College of Engineering Celebrates Faculty Promotions
The College of Engineering at Utah State University is pleased to recognize faculty members who have earned promotions effective at the start of the 2026–27 academic year.
College of Engineering faculty gather to celebrate recent promotions. Pictured from left: Shuhan Yuan, Cassidy McCall, Zac Humes, Som Dutta, Juhyeong Lee, Sierra Young, Shah Muhammad Hamdi, Steve Petruzza and Nadia Kouraytem.
The promotion and tenure process is highly demanding, reflecting years of sustained commitment, achievement, and impact. These promotions honor excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and service, as well as innovative contributions that advance the mission of the university.
The College of Engineering is proud to recognize the following faculty members for attaining this significant professional milestone.
Dr. Som Dutta — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Som Dutta joined the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department in 2019 as an assistant professor. He holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, along with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology.
Dutta is an accomplished researcher and engineer. He has published over 30 journal entries and was most recently awarded the Award for Teaching Excellence in 2026 from the MAE Department. He has also mentored 9 graduate students to completion. To date he has earned over $2 million in research funding as both PI and Co-PI.
Dr. Som Dutta — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Prof. Zac Humes — Promoted to Associate Professor of Practice
Zac Humes joined the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department in 2020 as an assistant professor of practice. He holds a master's and bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Utah State University, as well as a master's degree in business management from USU.
Humes has worked in a variety of roles across multiple industries as a licensed professional engineer, project engineer, vice president, corporate executive, and business owner. He is a licensed professional engineer in both Utah and California. Humes was most recently awarded the 2026 Undergraduate Faculty Advisor of the Year from the MAE Department.
Prof. Zac Humes — Promoted to Associate Professor of Practice
Dr. Nadia Kouraytem — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Nadia Kouraytem joined the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department in 2020 as an assistant professor. She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut.
Kouraytem’s primary research area includes evaluating the process-structure-property relationships in metal additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, using advanced experimental techniques to support its adoption in critical sectors. She has around 20 journal publications and currently mentors six graduate students and one undergraduate student in her lab. Kouraytem has also acquired more than $6 million of funding both as PI and co-PI.
Her work has been recognized with numerous honors and awards including the Pioneer of Progress in Science and Technology Award in 2024, the TMS MPMD Young Leaders Professional Development Award in 2025, as well as the Researcher of the year award, and Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
Dr. Nadia Kouraytem — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Dr. Vladimir Kulyukin — Promoted to Professor
Vladimir Kulyukin joined the School of Computing in 2002. He holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Chicago, a master's degree in Slavic linguistics from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in linguistics and machine translation from Moscow State Linguistic University. Kulyukin's primary research interests include artificial intelligence, sensor fusion, immobile and mobile robots, and assistive technology.
Dr. Vladimir Kulyukin — Promoted to Professor
Dr. Juhyeong Lee — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Juhyeong Lee joined the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department in 2019 as an assistant professor. He holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Mississippi State University, and a bachelor's degree in material science and engineering from Chonnam National University.
Lee has received numerous honors recognizing his contributions to research and innovation, including three awards in 2026: the Pioneers of Progress Award for Science and Technology from the Days of '47 Board of Trustees; the Wilford R. and Marjorie C. Gardener Junior Faculty Travel Endowment from Utah State University; and the Faculty Researcher of the Year Award from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and has mentored six graduate students to successful completion of their degrees.
Dr. Juhyeong Lee — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Dr. Cassandra McCall — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Cassandra McCall joined the Engineering Education Department in 2020 as an assistant professor. She holds a Ph.D. in engineering education from Virginia Tech and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
McCall’s research goal is to enhance engineering diversity and inclusion by challenging traditional and normative concepts of who engineers are and what engineers do. She was most recently named the 2026 Faculty Researcher of the Year and the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Mentor of the Year by the Engineering Education Department. She has over 20 published journal articles and has mentored nine graduate students to completion.
Dr. Cassandra McCall — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Dr. Steve Petruzza — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Steve Petruzza joined the School of Computing in 2020 as an assistant professor. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science and master's and bachelor's degrees in computer engineering, all from the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
Petruzza leads the Computing Elevated Lab where they investigate novel techniques to improve large scale data analysis and visualization in a variety of settings. He has published over 60 journal articles and has mentored five graduate students to completion.
Dr. Steve Petruzza — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Dr. Shah Hamdi — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Shah Muhammad Hamdi joined the School of Computing in 2022. He holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in computer science from Georgia State University, as well as a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering from Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology.
Hamdi's research centers around machine learning, data mining and deep learning. He has secured over $1.3 million in extramural funding and has published over 70 papers. Hamdi oversees the High-Dimensional Data Mining and Analysis Lab where he is currently mentoring four graduate students.
Dr. Shah Hamdi — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Dr. Sierra Young — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Sierra Young joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in 2022 as an assistant professor. She holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from Cornell University.
Young serves a dual appointment with the Utah Water Research Laboratory where she focuses on the development of field robotics, automation and sensing systems for environmental and agricultural applications, and advancing manipulation for unoccupied aerial systems. She has published over 40 journal articles and has successfully mentored six graduate students to completion.
Dr. Sierra Young — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Dr. Shuhan Yuan — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
Shuhan Yuan joined the School of Computing in 2020 as an assistant professor. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Tongji University, a master’s degree in computer science, and a bachelor’s degree in network engineering, both from Huaqiao University.
Yuan’s research is rooted in responsible AI, with a focus on building machine learning systems that are effective, fair, explainable and robust in high-stakes settings. He has published over 50 articles and has mentored six graduate students to completion.
Dr. Shuhan Yuan — Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
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Writer: Madeline Buskirk, madeline.buskirk@usu.edu, 435-797-7512