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Azim Eskandarian, DSc, ASME and IEEE Fellow

Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean, College of Engineering VCU College of Engineering

  • Richmond VA

Dr. Eskandarian serves as the Dean of the VCU College of Engineering.

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Recently named a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International, Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering, received one of the organization’s highest honors. The designation recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary and sustained impacts on the mobility industry through technical excellence, leadership, innovation and dedicated service to the profession and to SAE International. “SAE Fellows – whose leadership and technical contributions strengthen our organization embody the highest level of professional achievement,” said Carla Bailo, 2026 SAE International president and chair of the board of directors. “Election to SAE Fellow reflects an individual’s lasting influence on mobility engineering and reinforces the standards of excellence that guide SAE’s strategic direction.” Selected through a comprehensive review process led by the SAE International Fellows Committee and approved by the SAE International Board of Directors, SAE Fellows exemplify the organization’s mission to advance mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. “It is a great honor to receive this distinction from an organization that is so essential to the advancement of the automotive industry,” said Eskandarian. “I hope to continue collaborating with engineers, researchers and other professionals who share a vision for the great work we can do to improve the safety and efficiency of transportation.” Numerous scientific and technical contributions to automotive safety, academic programs, workforce development in crashworthiness, collision avoidance, advanced driver assistance systems, intelligent vehicles, and autonomous driving have stemmed from the more than 40 years of work Eskandarian has pioneered. His research on intelligent and autonomous vehicles includes the development of novel methods for driver safety systems. As an academic leader, Eskandarian’s enduring commitment to education, mentorship and service led him to start impactful academic programs at several universities. This includes robotics and autonomous systems programs and new master’s concentrations at the VCU College of Engineering, a graduate academic program in intelligent transportation systems and an undergraduate concentration in transportation engineering at George Washington University, and an automotive engineering concentration at Virginia Tech. Eskandarian is also a Fellow of two other technical societies, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Azim Eskandarian, DSc, ASME and IEEE Fellow

Biography

Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc., assumed the position of Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the VCU College of Engineering on Aug. 1, 2023. Eskandarian previously served as department head and Nicholas and Rebecca des Champs Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Eskandarian’s career includes experience in academic leadership, research, scholarship and teaching, as well as industry. Serving as department head at Virginia Tech since 2015, he has worked collaboratively within the department and college to enhance innovation and degree programs, improve services, enhance diversity, increase enrollment and external funding, and advance faculty and student success.

Eskandarian, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), served as an expert in the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division of the National Science Foundation. He is also a member of SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers), and is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma engineering honor societies.

Eskandarian’s research focuses on robotics and autonomous and dynamical systems and is applied in areas including autonomous and intelligent vehicles, collision avoidance and driver assistance, intelligent transportation systems, and vehicle crashworthiness and occupant injury biomechanics.

Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he was a professor of engineering and applied science at the George Washington University, where he was also director and founder of the Center for Intelligent Systems Research, director and co-founder of the National Crash Analysis Center, co-founder of the GWU Transportation Research Institute and director of the GWU and School of Engineering’s area of excellence in Transportation Safety and Security. He began his academic career as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Pennsylvania State University, York. He had previously worked as an engineer at VSE Corporation and Phillips Cartner & Co. Inc., both in Alexandria, Virginia.

Eskandarian earned his B.S., M.S. and D.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from GWU, Virginia Tech and GWU, respectively.

Selected Articles

Eskandarian named dean of the VCU College of Engineering

VCU news

Mike Porter

2023-05-23

Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc., has been named dean and William H. Goodwin Jr. Endowed Chair of the VCU College of Engineering, effective Aug. 1. Eskandarian currently serves as department head and Nicholas and Rebecca des Champs Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.

“Azim Eskandarian has established himself as a highly accomplished and world-renowned researcher, an innovative program designer, a transformational educator and someone who excels at tackling real-world challenges throughout his career of more than 40 years. I am excited for him to bring that leadership and experience to VCU as the dean of the College of Engineering,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

“Azim’s record for increasing the research activity, faculty appointments, student success, diversity and endowments of his former departments is truly impressive. I look forward to working with him not only to accelerate the steeply growing reputation of the college but to help build those innovative transdisciplinary opportunities for faculty and students across VCU that make us more responsive to the needs of our students and our entire community in a rapidly changing world,” Sotiropoulos said.

Eskandarian’s career includes experience in academic leadership, research, scholarship and teaching, as well as industry. Serving as department head at Virginia Tech since 2015, he has worked collaboratively within the department and college to enhance innovation and degree programs, improve services, enhance diversity, increase enrollment and external funding, and advance faculty and student success.

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