Butler named associate dean for education in the College of Engineering

Peter J. Butler, professor of biomedical engineering, has been named associate dean for education in the College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2015.

He will succeed Catherine Harmonosky, who has served as interim associate dean for undergraduate and graduate education since July 1, 2014.

Amr Elnashai, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering, said, "Peter served on the faculty council and has shown commitment and success in both undergraduate and graduate education, as well as research. I look forward to working with him to strengthen the college's programs and add even more innovative curricular content and delivery modes."

Butler's duties will encompass undergraduate, graduate and online engineering education.

A Penn State faculty member since 2001, Butler has served as engineering faculty council chair and chair of the faculty senate engineering caucus, with membership on Undergraduate Studies and University Planning committees.

He has developed undergraduate and graduate courses that integrate global contexts, ethics, professional skills and core engineering content. Butler focuses his research on biophotonics and quantitative microscopy, cardiovascular engineering, cell membrane mechanics and protein dynamics, and mechanobiology. He has also conducted research in cell biology education, engineering education and global engagement in education.

He currently heads the Cellular Mechanobiology Laboratory, a research group which aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the role of forces and molecular dynamics in vascular physiology and pathophysiology. This research has been funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Butler's awards and honors include the NSF CAREER award for outstanding research and the 2011 Lawrence J. Perez Memorial Student Advocate Award.

In January, he was named a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Butler earned a bachelor's degree in biology and English from Fordham University, a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York and a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering from the City University of New York. He conducted post-doctoral research in bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego.