Bioengineering (BE)

The Department of Bioengineering launched the Master of Science in Bioengineering, effective Fall 2025.

Dr. Shailesh Lal, professor and chair, received $562,500 from the National Institutes of Health for his research project entitled, The Characterization of RNA Binding Motif Protein 48 (RBM48) in U12 Intron Splicing, Cellular Differentiation, and Development. Dr. Fabia Battistuzzi and Dr. Gerard Madlambayan will serve as co-principal investigators.

Dr. Randal Westrick received $450,000 from the National Institutes of Health for his study, Investigating the Functional Roles of ArI6ip5 in Suppressing Thrombosis.

Dr. Randal Westrick received $36,000 from the American Heart Association for the 2025 AHA@OU SURE Summer Research Program.

Dr. Fabia Battistuzzi received $148,861 from the Detroit Zoological Society for her research project entitled, GA agreement with Detroit Zoo.

Dr. Luis Villa Diaz received $10,000 from the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation for his research project entitled, Modification in Mitochondria Heteroplasmic in the Retina of Kearn-Sayre Syndrome Patients.

Arina Rodionova, a bioengineering senior, was selected as the recipient of the OU’s 2025 Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award for her outstanding research work and active involvement at numerous academic conferences.

Luc Taburet, BE’ 25, was named the recipient of the 2024-2025 SECS Exceptional Achievement Award, given for the highest level of academic achievement, and Professional Development Award, given for the greatest development in studies and high individual initiative in connection with a technical project.  

Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)

Dr. Lanyu Xu was appointed the academic programs coordinator of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

Dr. Jie Hu, Dr. Weicheng Ma and Dr. Jiannan Tian joined the CSE faculty as assistant professors.

The Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program has been ranked #14 in TechGuide’s 2025 list of the Best Master’s in Artificial Intelligence Programs, based on verified data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), accessed in key indicators such as affordability, student-to-faculty ratio, admissions and graduation rates, and alumni outcomes.

Oakland University has been officially designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research (NCAE-R) by the National Security Agency.

Mst Shapna Akter received $5,000 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, Efficient Neuro-Symbolic LLM-Driven Framework for Real-Time Detection and Mitigation of Software Vulnerabilities in Autonomous Spacecraft Systems.

Dr. Huirong Fu received $150,000 from the National Science Foundation for her research project entitled, Collaborative Research: EAGER: NAIRR Pilot Expansion: FA1: Advancing AI Research with NAIRR Workshop Series on Cybersecurity, Edge AI, and Autonomous Driving.

Dr. Guangzhi Qu received $99,077 from the Oakland County for his research project entitled, Empowering Economic Growth: A Smart Platform for Managing State and County Development Opportunities.

Dr. Kaiqi Zhao received $29,801 from Provisio Technology Solutions for her research project entitled, Hear Me Speech Recognition Project.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering was honored as the 2025 OU’s Outstanding Research Department for leading all university’s departments in research funding.

Dr. Huirong Fu was selected the recipient of the 2025 OU’s Researcher of the Year award for securing the highest research funding to an individual investigator.

Sarah Dziobak, CSE ’25, was named the recipient of the 2024-2025 SECS Student Impact Award, given for the greatest impact on the SECS students during the past academic year.

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

Dr. Diego Salazar D'Antonio and Dr. Jared Strader joined the ECE faculty as assistant professors. Dr. Nashwan Sebi joined ECE as a visiting assistant professor. 

Dr. Hongwei Qu received $968,295 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for his research project entitled, Advanced Manufacturing Higher Education Strategic Investment.

Dr. Wing-Yue Geoffrey Louie received $140,000 from the University of Michigan / ARC Department of Defense for his research project entitled, Dynamic Allocation of Information through Auditory, Visual, and Haptic Interfaces to Minimize Cognitive Burden and Maximize Performance during Crew-AI Teaming.

Dr. Nasser Nasrabadi received $138,000 from the West Virginia University / National Science Foundation for his research project entitled, Towards the Creation of a Large Dataset of High-Quality Face Morphs - Phase III.

Dr. Alycen Wiacek has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health, under the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. The competitive award of $341,598 will support her research project Quantitative Photoacoustic Imaging Biomarkers for Characterization of Thrombosis.

Dr. Jun Chen received $119,845 from the University of Michigan / MTrac Adv Trans for his research project entitled, Sensor Reduction for Large Battery Packs (Year 2).

Dr. Jun Chen received $55,000 from Michigan State University / Michigan Economic Development Corporation for his research project entitled, Affordable Autonomous Vehicle Platform for University Research and Education (ADVANCE Grant).

Dr. Jun Chen received $334,218 from the National Science Foundation for his research project entitled, Collaborative Research: Scalable Privacy Verification and Quantification for Multi-Robot Systems.

Dr. Dan Aloi received $150,124 from the University of Michigan / Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for his research project entitled, Low Cost Antenna/Radar Measurement System for Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Development.

Dr. Hongwei Qu was selected the recipient of the 2025 OU’s Research-Led Teaching Award for receiving the most instructional award dollars.

ECE graduate student, Motaz AbuHijleh, in collaboration with University of Michigan's Doruk Aksoy, was selected as a finalist in the 2025 ARC Best Student Poster Competition for their
case study From Pixels to Paths: Tensor Network-Driven Behavioral Cloning for Autonomous Vehicles in Virtual Environments at the University of Michigan's Automotive Research Center annual review. 

