Carnegie Mellon Names David Dzombak Associate Dean For Graduate and Faculty Affairs in Engineering College

June 20, 2006
Contact: Chriss Swaney
(412) 268-5776

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University Professor David A. Dzombak has been named associate dean for graduate and faculty affairs at the College of Engineering, effective June 1. Dzombak, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, succeeds James H. Garrett Jr., who was recently named head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

"Dave brings significant administrative and leadership experience to this position, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to remain at the forefront of education reform and technology leadership," said Pradeep K. Khosla, dean of Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering.

For more than two decades, Dzombak has conducted leading-edge research in the areas of aquatic chemistry, water and wastewater treatment, abandoned mine drainage remediation, river and watershed restoration, and hazardous waste site remediation.

"It is an honor for me to assume this position as we work with a team of outstanding faculty, graduate students and staff," said Dzombak, who is co-director of the new Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems (WaterQUEST). "We have a challenging and exciting path ahead of us as we work to position our education and research programs in the College of Engineering to help drive innovation in the rapidly changing global economy."

Dzombak has contributed his expertise and professional service at the local, state and national levels. He currently serves as a member of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board's Environmental Engineering Committee and the EPA National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology's Environmental Technology Subcommittee. He chairs the National Research Council's Committee on the Mississippi River and Clean Water Act. Dzombak is also an associate editor of the journal Environmental Science and Technology, and has served on the editorial board for the journal Water Environment Research and Ground Water.

Dzombak has received numerous professional awards and honors. In 2002, he was elected a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was also the recipient of the Excellence in Review Award from Environmental Science and Technology, the Professional Research Award from the Pennsylvania Water Environment Association, the Jack Edward McKee Medal from the Water Environment Federation, the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program Fellowship from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Harrison Prescott Eddy Medal from the Water Environment Federation and a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award.

Dzombak earned his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Carnegie Mellon. He also has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., where he was enrolled in a 3-2 liberal arts/engineering program. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and a diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers

About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. A small student-to-faculty ratio provides an opportunity for close interaction between students and professors. While technology is pervasive on its 144-acre campus, Carnegie Mellon is also distinctive among leading research universities for the world-renowned programs in its College of Fine Arts. For more, see www.cmu.edu.