Former Engineering Dean Ashok Saxena has been selected as head of the department of biomedical engineering. He started in this position in May.

Saxena is the first permanent head of the department, which was created in 2012. He is taking over the position from Terry Martin, who served as interim department head from 2012-2014.

“I can’t say how happy I am to have Dr. Saxena back and serving in this position,” said engineering Dean John English. “He, Dr. Martin and Dr. Verma [head of biological and agricultural engineering] put so much effort into creating the biomedical engineering program and growing it into the thriving department it is today. I can’t think of a better person to lead the department at this critical time.”

As a researcher, Saxena has always worked in multidisciplinary fields, focusing mainly on mechanical engineering and materials science. He has been interested in the biomedical field for over a decade. He explained that many concepts in mechanical engineering apply to the biomedical engineering as well. For example, a fracture in a bone is a mechanical issue, just like a fracture in metal or concrete.

Saxena’s vision for the department is to develop a high quality biomedical engineering program. He is encouraged by the progress the department has made in attracting students and securing lab, classroom and office space through renovations in the John A. White Engineering Hall. “The students who choose to study biomedical engineering are top students,” he said “We just need to provide them with opportunities to accomplish great things in the field.”

Plans for the future include increasing research funding, especially from the National Institute of Health, fostering collaboration with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and attracting more doctoral students. 

Saxena served as dean of the College of Engineering from 2004 until 2012, when he stepped down in order to serve a two-year appointment as the senior leader at Galgotias University, a new private, multidisciplinary research university near Delhi, India.

As vice chancellor, Saxena oversaw the growth of Galgotias from zero to 6,500 students. He also helped the country of India gain admission to the Washington Accord, an international engineering accreditation organization.

Saxena is happy to be back in Fayetteville, entering a field he’s wanted to pursue, and leading the department he helped create to its full potential. “This is an opportunity to pursue my dream,” he said. “I just hope it will be as good for the department as it is for me.”