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Shankar Mahalingam to retire as UA’s engineering dean
Mahalingam led the College of Engineering through growth in research funding, enrollment and graduation outcomes during his tenure.
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 24, Dec 2025
- 14:51 EST
- 18
Shankar Mahalingam, dean of the UAH College of Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. / Michael Mercier/ University of Alabama in Huntsville
Indian American professor Shankar Mahalingam is set to retire as dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville after 15 years in the role.
Mahalingam joined the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2010 and led the College of Engineering through a period of sustained expansion in research activity, enrollment and degree output.
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During his tenure, the college rose to No. 73 in the U.S. News & World Report graduate engineering rankings, while it ranked first in Alabama for federal research expenditures in six categories.
Research expenditures at the college increased nearly tenfold over the 15-year period. Undergraduate enrollment grew by about 1,000 students.
Graduation outcomes also improved, with the four-year graduation rate doubling to 45 percent and the six-year graduation rate rising from 57 percent in 2018 to 64 percent in 2025. All engineering programs maintained continuous Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accreditation.
Faculty recognition increased during Mahalingam’s tenure, with 11 faculty members receiving National Science Foundation CAREER Awards. He also oversaw several strategic initiatives, including securing nearly $5 million in signed commitments for space and room naming opportunities in the Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building, scheduled to open in 2026.
“Dr. Mahalingam's leadership helped transform the College of Engineering into a more research-intensive, student-centered institution with deeper regional impact,” said David Puleo, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
Puleo said Mahalingam promoted faculty development, expanded student opportunities and strengthened the college’s national standing.
Alongside his administrative responsibilities, Mahalingam remained active in teaching and research. His work focused on turbulent combustion, wildfire and forest fire modeling, flame-spread experiments and computational fluid dynamics, with applications to fire behavior and environmental systems.
He was also involved in establishing scholarships and endowed support, including the Mary Makima and Lester B. Ross Scholarship, the Andrew and Betty Ventre Memorial Scholarship supported by a $3.1 million endowment for graduate students, and the $1 million Ashok K. Singhal Endowed Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Beyond campus, he was involved in STEM outreach initiatives across North Alabama, working with schools, community colleges, industry partners and regional organizations. HE has served as associate editor of the AIAA Journal, as a member-at-large on the board of the Western States Section of the Combustion Institute, and holds fellow or associate fellow status with multiple professional bodies.
Mahalingam earned a Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, a Master of Science degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a doctorate from Stanford University, all in mechanical engineering.
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