Crasto Named UDRI Associate Director
Allan Crasto, former head of the University of Dayton Research Institute’s Nonmetallic Materials division, has been named associate director of UDRI.
Crasto assumed the duties of associate director Oct. 16. He will oversee the institute’s six operating divisions and sustainment technologies integration office, with responsibility for administration, resource allocation and operational coordination of research programs on campus and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Crasto brings to the position more than 25 years’ experience in the performance, supervision and management of sponsored scientific research and development, including 18 years in various levels of operations at UDRI. As division head, he supervised a staff of 85 employees and directed division research operations both on campus and at the base. Before then he served for nine years as group leader in advanced composites and principal investigator of the Research Institute’s on-site contract in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate.
“Over the half century of its existence, the Research Institute has flourished through the entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated by its employees and cultivated by its leadership. This spirit enabled creative and innovative solutions to numerous diverse scientific and engineering challenges,” Crasto said. “The Research Institute is preparing to overcome new challenges and capitalize on new opportunities. I look forward to my new role in addressing these issues and contributing to the Research Institute’s continued success.”
Crasto received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and plastics technology from the University of Bombay in India, and master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from Washington State University. He was named a Fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering in 1999.
“We selected Allan for the position because of the depth of his research experience, as well as the quality of leadership he has demonstrated at UDRI,” John Leland, UDRI director, said. “Allan built an outstanding program in advanced materials and, under his guidance, the nonmetallic materials division experienced tremendous growth in on-campus revenue and additional employee positions. He also played a critical role in the creation of the Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nanomaterials and the establishment of the Nanoscale Engineering, Science and Technology Center on campus. Allan has always demonstrated a strong commitment to the success of the Research Institute, and we anticipate that same level of dedication and commitment in his new role.”
October 19, 2006
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