It’s with great pride (and a little sadness!) that we congratulate our incredible director Dr. Kesh Kesavadas on his appointment as Vice President for Research and Economic Development at University at Albany! He will officially begin his new position on January 24, 2022.
Dr. Kesavadas was appointed as the inaugural director of the Health Care Engineering Systems Center when we were established in 2014 and has brought The Grainger College of Engineering’s tremendous vision to life these past seven years. As co-leader of the Jump ARCHES endowment with OSF HealthCare, he has improved the future of healthcare for all by funding innovative projects with the potential to save lives. Collaboration between engineers and physicians throughout the University of Illinois and OSF HealthCare systems has flourished and expanded to include faculty from an array of disciplines. He provided constant leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as researchers pivoted to mitigate its effects, sending out a priority funding call through Jump ARCHES and overseeing the transition of events to virtual formats.
Dr. Kesavadas has also served as a professor in the Department of ISE, CS, ECE, and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. He was involved in the establishment of the Health Data Analytics Initiative, the Cancer Center of Illinois, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and the Health and Technology for Aging initiative. He also spearheaded the Masters in Health Technology program collaboration with the College of Applied Health Sciences. Dr. Kesavadas was named a distinguished University Presidential Executive Leadership Fellow in 2019. His accomplishments are many, and we wish we could list them all!
Dr. Kesavadas previously served as a faculty member at the University at Buffalo, where he advanced his research interests in medical robotics, virtual reality/augmented reality in healthcare, manufacturing automation and design of systems. He received his B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calicut, India in 1985, his M.Tech degree in Aircraft Production Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1987, and his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in 1995.
We will miss you, Dr. Kesavadas, but we can’t wait to see what you accomplish at the University at Albany! They are so lucky to have you and we are so grateful to have had you as the most incredible director, boss, colleague, and friend. Good luck!