Jing Sun

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

Jing Sun, associate professor, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME), came to the College of Engineering from a 10-year stay at Ford Motor Company's Research Laboratory, where she was a technical specialist. Prior to that, she was an assistant professor for four years in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Wayne State University in Detroit. Sun said that, in considering a Michigan Engineering position, her primary motivations were its excellent reputation, world-class faculty, great students, new challenges and unprecedented opportunities.

A holder of a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, Sun will focus her research on emission control and propulsion-system energy management. She's especially interested in the control of marine and automotive systems, and the interdisciplinary research that will enable her to expand this work in many new directions.

"I foresee a number of opportunities to develop theory and new tools for control design and system integration," she said. "I also anticipate working with my peers to find innovative solutions to real-world problems. And, of course, I look forward to educating and mentoring students. All of this makes me very excited to return to academia after spending ten years in industry."

Sun is a Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. She was a member of the IEEE Control System Society Education Committee, and the Relations Committee for the SAE Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. She has received numerous awards: six Ford Technology Innovation Awards (1997 and 1998; 2000 through 2003); the 1997 Ford Technical Achievement Award; the 2001 Ford Publication Award; and the 2003 IEEE Control System Technology Award. She also holds more than 30 US patents.

Sun has a special ability to focus simultaneously on her work and her family, and despite her work loads, tries to spend as much time as possible with her husband and two sons.

Nick Kotov

Chemical Engineering

Nick Kotov, associate professor, Chemical Engineering, came to Michigan Engineering from Oklahoma State University, where he served in the Chemistry Department since 1996, leading a research team that, among other things, discovered a simple and universal method for preparing semiconductor nanowires for the emerging area of nanoelectronics.

Currently he's focusing on the optical and electrical properties of nanoparticles and thin films, but he said that "there's no end to research in this area." This includes his investigations into the interactions of living cells with nanostructured surfaces, nanoparticles as agents for cancer treatment and diagnostics, and nanoscale electronic circuits, as well as carbon nanotubes and natural clay composites for use in a new generation of automotive vehicles.

He earned bachelor's and doctoral degrees in chemistry in 1987 and 1990 from Russia's Moscow State University and, in 1992, took a post-doctoral appointment at Syracuse University. Presently he's editing a volume, Nanoparticle Superstructures, which discusses the fundamental problems of organization at a nanoscale. (Marcel Dekker will publish the text in 2004.)

Kotov is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society, the Materials Research Society and the American Association for Advancement of Science. His many honors include a 1986 Mendeleyev Fellowship from Moscow State University; the 1998 Humbolt Fellowship Award, which he received while at Hamburg University; a 1998 NSF CAREER Award; and Oklahoma State University's 2001 Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence.

When he has a little time for himself, Kotov likes to cook seafood with a strong Mediterranean influence. He also dabbles in carpentry, tackling home-improvement projects such as installing low-voltage highlight lights and building decks. Kotov plans to lend a hand to the Ann Arbor community, too, working with middle-school students to publicize the achievements of technology and need for early scientific education.

"Scientific leadership, state-of-the art research facilities and Michigan Engineering's reputation - they're the key reasons for being here," he said. "The Chemical Engineering department's very friendly yet businesslike atmosphere is one of its unique features, too."