Nova Southeastern University Names New Dean of College Engineering and Computing

Yong Tao, Ph.D.

NSU President Dr. George Hanbury announced the appointment of Yong X. Tao, Ph.D., as founding dean of NSU’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC).

Dr. Tao joins NSU from the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, where he served as founding chair of the Mechanical and Energy Engineering (MEE) department, UNT endowed PACCAR professor of engineering, UNT distinguished research professor, and director of UNT’s PACCAR Technology Institute. There, he led the impressive growth of MEE programs – the enrollment climbed to approximately 750 undergraduate students and 80 M.S. and Ph.D. students in just five years. In addition, Dr. Tao was instrumental in securing ABET accreditation for the MEE undergraduate program and establishing the new Ph.D. program.

“Dr. Tao is an internationally known researcher in fundamentals of thermal sciences and engineering as well as renewable energy applications,” said President Hanbury. “With his more than 27 years of academic research and teaching experience, he will take NSU’s College of Engineering and Computing to the next level.”

Prior to working at UNT, Dr. Tao was associate dean for academic affairs and undergraduate studies and associate dean for business and entrepreneurship development at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. He also served as professor of mechanical and materials engineering at FIU and director of the Building, Energy, Environment and Conservation Systems Lab, as well as the Multi-Phase Thermal Engineering Lab at FIU. He has more than 27 years of multi-disciplinary experience in areas such as engineering, architecture, computer science, social sciences, thermal science, and renewable energy applications in buildings.

“Dr. Tao’s knowledge, combined with his years of working closely with companies in supporting academic and research activities of the department and UNT’s PACCAR Technology Institute, make him the ideal leader for this college,” said Ralph V. Rogers Jr., Ph.D., NSU provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Tao has a proven track record of success in creating new initiatives, shoring up morale with students, faculty and staff, and an enthusiasm in making NSU the premiere university to pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or computer sciences.”

Dr. Tao has been recognized as a leader in international collaborations in academic and research initiatives in study abroad, student and faculty exchange, joint workshops, research forums, projects, and mutual delegation visits to countries including China, Estonia, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Haiti.

He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), past chair of Heat Transfer Division of ASME, one of founders of American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers, and is a member of the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and American Society of Engineering Education.

He has produced more than 170 journal publications, book chapters, edited journals, and proceedings articles. In addition, he holds two patents (one in the U.S. and one in China) and he has received more than $15.5 million of research funding from various funding agencies. He also serves as editor-in-chief of an international journal of Heat Transfer Research, associate editor of the Journal of Science and Engineering Applications and is a reviewer for several international journals in his research field.

Dr. Tao received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan, and both his M.S. and B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Tongji University in Shanghai, China.