Professor Recognized by International Mechanical Engineering Group

University Relations

Zhenghui Sha

A University of Arkansas mechanical engineering faculty member has been honored for research into complex system engineering and design, with an emphasis on the intersection between systems science, design science and decision science in mechanical engineering.

Zhenghui Sha, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, earned the Computers and Information in Engineering Best Ph.D. Dissertation of the Year award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, which has more than 130,000 members in 151 countries. ASME notes that "to ensure that it is presented to appropriately qualified recipients and to maintain the prestigious nature of the award, this award may not be presented every year."

Sha, who joined the U of A faculty in 2017, earned the award based on his dissertation research at Purdue University as a doctoral student.

Darin Nutter, head of the department of mechanical engineering, praised Sha's accomplishment.

"We are very pleased that Dr. Sha joined our department last year," he said. "He has strengthened our design group, and this is further recognition of his quality and value to the Mechanical Engineering Department and the UA."

Sha's dissertation research focused on new ways to engineer and design complex systems, such as design crowdsourcing, smart transportation systems and complex sociotechnical systems.

The approach differs from designing other complex systems, such as aircraft, because the systems evolve based on interactions and decisions made by different entities and stakeholders in the systems, known as a bottom-up process.

For Sha, the award was a great start to his time at the University of Arkansas.

"I received this award in the year I joined the University of Arkansas, so it seems like a symbol of summarizing my Ph.D. career at Purdue, and initiating my faculty career at the UA," Sha said. "The award demonstrated the accomplishment from my Ph.D. research, but more importantly, it serves as a spur that motivates me to work harder on the path of exploring more scientific discoveries in my research. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my Ph.D. adviser, Dr. Jitesh Panchal, from Purdue University."