On August 15, 2024, Dean Nancy Allbritton shared the following announcement with the College of Engineering community:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Juming Tang as chair of the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering. This is a five-year term effective October 1, 2024, subject to the approval of the Provost.  

Juming has a joint appointment in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME). Prior to joining the UW, he was a Regents Professor and Distinguished Chair of Food Engineering in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University (WSU). From 2016-2020, Juming served as Chair of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at WSU.

Juming’s record of innovative research and collaborative leadership and service positions him well to lead the ISE department’s future growth. He has conducted pioneering research in food safety and processing engineering, supported by the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Agricultural National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as well as private companies. He directed two consecutive consortia in advancing novel industrial microwave technologies for control of bacterial and viral pathogens in production of high quality ready-to-eat meals with extended shelf-life in different storage conditions, from concept proofing and scaling-up to achieving regulatory acceptance. His research has led to 15 U.S. and international patents licensed for global commercialization. Juming has advised more than 100 Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars, and published over 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021 for the "invention and commercialization of electromagnetic spectrum wave-based food processes.”

Juming serves on numerous professional boards related to food engineering including the Editorial Board for Food Physics; Sustainable Food Technology, Royal Society of Chemistry; and the Journal of Microwave Power and Energy, to name a few. Juming is an active member of the International Microwave Power Institute, where he served as president from 2009-2010, and is currently on its Board of Governors. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, International Academy of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, National Academy of Inventors, and a member of Washington State Academy of Sciences.  

I would like to thank the search committee members Alberto Aliseda (committee chair, ME), Chiwoo Park (ISE), John Choe (ISE), Ji-Eun Kim (ISE), Kelly Foong (ISE), Jeff Berman (CEE), and Jill Kaatz (Dean’s office) for their great work in engaging the department and community in the search for ISE’s next chair. I would also like to thank all who participated in the selection process.  

Finally, I would like to thank Cynthia Chen for her excellent service as interim chair of ISE for the past two years. Under Cynthia’s leadership, ISE hired fantastic new faculty, worked to increase undergraduate enrollment and developed exciting new graduate certificates, positioning ISE very well for continued success. Juming and Cynthia will work together closely in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition.  

Please join me in congratulating Juming on his appointment.