College of Engineering Welcomes New Faculty

David Cereceda, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

David Cereceda, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. David Cereceda has a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. During the last three years of his doctoral studies, he conducted his research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining Villanova University, Dr. Cerededa was a postdoctoral fellow at the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute at Johns Hopkins University.  His specialties include:

• Computational mechanics
• Multiscale modeling of materials
• Materials under extreme conditions

Jonathan Hubler, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Jonathan Hubler, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Jonathan Hubler earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Drexel University and his PhD from the University of Michigan. As a doctoral student, he received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship for those who have demonstrated potential for significant achievements in engineering research. His dissertation focused on laboratory and field experiments to study the response of gravelly soils during earthquake events. At Villanova Dr. Hubler teaches courses in geosynthetics and geotechnical engineering. His specialties include:

• Geotechnical earthquake engineering
• Static and dynamic response of soils in the laboratory and field 

David Jamison, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

David Jamison, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. David Jamison received his bachelor's degree in Engineering Mechanics from Johns Hopkins University and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University. After earning his doctorate, he joined Villanova University in the Mechanical Engineering Department as a visiting assistant professor, teaching courses in solid mechanics and biomechanics. He has also taught the professional development seminar, analysis and design lab, and the College’s freshman interdisciplinary lab. Dr. Jamison helped develop and launch the new Biomedical Engineering minor, directs the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, and has further advanced the College of Engineering’s entrepreneurially minded learning efforts. His specialties include:

• Orthopaedic biomechanics
• Injury tolerance
• 3-D image reconstruction
• Entrepreneurially minded learning in engineering education

Morteza Seidi, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Morteza Seidi, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Morteza Seidi earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Yazd University and Iran University of Science and Technology, respectively. He then worked as an instructor and mechanical engineer for the largest car manufacturer in Iran before beginning his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maine. After completing his degree, Dr. Seidi remained with the University of Maine where he served as a postdoctoral researcher before joining Villanova University. At Villanova he teaches courses in Solid Mechanics & Design. His specialties include:

• Biomechanics
• Injury protection design
• Impact testing methods
• Design, testing and analysis of energy-absorbing materials
• Product development
• Human body motion modeling and gait analysis

Peter Staffeld, PhD, PE, F.NSPE, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering

Peter Staffeld, PhD, PE, F.NSPE, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
Dr. Peter Staffeld earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University, and his master’s and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.  His professional experience includes serving as vice president of manufacturing for a global polyurethanes manufacturer and working for Mobil Oil Corporation in a variety of positions including technology sales and licensing, project economic analysis, process modeling and optimization, and research and development, for which he was awarded a US patent.  In Villanova’s Department of Chemical Engineering, where he has been a visiting assistant professor since 2009, Dr. Staffeld has taught Process Equipment Design, Mass Transfer, Chemical Reactor Design, Engineering Economics and Technical Communications.