Summary

Dean, Volgenau School of Engineering, George Mason University

Information

Web:   Volgenau page  LinkedIn   Twitter: @KenBallVa

Email: ball@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-1500
Address:  Nguyen Engineering Building, 5106
4400 University Drive, MS 4A3
Fairfax, VA 22030 

Biosketch

Kenneth Ball previously served as the L.S. Randolph Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech from 2004-12, overseeing rapid growth in the department with research expenditures increasing five-fold to approximately $20M, and with large increases in student enrollment. Prior to his appointment at Virginia Tech, he served for 15 years on the mechanical engineering faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, where he was the Temple Foundation Endowed Faculty Fellow in Engineering.

Dr. Ball has supervised 13 PhD dissertations and 29 MS theses. He has obtained externally sponsored funding (excluding high-performance computing grants) in excess of $20M for projects and program development in mechanical engineering, including the thermal/fluid sciences and nuclear engineering. The estimated commercial value of his supercomputer grants is in excess of $10M.

Education

Drexel University
Ph.D.  Mechanical Engineering
1984 – 1987

Drexel University
M.S.M.E. Mechanical Engineering
1982 – 1984

Lehigh University
B.S.M.E.  Mechanical Engineering
1978 – 1982

Experience

Dean, Volgenau School of Engineering
George Mason University
2012 – Present

Department Head and L.S. Randolph Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Virginia Tech
2004 – 2012

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Aug 1989 – Jul 2004

Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Applied Mathematics
Brown University
Jul 1987 – Jul 1989

Mechanical Engineer
NAVSSES (Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station, U.S. Navy)
1980 – 1982
Philadelphia, PA
Heat Power Division, Code 022E

Engineering Intern
United States Steel Corporation
Jun 1981 – Aug 1981
Fairless Works, Fairless Hills, PA
Maintenance and Utilities Division

Engineering Intern
US Army Corps of Engineers
Jun 1979 – Aug 1979
Philadelphia, PA
Flood Plain Management Group