Kou returns to faculty after fulfilling department chair duties
fter leading the Department of Materials Science and Engineering for four years, Professor Sindo Kou is looking forward to focusing on his teaching and research efforts.
Kou handed over the reins of the department to Professor Susan Babcock this summer. He said he enjoyed his tenure as department chairman.
“I understand the department much better than before,” he said. “I understand how the department functions.”
During his tenure, the department hired three new faculty members – Assistant Professors Paul Evans, Padma Gopalan, and Paul Voyles. In addition, four members of the department — Erwin W. Mueller Professor and Bascom Professor of Surface Science Max Lagally, Grainger Professor of Superconducting Materials and L.V. Shubnikov Professor of Materials Science and Engineering David Larbalestier, IBM Professor of Materials Science and Engineering John Perepezko; and College of Engineering Dean Paul Peercy, who holds a faculty appointment in the department — were named to the National Academy of Engineering during his tenure, raising the national profile of the department.
“I had nothing to do with that,” Kou said with a chuckle about the prestigious NAE memberships. “But it’s a good thing to think about.”
Kou said he was particularly pleased that the department, with a number of senior faculty members, was able to hire three early-career professors during the past 18 months.
“They are the first new hires in a number of years,” he said. “We kept pushing for them. That’s very important for a small department like ours. A lot of people put in a lot of time to make that happen.”
In addition, Kou said undergraduate enrollment has stabilized, and that the department’s graduate program continues to be recognized as one of the best in the country by publications such as U.S. News & World Report.
Kou will now have more time to focus on his teaching and research, which centers on welding, metal casting, and crystal growth of semiconductors. He continued to advise students while serving as department chair.
“It was enjoyable,” he said of his tenure as chairman.
