Several faculty members from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have been named holders of endowed chairs.
Jonathan Stewart, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named the inaugural holder of the Sabol-Scott Term Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA Samueli.
Established by a gift of $500,000 in 2021 from triple Bruin structural engineer Thomas Sabol and his wife Carrie Scott Sabol, the endowed chair was matched with another $500,000 from the Samueli Foundation.
“I am grateful to Tom Sabol and Carrie Scott Sabol for their generous support in establishing a faculty chair,” said Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of Engineering. “Their decades-long commitment to UCLA has advanced opportunities for students and faculty to achieve their dreams and build remarkable careers. Jonathan Stewart, one of the world’s preeminent geotechnical engineers and a highly respected teacher, will lead innovative research and education initiatives as the inaugural holder of the Sabol-Scott Term Chair.”
For more on Stewart, read the full story on the Samueli website.
UCLA Samueli has named C.K. Ken Yang as the inaugural holder of the Tatsuo Itoh Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Established in 2022 with a $1 million gift from Seiko Itoh in honor of her late husband and former UCLA professor Tatsuo Itoh, the endowed chair was matched with an additional $1 million from the Samueli Foundation.
“I am deeply honored by Seiko Itoh’s generous gift in memory of Tatsuo,” said Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of Engineering. “He was an accomplished scholar in microwave and millimeter-wave electronics who was highly respected by both his colleagues and students. His impact and legacy remain strong throughout our research and educational programs. Ken Yang, an innovator in communications circuits, devices and systems, will lead pioneering research and advance educational programs as the inaugural chairholder.”
Read about Yang’s appointment on the Samueli website.
Wentai Liu, a distinguished professor of bioengineering at UCLA Samueli, has been named the inaugural holder of the J.M. Maguire Term Chair in Engineering.
The endowed chair was established in 2020 with a $500,000 gift from UCLA Samueli alum Joanne Maguire M.S. ’78, Cert. ’89. The gift was matched with an additional $500,000 from the Samueli Foundation.
“Joanne Maguire has made a lasting impact on the aerospace and defense industry and on UCLA Samueli,” said Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of Engineering. “Her leadership on the Dean’s Executive Board has helped align and strengthen our research and education goals with industry needs, and we are deeply grateful for her generosity in establishing this chair. Wentai Liu, an accomplished bioengineer whose pioneering innovations have restored vision to the blind and mobility to the paralyzed, will continue to advance groundbreaking research in biomedical engineering as the inaugural holder of the J.M. Maguire Term Chair.”
Read more about Liu’s appointment on the Samueli website.
Alexander Balandin, a distinguished professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA Samueli, has been named to hold the Fang Lu Endowed Chair in Engineering.
Established in 2018 by a gift of $500,000 from triple Bruin engineer Fang Lu, the endowed chair was matched with another $500,000 from the Samueli Foundation. As a graduate student, Lu was a member of the Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab led by Henry Samueli, then a professor of electrical engineering and now the school’s namesake.
“I am grateful to Fang Lu for his continued generous support of our faculty and students,” said Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of Engineering. “He has been a tremendous partner, and with the appointment of Alexander Balandin to the chair, we will build upon our existing synergy to reach new heights in engineering education and research.”
Read more about Balandin’s appointment on the Samueli website.
