The Georgia Tech alumna will guide the nation’s No. 2 public mechanical engineering program, leveraging a $100 million gift as the catalyst for innovation and shaping a future that extends beyond its initial impact.
(text and background only visible when logged in)
Carolyn Seepersad has been selected as the next leader of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. She will begin as the Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. School Chair Jan. 1.
Seepersad has been a Woodruff School faculty member since 2023. She co-leads the TechMade Initiative, which is building an engineering design community on campus. The initiative spans the colleges of engineering, business, and design to give students hands-on exposure to the full sweep of product realization, from design to manufacturing, no matter their major.
Her appointment comes two months after the Woodruff School received a $100 million bequest from alumnus John Durstine. The gift will establish endowed chairs, professorships, and faculty awards; support innovation infrastructure; and seed bold ideas.
“Carolyn’s vision for interdisciplinary collaboration and commitment to innovative education make her an ideal choice to lead the Woodruff School,” said Doug Williams, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “Her leadership comes at a pivotal time as we begin to implement Mr. Durstine’s vision of putting the School in a class of its own. Carolyn’s vision will ensure that the Woodruff School remains a global leader in mechanical and nuclear engineering education and research.”
Seepersad’s research and teaching focus on design for additive manufacturing, process innovation in additive manufacturing, and simulation-based and data-driven engineering design. She was the founding director of the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation at the University of Texas at Austin prior to coming to Tech.
The former Rhodes Scholar received her Georgia Tech master’s and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and was a Hertz Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
“I am incredibly honored to serve the Woodruff School as its next chair,” Seepersad said. “I look forward to collaborating with our exceptional students, staff, faculty, administration, alumni, and stakeholders to advance our long tradition of excellence in engineering research and education. The recent investment and decades of donor support fuel our mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. We’re building on this momentum to fully realize Georgia Tech’s bold vision, and I look forward to working with more partners and the Woodruff community to make it happen.”
Seepersad has earned several research awards, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Design Automation Award and the University of Texas Regents’ Award for Outstanding Teaching — the highest teaching award for faculty in the University of Texas System. She is editor-in-chief of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, an elected advisory board member of the Design Society, a member of SME’s Additive Manufacturing Technical Leadership Committee, and a former chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division Executive Committee.
Seepersad succeeds Devesh Ranjan, who was named engineering dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison earlier this year. Shreyes Melkote will continue to serve as interim chair through the end of the year before returning to his full-time faculty role and serving as associate director for the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute.
“My thanks to Shreyes for his thoughtful guidance and steady leadership during this interim period, which included the initial planning for Mr. Durstine’s $100 million gift,” Williams said. “I’m also grateful to Alyssa Panitch, who led the chair search. She and a committee of faculty, staff and students identified a highly qualified pool of candidates.”
(text and background only visible when logged in)
Related Content
Georgia Tech Receives Record $100M Gift From ME Alumnus John W. Durstine
The largest single gift in Institute history will support faculty and academic excellence in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
The largest single gift in Institute history will support faculty and academic excellence in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
TechMade: Building an Interdisciplinary Design Community
Stretching across three colleges, TechMade unifies design experiences across campus along with fellowships for grad students and a new undergrad course.
Stretching across three colleges, TechMade unifies design experiences across campus along with fellowships for grad students and a new undergrad course.