The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has appointed two engineering faculty members at Georgia Tech as Regents’ Professors. The two new Regents’ Professors in the College of Engineering are Andres Garcia, professor in George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and Armisted (Ted) Russell, professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“They are conducting breakthrough research, making significant educational accomplishments, and are leaders in their professions both on the campus and on a global stage,” said Gary S. May, dean of engineering at Georgia Tech. “Both Andres and Ted are role models in their fields and in the Tech community. Even while rising to leadership roles they both have maintained an absolute dedication to students and in seeing them succeed both academically and professionally.”
A Regents' Professorship title represents the highest academic status bestowed by the University System of Georgia. It is meant to recognize a substantial, significant and ongoing record of scholarly achievement that has earned high national esteem over a sustained period.
Garcia was recognized for his work with biomaterials, his excellence in research, teaching and service, and his leadership role in bioengineering education on campus and biomaterials research around the world. Garcia has established an internationally recognized program on engineering novel biomaterials and cell-delivery vehicles for regenerative medicine applications, including bone repair, vascularization, inflammation, and tissue morphogenesis. His research integrates engineering principles with cell and molecular biology to provide fundamental insights into mechanisms regulating cell-material interactions and constitute creative approaches to the engineering of bioactive materials for enhanced tissue repair. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier bioengineering and bioscience journals, including Science Translational Medicine, PNAS, Biomaterials, Advanced Materials, and Molecular Biology of the Cell. These papers have been cited over 4,700 times.
Russell was recognized for his internationally recognized work in the field of air quality engineering and has made significant contributions in the education of future scientists and engineers and in the development of state, national and international policies to improve air quality and health. For three decades, he has been at the forefront of transdisciplinary research – bringing together environmental engineering, atmospheric sciences, public policy, and health. Russell is one of the most prolific scholars in the field, having published nearly 400 journal and conference papers, and several books and book chapters. His work is amongst the most highly cited in the broad field of environmental air quality. He has more than 6,000 citations. Russell has played a leading role in bringing together air quality and health research, a combination that led the EPA to choose Georgia Tech and Emory University for one of its National Clean Air Act Centers.
The Regents’ Professors titles are awarded by the Board of Regents, which governs the University System of Georgia, upon the unanimous recommendation of the president, the chief academic officer, the appropriate academic dean and three other faculty members named by the president, and upon the approval of the chancellor and the committee on academic affairs.