Hao Among First Craig M. Berge Fellows

AME associate professor Qing Hao was recently named as one of six researchers in the inaugural cohort of Craig M. Berge Dean’s Fellows. Craig M. Berge, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona in 1957, had a successful career in the automotive industry and stayed involved with his alma mater throughout his life. When he passed away in 2017, his wife, Nancy Haddad Berge, made a gift to the college that established a four-year design program and an endowed chair for the dean of engineering. David W. Hahn, the college’s Craig M. Berge dean, created an additional fellowship in 2020 to further the Berge family’s vision of the college leading the way in solving 21st century engineering challenges.

The fellowship, funded at $8,000 annually to support educational and research efforts, is for a three-year term. The first six recipients include faculty members from multiple departments working in areas ranging from quantum computing and biomedical device development to wastewater treatment.

"I'm thrilled to be able to directly support this group of faculty members with the Berge deanship. They were selected from a truly outstanding pool of applicants," Hahn said. "While they come from a variety of disciplines and experience levels, they share a commitment to excellence that makes our college a better place to work and learn."

Hao's work centers on nanoscale energy transport and its applications in advanced materials and nano-electronic devices. Hao has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his thermal studies of grain boundaries and an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award for his graphene research.