Professor Steven Ceccio has been appointed Associate Vice President for Research in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). He will serve for a term of three years.
Among his chief responsibilities will be acting as OVPR liaison to schools, colleges, institutes, centers and other units involved in scholarly and creative activities with an emphasis in the natural and physical sciences and engineering, according to Vice President for Research Fawwaz Ulaby. Professor Ceccio will also provide leadership to task forces, the development of initiatives, study of policy issues and participation in the evaluation of the research proposals submitted to OVPR.
Professor Ceccio joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 1990 and became a professor in 2003. He held a joint appointment in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. His research focus is on fluid mechanics and understanding multiphase flow processes. At present, he's heading two large multidisciplinary studies on the dynamics of cavitation and the reduction of flow-induced friction drag. His efforts span several departments within the College.
"Professor Ceccio's strong interest in facilitating interdisciplinary research fits nicely with one of OVPR's important values. He's already devoted himself to promoting collaboration in his department and the College. Hopefully, he will now be able to help make possible many kinds of cooperative ventures on a much larger scale, both across the entire campus and with other institutions," said Ulaby.
In addition to his long-standing commitment to collaborative research, "Professor Ceccio is someone with significant energy and enthusiasm," added Ulaby. "He has administrative experience and is an effective communicator. He brings a sense of vision and familiarity where science and engineering research is concerned, which we plan to put to excellent use."
Initially Professor Ceccio will assume responsibility for current and ongoing initiatives including the Nanoscience and Engineering Initiative, the Ford Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning and the FNR/MMPP Building Reconstruction Project. He is enthusiastic about his new role, particularly "the opportunity to have a broader, bird's eye view of all the multidisciplinary activity that's going on throughout the research community here."