Ronald Harichandran
Dean, Tagliatela College of Engineering & Vice Provost for Research
Ron Harichandran was appointed Dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering in August 2011. In April 2019 he was also named Vice Provost for Research. Prior to that he was a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan State University (MSU) and served as the department chair for 16 years. His technical specialty is structural engineering and he has performed research on earthquake, pavement, bridge and fire engineering and engineering education, and has published over 170 journal and conference proceedings papers and technical reports. He has taught a broad range of courses in structural analysis, design, dynamics, and probabilistic methods.
Dr. Harichandran has stimulated innovations in all engineering and computer science programs by leading initiatives such as:
an integrated approach to developing technical communication skills;
development of an entrepreneurial mindset in students through integrated e-learning modules;
implementation of first year and career mentorship programs; and
securing two congressionally directed grants totaling $544,000 to purchase equipment in support of cybersecurity education and research.
He is also a co-PI on a $4 million Scholarship for Service grant from NSF.
Dr. Harichandran is an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.