Vijay K. Dhir, NAE

Dr. Vijay K. Dhir is a distinguished professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA and the former dean of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Professor Dhir, who joined the UCLA faculty in 1974, has conducted pioneering research in boiling and heat transfer.

In 2006 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, earned his M.Tech. at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, and his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. Dhir is also a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society and of the American Society for Engineering Education.

Among the school’s many achievements during his time as dean from 2003 to 2015 was the launch of the Master of Science in Engineering Online program, which is now the top-ranked such program in the country. Two new buildings, Engineering V and VI were constructed during this period. Dean Dhir also founded the Institute for Technology Advancement, an institute aimed to helping launch companies and accelerating the translation of research developed by students and faculty into practical applications.

For his contributions to academia, Dr. Dhir was named an honorary member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 2012, and was the 2004 recipient of the Max Jakob Memorial Award, a joint award from ASME and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers that recognizes eminent achievement in the area of heat transfer research.