ME Professor Steve Ceccio has been appointed as an Associate Vice President for Research for the University of Michigan for a term of three years.
In his new role, Ceccio will be assisting OVPR in its administration and oversight of scholarly and creative activities in the natural sciences and engineering, and in providing leadership for OVPR in the development of new interdisciplinary research initiatives. Some of the current ongoing initiatives for which he will assume responsibility include: the Nanoscience and Engineering Initiative, the Great Lakes Building Initiative, the Ford Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning, and the FNR/MMPP Building Reconstruction Project.
Ceccio is an experimentalist in fluid mechanics with a research focus on understanding multiphase flow processes. He currently heads two large multidisciplinary efforts to study the reduction of flow-induced friction drag, working with colleagues in several U-M departments, as well as researchers at other universities and at industrial and government laboratories around the country. His interest in the research enterprise at the University began in the 1980’s with his involvement in sponsored research activities as a U-M undergraduate. His long-time interest in collaborative research will help OVPR promote its mission of encouraging and supporting cross-disciplinary research.
Ceccio earned his BS from the University of Michigan (1985) and his MS (1986) and PhD (1990) from the California Institute of Technology. He joined U-M in 1990 as assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and attained the rank of professor in 2003. He holds a joint appointment as professor in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. In 1996, he was awarded both a departmental Teaching Award and the Department of Energy Young Scientist and Engineer Award.
