Twenty-First Century Professorships in Engineering Announced in Mechanical Engineering

UREL

Professors Han Hu, David Huitink and Xiangbo "Henry" Meng

Han Hu, David Huitink and Xiangbo "Henry" Meng, associate professors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have been awarded the Twenty-First Century Professorships in Engineering.

"I am pleased to officially announce Drs. Hu, Huitink and Meng as the new holders of our Twenty-First Century Professorships," said Steve Tung, interim head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "The three new holders were chosen after a rigorous evaluation process based on contributions to their respective fields of expertise. The esteemed professorships represent one of the highest academic honors bestowed on faculty and will enhance and strengthen their scholarly pursuits and impact on the field of mechanical engineering. I am proud to recognize them with these honors."

Hu joined the department in 2019 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2025. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Drexel University in 2016. Upon completing this Ph.D., he worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering and Cooling Technologies Research Center. His research encompasses a wide range of topics, including pool boiling, flow boiling, acoustic sensing, electronic packaging and machine learning for probing two-phase flows.

Huitink joined the department in 2016 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2022. He obtained his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 2011 as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Before joining the department, he worked in microelectronics technology development and manufacturing at Intel Corporation. His research focuses on the intersection of materials and thermal sciences, leveraging fundamental thermophysical material behaviors for engineered applications. Additionally, he is the director of the High Density Electronics Center providing national support for electronics research and development at the university and within the technology industry. More about his research program can be found at empire.uark.edu.

Meng joined the department in 2016 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2022. He holds dual Ph.D.s in mechanical & materials engineering and chemical & biochemical engineering from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to his appointment, he was a research fellow in the Energy Systems Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Meng has been recognized among the World Ranking Top 2% Scientists since 2020, with over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers, as well as seven book chapters and 19 patent applications. His research focuses on three main areas: energy storage devices, materials synthesis and processing, and nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Professors Hu, Huitink and Meng are also part of the UA Power Group, a group of faculty from multiple disciplines with various research focuses, all working towards elevating solutions to address global energy challenges in our electrified world.

The Twenty-First Century Professorships in Engineering were established in 2006 to enhance the stature and reputation of the College of Engineering and the U of A, as well as to promote scholarly discovery. These professorships are awarded based on research excellence and are held for three-year terms.