PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Villanova’s College of Engineering is unique in its newly launched professional development program for doctoral students, which reflects Villanova’s commitment to high-quality teaching and close attention to the student, as well as development of the whole person as embodied by Veritas, Unitas, Caritas.

The program consists of a required core course, EGR 9240, which will cover topics such as:

Communication and interpersonal skills
Diversity and inclusion
Teamwork
Project management
Leadership
Strategic planning
Employee empowerment

Entrepreneurially minded learning
Ethics
Safety and the environment
Lifelong learning
Unique culture of Villanova, which emphasizes service to, and care for, one’s community

The required core course will be recorded on the student’s transcript. However, those who satisfactorily complete this course, plus a required minimum number of “supplements” from either an academic or industry track will also receive a certificate. The pursuit of a certificate is optional. Because EGR 9240 and the Certificate courses EGR 9200, 9220, and 9260 are in-class discussion-based, a student will not be permitted to take any of these courses as an E-Learning student.

TESTIMONIALS

“The program provides a complete view and clear path on topics such as ethics, diversity, teamwork and innovation that need to be addressed by professionals who will impact society.” - Carol Caceres, PhD Candidate

“It was a great experience to listen, learn and interact with those in industry and academia on important topics rarely discussed in traditional graduate school coursework.” – Richard Ampomah, PhD Candidate

Kelsey O’Donnell, ’20 PhD, Process Development Scientist, Amgen

“The seminar provides insight into the needs of different industries and what I can be doing as a student at Villanova to meet the needs of future employers.” – Kelsey O’Donnell, ’20 PhD, Process Development Scientist, Amgen

Certificate Options:

A min. B grade in EGR 9200 (Teaching in Higher Education; a 1 credit course)
A min. B grade in EGR 9220 (Teaching in Higher Education Practicum)

Optional:

An industrial internship
Coordinating and chairing a session at an industrial conference
A min. B grade in a course from the following list:

PHD TESTIMONIALS

Aleksandra Mitrovic

Research Focus: Range-based Control of Dual-Stage Systems: Design and Analysis with Applications on Nanopositioning Stages
Job Title: Staff Engineer at Western Digital in San Jose, CA

“Research I conducted at Villanova greatly helped me get my job and impressed all of my colleagues shortly after I started my new position.”

Ronald Warzoha

Research Focus: Nanoscale thermal transport
Job Title: Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, United States Naval Academy

“My Villanova education put me in a position to conduct world-class research and become an award-winning educator at the U.S. Naval Academy. The faculty, in particular, were always eager to put me in a position to succeed, while the courses provided the technical background I needed to perform the research I do now.”

Kamran Makarian

Research Focus: Micromechanics and thermal shock behavior of particle-reinforced ceramic composites
Job Title: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University

“My Villanova University graduate education was life-changing and dramatically improved my critical thinking skills and scientific creativity. I conducted cutting-edge experimental and computational research and obtained skills that I use daily as a postdoc.”

Sergio Yanez

Research Focus: Behavior of composite steel joist systems
Job Title: Professor, University of Santiago, Chile

''From the very first day, I learned valuable lessons from my professors and classmates about commitment and dedication as part of the PhD process. Also, as an international student, I was truly blessed to be surrounded by the Villanova community. They always made me feel at home."

Amal Kalaban

Research Focus: Application of superlattice structures in solar cells
Job Title: Assistant Professor, Bucknell University

"The PhD program at Villanova developed my breadth and depth in engineering knowledge. It allowed me to gain excellent research and teaching skills grounded in an awareness to address important societal needs."

IN THE NEWS

INTERN Supplement Supports PhD Student’s Opportunity with Nokia Bell Labs

An NSF INTERN supplement to an existing Phase II I/UCRC grant for the Center for Energy-Smart Electronic Systems will fund an opportunity at Nokia Bell Labs for Villanova PhD student Li Chen. Li will be working with Dr. Rafaelle Luca Amalfi on electronics cooling projects, which will complement his PhD research on the environmental sustainability of data centers. Li’s advisor is Dr. Aaron Wemhoff

Cutting-Edge Study Reveals Engineering Properties of Enhanced Bentonites

Canadian Geotechnical Journal has published a new paper by PhD candidate Shan Tong and Assistant Professor Dr. Kristin Sample-Lord on the engineering properties of enhanced bentonites. The paper presents the results of Tong’s cutting-edge multi-year experimental study to better understand how polymer addition impacts the rate at which contaminants can move through bentonite barriers and into the environment over time. More.

Doctoral Student Recognized by ASME Fluids Engineering Division

Villanova PhD student Menglong Lei has been selected as an ASME Graduate Student Scholar for the Computational Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee by the ASME Fluids Engineering Division. The award is based on his submitted paper "Effects of Wing Kinematics on Modulating Odor Plume Structures in the Odor Tracking Flight of Fruit Flies.” Lei’s advisor is Dr. Chengyu Li, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering.