Read Dean Thole’s profile or Curriculum Vitae
Education
- BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1982
- MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1984
- PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, 1994
Academic Appointments
University of Michigan
College of Engineering
August 2024–present, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
August 2024–present, Affiliate Professor
August 2021–July 2024, University Distinguished Professor; Director, Start Lab; Director, Engineering Ambassador Network
January 2006–August 2021, University Distinguished Professor and Department Head
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Mechanical Engineering Department
January 1999–June 2006, Assistant Department Head for Research; VT ADVANCE Professor
William S. Cross Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mechanical Engineering Department
November 1994–December 1998, Assistant Professor
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe Germany
Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery
January 1993–November 1994, Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Nuclear Test and Engineering Division
September 1984–December 1988, Research Engineer
Honors and Awards
Mary W. Jackson Award, AIAA, 2025
Fellow of ASME, AIAA, Royal Aeronautical Society
University of Texas Distinguished Engineering Graduate, 2024
Outstanding Engineering Educator Award, The Engineers’ Council, February 2023
R. Tom Sawyer, ASME, December 2022
Gas Turbine Best Heat Transfer Paper, ASME, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2021, 2023
Thermophysics Award, AIAA, July 2022
Heat Transfer Memorial Award, ASME, 2022
Air Breathing Propulsion Award, AIAA, 2019
Claire L. Felbinger Award, ABET, 2017
Propulsion Technical Committee Best Paper, 53rd AIAA/SAE/ASME Joint Propulsion Conference, 2017
Edwin F. Church Medal for Mechanical Engineering Education, ASME, 2016
College of Engineering’s Distinguished Service Alumni Award, University of Illinois, 2016
George Westinghouse Gold Medal, ASME, 2015 (video)
Distinguished Service Award, ASME, 2008 and 2015
Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award, The Pennsylvania State University, 2015
Distinguished Engineering Educator Award, Society of Women Engineers, SWE, 2014
Distinguished Alumnae for the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department, University of Illinois, 2013
Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award, The Pennsylvania State University, 2012
U.S. White House “Champion of Change” in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, U.S. Government, 2011
W. M. Rohsenow Best Presentation for Gas Turbine Heat Transfer, ASME, 1997, 2005, 2009
Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2004
Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Alumnae, University of Texas, 2004
Ingersoll-Rand Faculty Award, Virginia Tech, 2001
National Science Foundation CAREER Award, National Science Foundation, 1996
Service
Service to Governmental Agencies
- Member, Department of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, 2023–present
- Member, NASA Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable, 2022–2024
- Member, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Smart Manufacturing Study Committee, 2022–2023
- Member, NASA Advisory Council, Aeronautics Committee, 2013–2020
- Co-Chair, Low Carbon Aviation Study Committee, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2018–2019
- Member, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Gas Turbine Development Study Committee, 2018–2019
- Co-Chair, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Low Carbon Aviation Study Committee, 2015–2016
- Member, National Science Foundation’s Committee of Visitors for Engineering Education Division, 2016
Service to Public and Private Organizations
- Member, Department of Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board, West Point, December 2022–present
Participation in or Service to Professional and Learned Societies
- Member, ASME Technical Committee on Publications & Communications, January 2022–2024
- Member, ASME TurboExpo Executive Committee, June 2021–present
- Member, AIAA Gas Turbine Engine Technical Committee, 2021–present
- Member and Chair of Gas Turbine Association Government Relations Committee, 2021–present
- Member, AIAA Gas Turbine Engine, January 2021–December 2023
- Board Member, ASME Board of Governor, July 2018–June 2020
- Special Advisor, Chair, Vice Chair and Board Member of International Gas Turbine Institute Board of Directors (Special Advisor to the Chair, 2016–17; Chair, 2013–14; Vice Chair, 2012–13; Member, 2009–12)
- Member, ASME Knowledge and Communities Re-organization Task Force, 2013–14
- Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Member, ASME Mechanical Engineering Department Head Executive Council (Chair, 2012–13; Vice Chair, 2010–2012; Secretary, 2007–2009; Member, 2006)
- Member, ASME Center for Education Board of Directors, 2010–2014
- Member, ASME Vision 2030 Committee (ME curriculum reform), 2008–2011
- Chair and Member, ASME Committee on Honors (Chair, 2010–2014; Member, 2009–2010)
Testifying as an Expert Witness
- Presenter, Congressional Testimony, U.S. House of Rep Committee on Science, Space & Technology, March 2021–December 2021
- Presenter, U.S. Congressional Briefing on Gas Turbines, April 2019
- Presenter, U.S. Congressional Briefing on Gas Turbines, September 2017
- Presenter, U.S. Congressional Briefing on Gas Turbines, September 2016
- Presenter, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Low Carbon Aviation Report to the FAA, DOE, USDA, USAF, AIAA, House Subcommittee, Office of Science and Technology, and EPA, Summer 2016
- Presenter, U.S. Congressional Briefing on Digital Manufacturing, May 2016
- Presenter, U.S. Congressional Briefing on Gas Turbines, March 2016
- Presenter, ASME to the Education and Skills for Manufacturing-US Teaching Methods and Course Structures, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London England, February 2013
Enhancing Engineering Outreach and Mentorship
- Director, Engineering Ambassador Network, August 2020–August 2024
- Co-founder, Engineering Ambassadors Network, 2009
The Engineering Ambassadors Network (EAN) is an alliance of universities that aims to educate a cohort of diverse and technically skilled engineering undergraduates on how to excite K-12 students about engineering. Since its founding, EAN has grown to 40 programs across the nation stretching to all corners of the US and Puerto Rico, and has been funded by the National Science Foundation to run national workshops aimed at teaching other universities how to start their own Engineering Ambassador Programs.
Service to Academic Institutions
- Advisory board membership for engineering at Georgia Tech, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of Texas, Lehigh University, Brigham Young University
- Program reviewer for Mechanical Engineering Departments at:
- University of Delaware (2022)
- Texas A&M University (2020)
- University of Texas-Dallas (2019)
- Carnegie-Mellon (2019)
- University of Colorado (2018)
- University of Florida (2017)
- Iowa State University (2016)
- Purdue University (2015)
- University of Minnesota (2014)