginning with University Primary School, then attending the University Laboratory High School and earning all three of his degrees from MechSE.
In graduate school, he worked with Professor Randy Ewoldt on the characterization and design of soft materials and complex fluids for food systems, 3D printing, and more. After earning his PhD, Nelson moved to Singapore, where he worked as a postdoctoral associate at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, applying the knowledge and skills he gained during his PhD to develop new methods for manufacturing pharmaceutical products. Since 2022, he has been an Assistant Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology, where his research is focused on applications of soft material design to impact innovation across the industries of sustainable food systems, pharmaceuticals, and other formulated products.
The MechSE Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have graduated from the department fewer than 10 years ago and who have embodied the department and university’s values in their professional careers.