Interim Dean Steven L. Ceccio

Steven Ceccio stands in a  grey suit. He rests his hand on a handrail on the second floor of the Ford Robotics Building. Below him, you can see the building atrium and the yellow stairs.

Steven L. Ceccio is the Interim Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. He is a world expert in naval hydrodynamics and, in particular, cavitating flows. He is passionate about creating an inclusive environment where all members of the Michigan Engineering community feel valued and supported.

Interim Dean Ceccio has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan since 1990. He is the Vincent T. and Gloria M. Gorguze Professor of Engineering, a professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. 

Previously, Interim Dean Ceccio served as associate dean for academic affairs (ADAA) in the College of Engineering, where he had oversight of faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure; merit reviews, budget reviews and planning; and space allocation. As ADAA, he worked with the Dean and leadership team to develop the College’s ME 2020 strategic vision; partnered with the associate dean for research to execute a college-level special strategic faculty hiring initiative; and supported a wide range of efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the College’s mission.

From 2016 to 2020, Interim Dean Ceccio was associate dean for research, where he was responsible for overseeing a research enterprise of roughly $275M in annual external expenditures. From 2011 to 2016, he served as department chair of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, where he led a significant effort to expand the department’s research portfolio with industry, including the creation of the ABS Program in Marine and Offshore Design and Performance. From 2010 to 2015, he was the founding director of the Naval Engineering Education Center, a university consortium devoted to the development of the next generation of naval engineers. Dr. Ceccio’s term as Interim Dean of Engineering began in June 2023. 

Interim Dean Ceccio is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and of the American Physical Society. He was named the 2014 Freeman Scholar by the ASME and was awarded the ASME Fluids Engineering Award in 2021. He is also a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the American Society of Engineering Education. He has published over 250 archival and refereed conference publications and has mentored 40 doctoral students, many of whom have joined academia and the naval research community.  

Interim Dean Ceccio has contributed to the setting of naval research priorities through participation in international organizations including the International Towing Tank Committee and the NATO Advanced Vehicle Technology Panel, where he currently serves as a member of the Technical Committee. He has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Fluids Engineering, and is currently a member on the scientific and organizational committees of several publications and professional meetings.  

Interim Dean Ceccio received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1985, graduating summa cum laude. He received his M.S. degree in 1986, and his Ph.D. in 1990 both in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is the creator of a world-class laboratory at the University of Michigan that focuses on experimental observations of multiphase flows, and leads multidisciplinary research teams at large-scale testing facilities located throughout the U.S. and internationally. Ceccio and his research group have made important contributions to the understanding of incipient and developed cavitating flows and their signatures, the physics and control of friction drag, and the scaling of high Reynolds number hydrodynamic flows which are all fundamental to the design and operation of naval platforms.  

As interim dean, Ceccio’s priorities are to continue making progress on the adoption of a people-first framework for engineering, building on successes of the new Office of Culture, Community & Equity and reinvigorating research efforts in the College. With excellent engineering fundamentals, a culture of collaboration across disciplines, and a focus on equity-centered values and global worldviews, Michigan Engineering is a place where engineers work to build a future that will elevate all people.

Background

Steven L. Ceccio, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering