2025 Dean’s Early Career Fellows announced

Every year, the Dean of the College of Engineering awards Early Career Fellowships, recognizing untenured faculty members who have been nominated by their department heads for their exceptional contributions to their fields. This year, the recipients are: Patjanaporn (Sang) Chalacheva, Vanessa Chen, Amanda Krause, and Ana Inés Torres. These faculty members receive discretionary funds for a three-year period or until they become promoted to full professors.

Patjanaporn (Sang) Chalacheva

Sang Chalacheva is an associate teaching professor of biomedical engineering. Her research focuses on computational modeling of cardiovascular autonomic control in sickle cell disease, and she has remained active in this field through publications and conference presentations. She has expanded her research in the field of educational scholarship, particularly on teaching AI/ML and their applications to biomedical engineers. She has served in various educational leadership roles in her department and plays a key role in the graduate and undergraduate curriculum design.

Vanessa Chen

Vanessa Chen is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Her research focuses on AI-enhanced circuits and systems, including intelligent sensory interfaces, analog/RF hardware security, and ubiquitous sensing and computing platforms. Chen is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and other prestigious honors. She actively serves on multiple technical program committees and editorial boards of IEEE conferences and journals and was recently named a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society.

Amanda Krause

Amanda Krause, associate professor of materials science and engineering, works to improve the processing of ceramics used in many applications. She and her research group design and control ceramic materials’ microstructures to improve their performance in extreme environments. Krause has also received the 2022 NSF CAREER Award, the American Ceramic Society’s 2024 Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars, and the Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering George Tallman Ladd Research Award.

Ana Inés Torres

Ana Inés Torres is an associate professor of chemical engineering. Her current research lies in the areas of the decarbonization of the chemical industry, with an emphasis on electrification and the use of biomass; and the recovery and reuse of materials, including the development of theories for the analysis of circular economy initiatives and the design of environmentally-friendly processes for the recovery of rare earth elements. Torres received the NSF CAREER award in 2024, was selected as a consultant for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 2024, and serves as an associate editor of Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy.