Susan Fullerton Shirey Named Interim Chair of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

To the Swanson School community and members of our advisory boards,

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Susan Fullerton Shirey will serve as interim chair of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, effective September 1, 2026. She succeeds Dr. Steven R. Little, who will conclude 14 years as chair at the end of summer.

Susan is a Bicentennial Board of Visitors Faculty Fellow and will be promoted to the rank of full Professor, also effective September 1, 2026. As vice chair for graduate education, she is leading an NSF-funded effort that gives graduate students more flexibility in shaping their studies around academic, industry, or entrepreneurial careers. She recently completed a 2025–2026 ELATES fellowship through Drexel University - a yearlong academic leadership program that included an institution-wide STEM education project.

With bachelor's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from Penn State, Susan began her faculty career as a research assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame. She joined Pitt in 2015 and was promoted with tenure in 2020. Her work draws on both chemical and electrical engineering as leader of the Nanoionics and Electronics Lab, where her group uses ions to control charge in semiconductors for next-generation electronics. Her research honors include an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry, a AAAS Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences, and an NSF CAREER Award. For her classroom achievements, she received the James Pommersheim Award for Excellence in Teaching in Chemical Engineering. Susan's leadership experience in the department will provide valuable continuity while we search for its next chair.

I am grateful to Steve for 14 years of leadership and for working closely with Susan as she prepares to take on the interim role. During his tenure, grant proposal submissions and expenditures more than doubled, while the addition of 15 faculty members expanded the department's capacity for research and education. After a well-earned sabbatical, Steve will return to the faculty as Distinguished Professor and George M. and Eva M. Bevier Endowed Chair, continuing his internationally recognized research and teaching in drug delivery systems.

Please join me in welcoming Susan as interim chair and thanking Steve for his leadership and service to the department.

Sincerely,
Michele V. Manuel, PhD
U. S. Steel Dean of Engineering