Brian Latimer, professor of engineering, has been appointed chair of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, effective March 10.
Latimer was appointed interim dean in the summer of 2023 following the resignation of Azim Eskanderian from his position as dean of engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. This prompted a nationwide search to fill the position. Mr. Latimer was selected from among the candidates for the permanent position after receiving feedback from a committee appointed by the faculty and dean.
“We are thrilled to have Brian Latimer in this role,” said Julie Ross, Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Chair of Engineering. “His industry expertise and the leadership he has shown in academia are the perfect blend for the future of this program. Mechanical Engineering is one of the original programs offered since 1872, and he I look forward to seeing how the tradition continues to grow.”
Since assuming the interim position, Mr. Latimer has established new resources for graduate student travel and initiated a strategic approach to Ph.D. He built the initial stages of a framework to enhance recruitment and further foster industry partnerships.
His experience in industry spans a decade and a half, first as a senior engineer and then as vice president of research and development at Jensen Hughes. Since 2007, he has held an academic post at Virginia Tech, where Jensen served as an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering during his time at Hugus College, but returned to full-time academic research in 2019.
A triple Hawkeye, Latimer earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. As an academic researcher, he has served as principal investigator and co-principal investigator on more than 35 projects with total funding in excess of $20 million.
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His research portfolio includes collaborative projects to develop firefighting foams that do not harm the environment, as well as extensive research into how structures behave during fires.
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As of March 2024, his work has received approximately 4,000 citations, according to Google Scholar.
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He has supervised the research of 44 graduate students and over 70 undergraduate students.
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His research has been supported by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Strategic Environmental Research and Development, Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, Office of Naval Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and various industry sponsors. Masu.
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Latimer has authored and co-authored over 160 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings.
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He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
“This is a pivotal moment for Virginia Tech,” Latimer said. “I am excited to continue collaborating with our faculty to build excellence through high-quality, impactful teaching and research that leads to solutions to complex societal problems.”
