Rakesh Goel
I am honored to join Fall 2022 as the new Dean of the School of Engineering and look forward to becoming a part of the highly dynamic and diverse institution that defines the University of California Merced.
As part of the first American research university founded in the 21st century and the newest in the premier University of California system, the hallmarks of UC Merced’s School of Engineering are innovation, diversity, sustainability and personal interaction. Together, world-class faculty, staff and students are paving the way for cutting-edge and impactful research, aided by interdisciplinary research institutes and centers.
Among many notable firsts, UC Merced and the School of Engineering are part of a coalition, the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition, which received the the largest federal grant ever awarded to the Central Valley ($65M), as part of the “Build Back Better” initiative to boost economic recovery after the pandemic.
The School of Engineering also saw two women faculty appointed to endowed chairs in 2022: Professor Ashlie Martini was awarded the Monya Lane and Robert Bryant Presidential Chair in Excellence in Engineering and Professor Sarah Kurtz (who is also the first UC Merced faculty to be elected an NAE member) was awarded the Reno Ferrero Family Chair in Electrical Engineering.
Along with the appointment of the Reno Ferrero Family Chair in Electrical Engineering, the School of Engineering is excited to announce a new Electrical Engineering program in the Fall 2023, which will cover emerging topics such as clean energy, renewable energy, electric vehicles, high-capacity rechargeable batteries, etc.
I am particularly proud be a part of UC Merced and the School of Engineering's bright future. UC Merced has scored in the top 100 three years in a row, and ranks No. 42 for overall public universities and No. 15 in R2 universities. UC Merced’s undergraduate engineering program jumped eight spots in U.S. News and Word Reports' best undergraduate engineering program ranking, coming in at No. 123.
UC Merced is truly building the future in the heart of California, and the School of Engineering is proud to be a major part of the university’s success.
