University of Cincinnati names associate dean for research for College of Engineering and Applied Science

John W. Weidner, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) at the University of Cincinnati, announced the appointment today of Gautam Pillay, Ph.D., as associate dean for research of CEAS. Pillay will join UC on March 30.

“Gautam brings 37 years of administrative and research experience at U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and in academia to the University of Cincinnati. He worked with faculty, students, staff and sponsors to build new research and graduate degree programs at universities across the country,” Weidner said.

“He also commercialized technology, developed new technology transfer and intellectual property management capabilities and created new partnerships with federal, state and private sector research sponsors at multiple universities. UC and CEAS will benefit from his research expertise and his commitment to student learning and engagement as we work together to fulfill the objectives of Next Lives Here.”

Most recently, Pillay served as tenured full professor of engineering and design, vice provost for research and dean of the graduate school of Western Washington University. Previously, he was a tenured professor of chemical engineering and associate provost for research at Rowan University in New Jersey; vice president for research and professor of chemical engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; and executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, a non-profit consisting of eight western research universities. 

Additionally, he served for over 20 years at three DOE national laboratories as a researcher, program manager, government relations officer, chief of staff and senior administrator, including at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“I am very excited to join UC and assist faculty and students in their discovery of new knowledge,” Pillay said. “I have been a strong advocate of graduate education and co-op and experiential learning programs at every institution I have served, and I am gratified to be able to serve the institution that provided a model for me as I have mentored students throughout my career.”

His research interests include environmental remediation and restoration, battery and fuel cell technologies, defense applications of materials science and engineering, societal impacts and public policy of science and engineering, and the instructional methods of technical communications. He has received numerous research and teaching awards, and he has published numerous technical reports and scholarly journal articles.

Pillay earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University.