Atul Kelkar, a distinguished professor and chair of mechanical engineering at Clemson University, will serve as the new dean of Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science starting Aug. 1.

After “tireless efforts” by the committee during their national candidate search, Kelkar was chosen to assume the deanship and the associated responsibility of leading research initiatives spearheaded by the previous dean and overseeing the hiring of new Watson faculty. Kelkar earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pune in India, continuing his doctoral education at Old Dominion University in Virginia.

Donald Hall, the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said that Kelkar was the search committee’s unanimous choice and University leadership describing him as the next “superb dean of the Watson College.”

Kelkar has amassed many achievements in both his leadership positions and academic pursuits. He was the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) program director and co-led several programs, including the Dynamics, Control and System Diagnostics programs in the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation division of NSF’s Engineering Directorate.

During his time at Iowa State University, Kelkar founded and served as chief executive of five technology start-ups and contributed to the development of the Start-Up Factory, an incubator based in Ames, IA. He has been awarded the NSF’s CAREER award, the NASA Creativity and Innovation Program Award and a National Research Council Fellowship.

“[Kelkar] will continue to build on the solid foundation but also will [grow] the national and international visibility of the college and the research that is being done there,” Hall wrote in an email. “He has a long history of working with a variety of industry partners, and I know he is committed to serving not only our students but also the industries and employers of the Southern Tier of New York.”

Asked about expectations for the new dean, Hall offered support to Kelkar as he steps into the role with both management and teaching experience. Watson College, according to Hall, is on a “stellar” trajectory because of the fine work performed by Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari, the outgoing dean.

Srihari joined Watson College in 1988, serving as dean since 2009. Originally planning to leave the post in 2018, a hiring hold prevented the search for Srihari’s successor, and he agreed to remain as dean until another was chosen during COVID-19. Under Srihari’s leadership, Watson’s graduate programs climbed to No. 95 in the U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings, with industrial and systems engineering at No. 47 and computer science at No. 99.

“I look forward to taking the college to new heights by building on the strong foundation that my predecessors have laid before me,” Kelkar wrote in an email. “I am eager to collaborate with the talented faculty, staff and students, working together to inspire learning, drive innovation, shape a future of academic excellence and foster economic development of the region.”