The University of Iowa College of Engineering has announced the hiring of new faculty members some of whom begin this year. The remaining begin their appointments in the spring. Learn more about the new professors below.
2025
Jesus Gomez-Velez
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jesus Gomez-Velez earned a PhD in earth and environmental science from New Mexico Tech, a master's in hydrology and applied mathematics from the same institution, and a bachelor's in civil engineering from the National University of Colombia at Medellin. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship as part of the National Research Program at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia. His research focuses on understanding and predicting how water, energy, and matter move, accumulate, and transform within complex, interconnected natural and engineered systems, as well as how these processes impact humans and ecosystems. To do this, he uses field experiments, environmental observations, numerical modeling, data science, and artificial intelligence.
Patrick Link
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Patrick Link's career bridges military service and scientific research. A former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) medic, he transitioned from medical care to bioengineering, earning degrees in biology and emergency medical care before completing a master's and PhD in biomedical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. Before joining the University of Iowa, he worked at Mayo Clinic's Tissue Repair & Mechanobiology Lab, investigating the role of posttranslational modifications in mechanobiology. His research focuses on understanding cell-extracellular matrix interactions and developing potential therapies for pulmonary fibrosis. He has secured research grants from prominent institutions including Boehringer Ingelheim, American Lung Association, DoD, NIH, and NSF, with publications in respected scientific journals.
Menghan Liu
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Menghan Liu received a PhD in industrial engineering from Arizona State University and did her postdoc in radiation oncology at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research focuses on data-driven optimization and control methods development based on simulation and operation research in a dynamic and stochastic environment. She applies industrial engineering knowledge and techniques in multiple fields, including logistics and supply chain, RNA secondary structure prediction, pharmaceutical product design and manufacturing, medical physics, and clinical cancer study. Liu is a passionate educator and a caring mentor. She encourages students to be active learners and critical thinkers and is deeply enthusiastic about interdisciplinary education and collaborations.
Jukrin Moon
Assistant Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Jukrin Moon promotes human-centered artificial intelligence (AI) with a particular interest in providing cognitive support to humans with different levels of expertise, experience, and bias. She focuses on the interactions between humans and AI as a lens to investigate their cognitive collaboration as a team. She prioritizes human needs, capabilities, and limitations to achieve the full potential of human-AI teams. She has explored diverse work systems, including pharmacy, nursing, critical care, and crisis management, throughout her doctoral and postdoctoral work at Texas A&M University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Houston Methodist Hospital.
Najeeb Najeeb
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Najeeb Najeeb earned a PhD in computer engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where his research focused on robotics, specifically drones utilizing wireless power transfer and optimization algorithms. He holds a master’s in computer science from Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, and a bachelor’s in computer engineering from the University of Baghdad, Iraq. Between each of his academic milestones, Najeeb gained valuable industry experience. This journey of alternating between academia and industry has enriched his professional path, fostering a dynamic blend of practical and theoretical expertise. His ability to integrate industry best practices into the classroom environment provides value to students.
2026
Yagmur Derin
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Yagmur Derin holds a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Connecticut and has been funded by NASA, NSF, NOAA, and industry partners to develop innovative approaches for understanding and predicting extreme rainfall in a changing climate. Derin specializes in hydrometeorology, satellite- and radar-based precipitation remote sensing, and stochastic modeling of extreme rainfall. Her research bridges observations, modeling, and real-world applications to improve quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) and forecasting skill across timescales, with impacts ranging from real-time flood prediction to long-term climate risk assessment. Derin’s work integrates ground- and space-based sensors, numerical weather models, and data-driven approaches to better characterize precipitation processes.
Jacqueline Dowling
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jacqueline (Jackie) A. Dowling earned a PhD in chemistry at Caltech with a minor in environmental science and engineering. Her PhD thesis combined techno-economic analysis with materials chemistry to advance long-duration energy storage in reliable wind and solar electricity systems. Dowling then served as a postdoctoral research fellow at Carnegie Science at Stanford University modeling decarbonization pathways. Her research uses weather data in macro-scale energy models to guide energy infrastructure plans and tech innovation.
Sahar El Abbadi
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sahar El Abbadi is an environmental engineer and scientist whose work focuses on evaluating and reducing the environmental impacts of water, food, and energy systems. She completed a bachelor's in environmental engineering science from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a master's and PhD at Stanford University. She conducted postdoctoral research in energy science and engineering at Stanford University before moving to the Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Her research at LBNL established nationwide baseline greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants in the United States and highlighted the importance of implementing leak detection and repair programs to mitigate methane emissions from anaerobic digesters.