The Michigan Tech College of Engineering welcomes 13 new faculty members across six departments for the 2025-2026 academic year. These new researchers and educators bring a wealth of experience and expertise in fields including computational fluid dynamics, autonomous machines and vehicles, artificial intelligence, freshwater management, and more.
“Tomorrow needs every engineer and we need thoughtful, dedicated faculty to educate and inspire them,” said Michelle Scherer, dean of the College of Engineering. “I am thrilled to welcome this phenomenally talented group to help train the next generation of Husky engineers. Exciting things are ahead!”
Meet our new faculty members:
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Zhengpeng (Jason) Wan, Assistant Professor
Zhengpeng (Jason) Wan is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering specializing in developing innovative microphysiological systems (MPS) to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness and safety to address challenges in cancer therapies. Prior to joining Michigan Tech, Wan was a research scientist in the Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he focused on the engineering of vascularized tissues for disease modeling. He also served as a research fellow in the Department of Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Wan received his PhD from Tsinghua University in China.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Behzad Akbari, Assistant Teaching Professor
Behzad Akbari is an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) specializing in the areas of multi-target tracking for autonomous vehicles and collaborative multi-agent systems. Akbari received his PhD in electrical and computer engineering and his MS in computer science from McMaster University, as well as his MS in computer architecture from Azad University in Tehran, Iran. Prior to joining Tech, Akbari was an assistant professor at Nipissing University in Ontario, Canada, where he also served as a postdoctoral fellow.
Yi Hu, Assistant Professor
Yi Hu is an ECE assistant professor whose research focuses on the application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in power systems. He has authored seven refereed publications, including work on applying large language models (LLMs) to power system applications. Hu received his PhD in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University, as well as his MS in electrical engineering from Peking University and BS in communication engineering from Chongqing University.
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
Trent Wickman, Assistant Teaching Professor
Trent Wickman ’94 ’96 is an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. Wickman has served as an environmental engineer with the USDA Forest Service since 2001. Prior to that role, he worked for the Minnesota Pollution Control Office. He holds bachelor’s degrees in environmental engineering and biology as well as a master’s in environmental engineering, all from Michigan Tech. He is an expert in air quality management, particularly wildfire smoke, as well as mitigation of pollutants in air, soil, and surface water.
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Yanrui (Daisy) Ning, Assistant Professor
Yanrui (Daisy) Ning is an assistant professor in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES). She earned her PhD in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, where she also served as a research assistant professor in the Department of Geophysics. Ning’s expertise spans carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), subsurface hydrogen storage, and critical minerals. She employs multiphase fluid flow modeling, geomechanics, advanced computational simulation, machine learning, and distributed fiber-optic sensing to advance the understanding and management of subsurface energy systems.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Caleb Stetson, Assistant Professor
Caleb Stetson is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Prior to joining Michigan Tech, Stetson was a postdoctoral fellow at the Idaho National Laboratory where he served as a research scientist in the Mineral and Molecular Separations and Analysis Department. Stetson earned his PhD in materials science from the Colorado School of Mines. He earned his MS in nanotechnology from Tampere University of Technology in Finland and his BS in biomedical engineering and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Stetson’s research interests include mineral processing, beneficiation and hydrometallurgical separations of critical/strategic minerals, and lithium-ion battery electrode and electrolyte materials.
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Ze Feng (Ted) Gan, Assistant Professor
Ze Feng (Ted) Gan is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE). Gan earned his MS and PhD in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University. His research specializes in rotorcraft aeroacoustics and psychoacoustics, electrified aerospace propulsion, and flight dynamics control and simulation.
Tania Demonte Gonzalez, Assistant Teaching Professor
Tania Demonte Gonzalez ’19 ’21 ’24 is a MAE assistant teaching professor and earned her BS, MS, and PhD in mechanical engineering from Michigan Tech. Prior to joining Tech faculty, Demonte Gonzalez was a MAE postdoctoral scholar with MTU Wave, a collaborative wave tank laboratory, where she remains senior personnel. Her research interests include dynamic systems modeling and simulation, linear and nonlinear control design, and marine renewable energy technologies.
Geordan Gutow, Assistant Professor
Geordan Gutow is an MAE assistant professor with expertise in autonomous aerospace applications, artificial intelligence, and dynamic systems control engineering. He earned his PhD in robotics from Georgia Institute of Technology and BS in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining Tech, Gutow was a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University.
Kevin Howard, Assistant Professor
Kevin Howard is a MAE assistant professor. He holds a BS in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University, MS in automotive engineering from Clemson University, and PhD in fluid mechanics from the University of Minnesota. Howard has 10+ years of experience with Ford Motor Company working as the aerodynamics technical expert where he led the development of experimental and computation tools for automotive aerodynamics
Andrew Oliva, Assistant Professor
Andrew Oliva is a MAE assistant professor with expertise in aerothermodynamics and hypersonic flow. He received his MS and PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame where he also served as postdoctoral associate and research scientist. His background includes extensive experience in computational and experimental fluid dynamics, as well as hands-on work in the gas turbine industry as an engineer with Pratt & Whitney.
Roland Platz, Assistant Professor
Roland Platz is a MAE assistant professor with research interests in structural mechanics and dynamics, machine and rotor dynamics, fracture mechanics, and uncertainty quantification to be used for condition monitoring, health, and state control Prior to joining Tech, Platz was a research professor for motion dynamics and design at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology and head of the Weissenburg Technology Center in Germany. He earned his PhD from the Technical University of Darmstadt and his MS from the Technical University of Berlin
Aslihan Vuruskan, Assistant Teaching Professor
Aslihan Vuruskan is a MAE assistant teaching professor with expertise in aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics. She received her PhD in aerospace engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology and her MS in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from Istanbul Technical University. Prior to joining Tech, Vuruskan was an assistant professor at Florida Polytechnic University and senior aerospace engineer at WingXpand.
About the College of Engineering
Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering offers more than 15 bachelor of science degrees in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil, environmental and geospatial engineering, electrical and computer engineering, engineering fundamentals, geological and mining engineering and sciences, manufacturing and mechanical engineering and technology, materials science and engineering, and mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Our engineering graduate degree options include master’s and PhD programs, along with robust online certificate programs for busy professionals. Follow Michigan Tech Engineering on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for the latest happenings.