James Schmiedeler, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, has been appointed Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity in the Notre Dame College of Engineering, effective January 1, 2024.
Schmiedeler is an internationally recognized expert in robotics. His research focuses on legged locomotion, with active projects spanning lower-limb prostheses, rehabilitation of human walking following spinal cord injury, and quantifying human balance deficits.
He recently served as General Conference Chair of the 2023 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, a flagship conference for the robotics research community. He also has held numerous leadership roles in the Notre Dame College of Engineering, including Associate Chair of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME). At the university level, Schmiedeler’s leadership includes service as an elected faculty member of the Provost’s Advisory Council (PAC).
As Associate Chair of AME, Schmiedeler led several departmental initiatives to broaden participation and inclusion in engineering, including a re-design of the AME undergraduate curricula to support multiple pathways for student success. He also standardized and coordinated AME’s research and teaching mentors program for faculty as part of his commitment to faculty development.
Recognitions for contributions in his field include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which he received not only for his innovative new models of multi-joint human movement but also for his mentoring of women and minority students.
“Jim has outstanding credentials to help advance our commitments to broadening participation and inclusion in engineering and to supporting faculty success at all levels,” said Patricia J. Culligan, Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of the College of Engineering. “I am very grateful that someone with Jim’s talents has agreed to take on this important role.”
Schmiedeler succeeds Ronald Metoyer, who served as the College of Engineering’s first Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity and is now Notre Dame’s Vice President and Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning.
— Karla Cruise, Notre Dame College of Engineering