Russomanno Selected as Dean of Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI

Dr. David J. Russomanno

IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz announced that Dr. David J. Russomanno, the R. Eugene Smith Professor and Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Memphis, has been selected as dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, pending approval by the IU Board of Trustees.

Russomanno, who has secured several million dollars in extramural funding for basic and applied research, as well as for initiatives to improve the recruitment and retention of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students, starts July 1.

H. Öner Yurtseven, dean of the school since 1996, will step down as head administrator of the engineering and technology school June 30.

“David Russomanno’s experience, vision, and energy for the deanship is very impressive and makes him just the right person at the right time,” Bantz said.

Among goals Russomanno has set for the School of Engineering and Technology: become known as America’s finest metropolitan engineering and technology school. Another goal is to significantly increase the number of PhD students.

Russomanno has been a faculty member with The University of Memphis since 1993, the same year he received his doctorate in computer engineering from the University of South Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Auburn University in 1986 and a Master of Engineering degree from the University of South Carolina in 1989.

Prior to joining The University of Memphis, Russomanno was employed by Intergraph Corporation as an Applications and Research Consultant in the Utilities Division. Russomanno has also been employed by Pratt and Whitney Aircraft as a digital control engineer and Michelin Tire Corporation as a design engineer.

During a five year stint, from 2000 to 2005, he was president, founder, and chief, of AI-GIS Technologies, an artificial intelligence and geographical information systems company.

“Having spent my academic career at a metropolitan research university, I’ve seen the difference that such institutions can make in the lives of students. The urban setting is invigorating and provides students, faculty, and industry unique opportunities to build productive partnerships, which advance not only the metropolitan area, but our global society,” he said. “IUPUI is clearly an emerging leader among urban research universities, and its reputation is growing stronger each year, so, there was an immediate attraction. I was also attracted by the wide-array of degree programs available within the School of Engineering and Technology, including the non-traditional engineering and technology programs, such as Music and Arts Technology. Indianapolis is a world-class city with momentum, so the possibilities are endless here.”

The school has made great strides over the last several years through new and innovative degree programs and research centers focused on solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges in health care, energy, transportation, and other areas, Russomanno noted. “The goal of being second to none in terms of opportunities for students and making international contributions to education and research as an urban school is achievable.”