UDRI Creates Energy and Environmental Engineering Division, Names Two New Division Heads
The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) will house a new area of expertise -- energy and environmental engineering -- and officials have appointed Dilip Ballal as head of the division.
In other UDRI news, John Leland, director of technology partnerships, has been named the new head of materials engineering in UDRI. He replaces Dennis Gerdeman, who retired.
UDRI is a national leader in scientific and engineering research, serving government, industry and not-for-profit customers. It leads all universities in the state and is 16th nationally in Department of Defense contracts and grants. It is on pace this year to attract more than $50 million in sponsored research.
In collaboration with UD’s School of Engineering and the science departments, UDRI’s energy and environmental engineering division will conduct projects through the new von Ohain Fuels and Combustion Center, which just received a $31.5 million contract from the Air Force to improve conventional fuels and develop advanced fuels. It’s the largest contract ever awarded UDRI and positions the group as one of the country’s leading research facilities to develop technology for higher engine efficiencies while significantly lowering fuel costs.
“This new division will elevate the importance of both energy and environmental research as key areas in our long-term strategy for sponsored research,” said Mickey McCabe, director of UDRI.
Researchers will focus on fuels, combustion and alternative energy and power sources, as well as environmental science and engineering. Ballal, who resides in Washington Township, joined UDRI 20 years ago after a stint at the General Motors Research Laboratory. “He has created a world-class team in fuels and combustion that is internationally recognized and has received the coveted Air Force's STAR TEAM Award,” McCabe said.
Ballal, who also serves as the Hans von Ohain Distinguished Professor in the School of Engineering, holds an engineering degree from the College of Engineering in Bhopal, India, and a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Cranfield Institute of Technology in England. He is a fellow in both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He received the Aircraft Engine Technology Award from the ASM’s International Gas Turbine Institute.
Leland joined UDRI in 2000 after working in Congressman Tony Hall’s office as a Congressional Science Fellow sponsored by the ASME and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During a 16-year stint at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Leland led a research group in the propulsion directorate, where researchers developed thermal management concepts and technologies for high-density power electronics, megawatt lasers and high-powered microwaves for future aircraft. Leland holds six patents, with two pending, on heat exchanger and miniature heat pipe innovations, and has won two technology transfer awards. A Kettering resident, he has also authored or co-authored more than 60 technical publications.
Leland holds three degrees in mechanical engineering -- a bachelor's degree from the University of Akron, a master’s degree from the University of Dayton and a doctoral degree from the University of Kentucky. Leland is an associate fellow of AIAA and has recently been elected a fellow in ASME.
May 23, 2003
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