The Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture announced several leadership changes for the upcoming school year.
John McCloy has been named director of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. A Fulbright and American Ceramic Society Fulrath award winner, McCloy has been with Washington State University since 2013, where his research interests focus on ceramics and metals, electronic materials, and nuclear engineering and materials. He recently served as the director of WSU’s Institute of Materials Research (IMR). Prior to his work at WSU, McCloy worked in materials research and development for Raytheon Missile Systems and at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
McCloy holds master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Arizona in material science and engineering, a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Arizona. McCloy will take over the directorship from Indranath Dutta, who is retiring.
Su Ha will take over leadership of the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, replacing retiring director Jim Petersen and interim director Alla Kostyukova. With WSU since 2005, Ha is the director of the O.H. Reaugh Laboratory for Oil and Gas Processing. He has published more than 100 papers in the areas of energy conversion and generation from alternative and renewable fuels.
In particular, his group has focused on generating hydrogen gas via thermochemical and electrochemical processes, carbon capture and utilization, and fuel cells. Ha has received the Voiland School Outstanding Teaching Award twice and was named a 2014 Highly Cited Researcher Award from Thomson Reuters. His research has been cited more than 5,000 times. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ha will start in his new role in August.
Jason Peschel has been named as interim director of the School of Design and Construction. An associate professor in the School of Design and Construction, Peschel has more than 16 years of teaching experience in construction management courses at WSU and three years of teaching as an adjunct at Wayne State College. Prior to working at WSU, he worked in the construction industry as a chief estimator and vice president. The company he worked for completed manufacturing, education, religious, banking, and residential projects in northeast Nebraska.
Peschel is a recipient of the Reed Miller Excellence in Teaching Award and President’s Distinguished Teaching awards. He also has received the school’s outstanding teaching award five times. Peschel served as the program head of construction management for the last nine years and holds the Richard L. Silliman Distinguished Professorship in Estimating. He holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Business Administration from Wayne State College. Peschel replaces Ryan Smith, who has taken a position at University of Arizona.
“Each of our new school directors have strong leadership experience, and I’m excited to welcome them to their new positions,” said Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture Dean Mary Rezac. “I greatly look forward to working with them as we support innovative education and research that changes students’ lives.”
