Pezhman Hassanpour, PhD, PE

When your father is an engineer and your mother is a teacher, you are strongly predisposed by the forces of nature to end up in academia. That’s exactly what happened to me. Despite the occasional signs suggesting a more lucrative career path and the major roadblocks along the way, I have stayed true to my goal of becoming a professor.

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tehran, where my fascination with the concept of time and my love for differential equations steered my academic journey. Long before university, I had even self-taught advanced calculus in high school. Naturally, when it came to the typical Mechanical Engineering curriculum, I gravitated toward dynamics and vibrations instead of the steadiness of statics or Bernoulli’s equations.

For my master’s degree, I studied at Sharif University of Technology, also in Tehran, focusing my research on structural vibrations under the guidance of Professor Ebrahim Esmailzadeh. With his encouragement, I pursued a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto, working under the supervision of the late Professor William L. Cleghorn, Professor James K. Mills, and Professor Esmailzadeh. Yes, you read that right—I had three advisors! My PhD research explored the dynamic analysis and design of resonant microstructures, diving headfirst into the exciting fields of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology.

Shortly after defending my dissertation, the world was hit by the Great Recession, and finding a job wasn’t easy. Luckily, I received a prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada post-doctoral fellowship, which took me to the University of Waterloo. There, I continued my research in MEMS for a few years until I landed my first tenure-track position—and I’ve been on this rewarding academic journey ever since.

Throughout my career, I have published over 40 journal and conference papers, including in prestigious journals such as Journal of Sound and Vibration, ASME’s Journal of Applied Mechanics, and Journal of Vibration and Control. I am a registered professional engineer in the State of California and occasionally provide consultation services as a forensic engineer on the cause and origin of failure of mechanical and energy systems. I have volunteered for the ASME’s IMECE conference in several capacities, including as a topic organizer since 2008.

Currently, my research focuses on dynamics and control of systems, with applications in both MEMS and macro systems. In particular, I am interested in designing resonant structures with very stable natural frequencies aimed at developing better sensors and timing systems. I am passionate about mentoring the next generation of engineers and contributing to the academic community through my research and teaching.