In this important role, Dr. Wen will support the growing demands of our academic community, and develop and implement strategies to promote a sense of belonging, respect, inclusion and diversity within Drexel Engineering. She will oversee all faculty lifecycle events, tenure and promotion, the Dean’s Fellow Program, the Drexel Engineering Faculty Development series and faculty working groups. Her role also includes acting as chair of the Policy and Procedure Committee and of the Drexel Engineering Awards Committee, as well as co-chair of the Drexel Engineering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. I also look forward to her launching a college faculty mentorship program that can serve as a model at the University level.
On accepting the role, Dr. Wen shared, “I am passionate about promoting a respectful, inclusive, equitable and diverse community within Drexel Engineering. I am honored to serve as an advocate for all faculty within the college, and hope that my service will empower the faculty to realize their dreams.”
Dr. Wen joined Drexel in 2003 in the department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (CAEE). She has served on multiple CAEE and college-level tenure and promotion committees as well as on the University-level Tenure Appeals committee, and brings a notable amount of experience to this role. Dr. Wen also promotes woman and minority junior researchers in her field through organizing career workshops. She is actively engaged in teaching and research in the architectural engineering disciplines, and develops machine learning and artificial intelligence based strategies to transform building control, operation and commissioning for grid-interactive efficient buildings. Dr. Wen’s research has been continuously funded by federal sources, such as NSF, DoE and NIST, as well as by industry, including the American Society of Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). She currently serves as a member of ASHRAE’s Research Administration Committee, which oversees and coordinates all ASHRAE research activities. Dr. Wen is the Task Leader for International Energy Agency’s Energy in Buildings and Communities Annex 81 (Data-Driven Smart Buildings) Task C (Applications) and an associated editor for ASME Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities. She is past chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 7.5 (Smart Building Systems). Dr. Wen was selected as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar for 2019-2020 (Sweden). She holds a Ph.D. from The University of Iowa, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Katie Meier for her management of the search, and in welcoming Dr. Wen to her new role.
Sincerely,
