Interim Associate Dean for Research and Facilities

Heng Ban is the Richard K. Mellon Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Interim Associate Dean for Research and Facilities. He also directs the Stephen R. Tritch Program in Nuclear Engineering and leads the Multiscale Thermophysics Laboratory.

Professor Ban's research spans thermal-fluid sciences, materials characterization, sensor development, and energy systems. His current focus is the relationship between material microstructure and thermal performance, with applications in nuclear fuels and materials, advanced manufacturing, micro-scale measurement, and the development of in-pile sensors and instrumentation for reactor environments. He has authored more than 240 publications and his work has been supported by the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and industry partners.

Before joining Pitt in 2017, Professor Ban was a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Utah State University, where he founded the Center for Thermohydraulics and Material Properties. He previously held a faculty appointment at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.