POTSDAM – Prof. Hung Tao Shen of Clarkson University's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department has been appointed associate dean for research and graduate studies in Clarkson's Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering (CSoE), effective July 1.

"Shen brings to the CSoE leadership team a wealth of distinguished experience as an ex-department chair, internationally recognized leadership in research in cold regions, and undergraduate research activities, which will be instrumental in moving the Coulter School forward in research and graduate studies," said Goodarz Ahmadi, dean of the Coulter School.

Shen received his Ph.D. in mechanics and hydraulics from the University of Iowa in 1974. He then worked at the consulting company Sargent & Lundy in Chicago and joined the faculty of Clarkson University in 1976.

His primary research interest is in cold regions hydraulic engineering, including river ice processes and ice jams, and computer modeling of river hydraulics and pollutant transport.

Shen served as the editor of the Journal of Cold Regions Engineering of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineering).

He is a recipient of many prestigious national and international awards, including the ASCE Harold R. Peyton Cold Regions Engineering Award (2000), the ASCE CAN-AM Civil Engineering Amity Award (2000), Gerard Medal of the Canadian Geophysical Union - Hydrology Section (2001), the ASCE Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award (2007), and the IAHR (International Association for Hydro- Environment Engineering and Research) Ice Research and Engineering Award (2008).

Shen has published over 200 archival publications, delivered keynote presentations at professional conferences, and conducted short courses in the U.S. and abroad.

He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Club at Clarkson University.

His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Army Research Office (ARO), and other government funding agencies and industries.