Four faculty members in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture have been named as the college’s inaugural Dean’s Faculty Fellows.
They include Omar Al-Hassawi, associate professor in the School of Design and Construction; Venera Arnaoudova, associate professor and associate director of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Jean-Sabin McEwen, professor in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering; and Arezoo Zare, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
The Voiland College began the faculty fellow excellence fund this year to support outstanding faculty, recognize excellence across disciplines, and provide needed support for research, teaching, and innovation. The donor-supported fund enables the college to respond swiftly to emerging opportunities and needs, offering multi-year awards to a few outstanding faculty members annually.
“Providing these fellowships is critically important in helping our faculty and growing our research enterprise,” said Partha Pande, dean of the Voiland College. “We’re so thankful for donor support and pleased to show our support for these four of our truly outstanding faculty members this year. We look forward to further growing this effort in years to come.”
Omar Al-Hassawi
Al-Hassawi, who has been at WSU since 2015, conducts research in advancing the performance of passive and low-energy environmental control systems as well as workforce development in high-performing energy-efficient buildings. With support from a U.S. Department of Energy grant, he started WSU’s Energy Conscious Construction program in 2021. He is also a recipient of the American Institute of Architecture Students and Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) New Faculty Teaching Award. Al-Hassawi holds a PhD in Design, Environment, and the Arts from Arizona State University, a Master of Architecture from University of Arizona, and a bachelor’s degree from University of Jordan.
Venera Arnaoudova
With WSU since 2015, Arnaoudova conducts research in software engineering and particularly, software evolution, empirical software engineering, program comprehension, and code quality. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award, studying how human behavior impacts the cost and quality of software development. She also received Voiland College’s Reid Miller Excellence in Teaching Award. Arnaoudova holds a PhD from Canada’s Ecole Polytechnique, a master’s degree from Concordia University, and a bachelor’s degree from France’s Polytech’Lille.
Jean-Sabin McEwen
With WSU since 2012, McEwen conducts research in catalytic processes for energy applications. He has been named among the most influential chemical engineering researchers in the world, according to a leading journal in the field. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award for his work in developing a model to predict behavior of low-temperature exhaust catalysts. He also received the 2023 Peter M. A. Sherwood Mid-Career Professional Award and Voiland College’s Anjan Bose Outstanding Researcher Award. He holds a PhD and a master’s degree in physics from Dalhousie University and a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Canada.
Arezoo Zare
With a background in materials science and solid mechanics, Arezoo joined WSU in 2023. Her research is focused on mechanics of materials in extreme environments; data science in mechanics and materials; and experimental mechanics. Her work involves establishing fundamental structure-property relationships in refractory alloys, ultra-hard ceramics, amorphous alloys, and nanocomposites across multiple length and timescales. She recently received a $2 million DARPA grant to develop tough-to-shatter ceramic materials. She is also the recipient of the 2025 Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) award to identify the underlying mechanisms that lead to the failure of carbon-fiber reinforced composites used for storage and transport of cryogenic fuels. She holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University, a master’s degree from Sharif University of Technology, and completed her postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University.
