Engineering

College of Engineering welcomes 12 new faculty members

The "We Are" sign sits on Penn State's University Park campus.  Credit: Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Engineering continues to expand its academic and research excellence with the addition of 12 new faculty members from April through August. These appointments reflect the college’s ongoing commitment to growing its instructional, research and leadership capacity across various departments and disciplines. 

“As we welcome our newest faculty members, we also celebrate the continued momentum of our college’s strategic investment in talent,” said  Tonya L. Peeples, the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. “From research to teaching to academic leadership, these faculty bring expertise and energy that will help shape the future of engineering at Penn State and beyond.” 

Tenure-line faculty who joined the college are: 

  • Onur Apul, associate professor of civil engineering
  • Baxi Zhong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering 

Academic administrator who joined the college: 

  • Jin Wen, head of the Department of Architectural Engineering 

Professional track faculty who joined the college are: 

  • Christopher Axten, assistant teaching professor of aerospace engineering 
  • Ishan Behoora, assistant teaching professor of computer science and engineering
  • Humaira Farid, assistant teaching professor of computer science and engineering  
  • Robert Ward, assistant teaching professor of computer science and engineering
  • Parisa Lotfi, assistant teaching professor of electrical engineering  
  • Joseph Cuiffi, associate teaching professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering
  • Long Meng, assistant research professor of mechanical engineering
  • Alexandra Jackson, assistant teaching professor in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation 
Last Updated September 22, 2025

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