Graduate students, Andrea Macklem-Zabel, Solaf Athamnah and Absalat Dawit Getachew, were honored with the 2025 ARC Best Student Poster award for a project titled Dynamic Allocation of Information Through Auditory, Visual and Haptic Interfaces to Minimize Cognitive Burden and Maximize Performance During Crew-AI Teaming. 

Dr. Ashok Prajapati, ECE ’11 was recognized with the 2025 OU’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for  advancing the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics and aerospace engineering.

Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)

The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering has launched the Master of Science in Smart Manufacturing, effective Fall 2025.

Dr. Richard Olawoyin has received two national honors from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) for 2025: ABET Fellow for his dedication and lasting contributions to ABET’s mission of advancing quality assurance in STEM education;  Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion for his sustained efforts in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within ABET and across the broader STEM community.

Dr. Barbara Oakley was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her exceptional efforts to advance science or its applications in service to society.

Mechanical Engineering (ME)

In Fall 2025, the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s enrollment increased by 7.7%, reaching a total of 644 students.

Several new professional elective courses, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, were added: Energy and Sustainability Engineering Seminar and Practice, Additive Manufacturing, Risks and Rewards of AI and Gen AI in Engineering and Automotive Body Structure Design.

Dr. Francisco Cepeda and Dr. Wenbo Wang joined the ME faculty as assistant professors. Dr. Aaqib Ali joined the ME Department as a full-time visiting faculty.

Dr. Mike Latcha retired from the Department of Mechanical Engineering after nearly 40 years of service at Oakland University. He is now a professor emeritus in the department.

Dr. Sarah Beetham received $599,821 from the National Science Foundation for her research project entitled, Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site: More than Automotive--Toward a Healthier, Sustainable Society (MATHS2). Dr. Xia Wang (ME), Dr. Alycen Wiacek (ECE; BE) and Dr. Amber  Bismack (teaching and learning) will serve as co-principal investigators.

Dr. Sarah Beetham received $5,000 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, The Role of Heterogeneity in Iron Particle Combustion-Toward Renewable Extraterrestrial Energy Sources.

Dr. Sergey Golovashchenko received $155,000 from The Ohio State University, and $292,500  from the National Science Foundation as research funds for the IUCRC Phase I Oakland University: Center for Industrial Metal Forming

Dr. Sayed Nassar received $143,605 from the Georgia Institute of Technology for his research project as a part of Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC).

Dr. Ankun Yang received an OU Discovery and Innovation Grant, entitled, Doped Transition Metal Selenides as Ultrafast Rechargeable Sodium Electrodes, $30,000.

Dr. Yongsoon Yoon received a $20,000 university grant from the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation to support the development of curriculum related to hydraulic fluid power.

Dr. Yongsoon Yoon received additional funding of $9,000 from the National Science Foundation for his research project received in FY23 entitled, ERI: Nonlinear Inverse Model Estimation and Frequency Domain Analysis for Hydraulic Cylinder Diagnostics in Closed-Loop.

Dr. Ankun Yang and his Ph.D. student, Emenike Chukwuma, received $5500 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for their research project entitled, AI-Driven SEI Optimization for Sodium Metal Batteries.

Dr. Marco Gerini-Romagnoli and his graduate student Morgan DeCroix received $3,997 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for their research project entitled, Effect of 3D Printing Orientation on the Adhesion Properties of Bonded Single-Lap Joints.  

Dr. Marco Gerini-Romagnoli and his graduate student, Sarah Hohensee, received $3,999 for their research project entitled, Metal Substrate Adhesion Using Soy-Based Biopolymers.

Dr. Laila Guessous received $1,500 from the University of Michigan / National Aeronautics and Space Administration for her research project entitled, Michigan Space Grant Consortium Administrator.

Dr. Sergey Golovashchenko was awarded Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) Award of Excellence – Key Collaborator, recognizing his exceptional contributions, leadership, and innovation in advancing A/SP projects over the past year.

Dr. Laila Guessous was selected as the recipient of the 2025 SECS Outstanding Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Ankun Yang was selected as the recipient the 2025 SECS Outstanding Research Excellence Award.

Dr. Ankun Yang was selected as the recipient of the OU’s 2025 Outstanding Junior Investigator award, honoring exceptional early-career research accomplishments.

Sarah Hohensee, ME/BE ’25 was named the recipient of the 2024-25 SECS Exceptional Achievement Award, given for the highest level of academic achievement. 

Jacob Zelinski, ME’ 25 was named the recipient of the 2024-25 SECS Achievement Award, given for having demonstrated an outstanding level of academic performance.

Morgan DeCroix, ME’ 25 was named the recipient of the 2024-25 SECS Service Award, given for outstanding service, which has significantly influenced the school.

Pragadeesh Venkates (advisor Dr. Ankun Yang), a doctoral student, won the 2025 SECS Best Graduate Paper Award for his paper entitled Chemically Generated Liquid Sulfur Droplets at Room and Subzero Temperatures,

Emenike Chukwuma, a doctoal student, (advisor Dr. Ankun Yang) won the Provost Graduate Student Research Award.

Aurora White, ME ’20 was named the recipient of the 2025 OU’s Young Alumni 10 Within 10 Award that recognizes the exceptional impact young alumni make within their professions and throughout their communities.