Editors’ Note: This feature appears as it was published in the summer 2019 edition of UT Dallas Magazine. Titles or faculty members listed may have changed since that time.
Dr. Stephanie G. Adams
Dr. Stephanie G. Adams has become the fifth dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, effective Aug. 1.
Adams formerly was dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering & Technology and professor of engineering management and systems engineering at Old Dominion University. From 2011 to 2016, Adams was department head of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, where she worked with its then dean of engineering, Dr. Richard C. Benson, now UT Dallas president.
Adams, president of the American Society for Engineering Education, holds a PhD in interdisciplinary engineering from Texas A&M University.
Her research interests include interdisciplinary research, undergraduate and graduate education, leadership and service in professional organizations, teamwork and team effectiveness, and quality control. She is a leader in efforts to broaden participation of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering.
“Throughout the interview process, I found a vibrant, rapidly growing and exciting environment, which left me more and more impressed with the school and the University,” Adams said. “I look forward to working with Provost [Inga] Musselman, President Benson and the faculty, staff and students of the Jonsson School to continue the positive trajectory and growth.”
–Kim Horner
Dr. Steven L. Small
Dr. Steven L. Small, formerly professor of neurology at the University of California, Irvine, and director and chief scientific officer of the Medical Innovation Institute at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, became the new dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) on April 15.
Small, who holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Maryland in College Park and a medical degree from the University of Rochester, has conducted extensive research on the neurobiology of language and motor skills and the effects of stroke on these functions.
His areas of expertise range from language processing and computational neuroscience to neuroimaging. His research involves direct investigation of human subjects, particularly in speech and language, and more recently clinical and fundamental neurobiological aspects of mild traumatic brain injuries such as concussions.
“UT Dallas has the most exciting trajectory of any university in the country,” Small said. “Behavioral and Brain Sciences has a trajectory that is ascending, and my field is what BBS does: neuroscience, psychology, and speech and hearing sciences.”
–Stephen Fontenot
