Sayed Nassar, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Fastening And Joining Research Institute (FAJRI), has been named Oakland University’s 2012 Distinguished Professor.
“Dr. Nassar has extended OU’s community reach and research programs beyond the region and the state,” said Virinder K. Moudgil, Ph.D., Oakland’s senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. “His work finds applications in critical areas of United States defense and technology, while he continues to mentor future engineers in academic programs. The academy is proud to have him on its OU roster of faculty.”
Dr. Nassar joined the Oakland community as a visiting professor in 2000, earned tenure in 2005 and was promoted to a full professor in 2007.
“I feel both humbled, yet elated by the appointment,” Dr. Nassar said. “I enjoy many things about being a professor of engineering at Oakland; the most enjoyable aspect is the consistent high level of confidence, trust, and encouragement to set and achieve high goals for myself, my unit, and for the university and its community.”
Recognized for his preeminence in research and scholarship, as well as his commitment to service and teaching, Dr. Nassar is also the founder Oakland’s FAJRI, which is the only known research facility of its kind in the world.
Over a long and distinguished career, it is his role in the establishment of FAJRI that makes Dr. Nassar most proud. The center is currently a leader in fastening and joining research at the national and international levels, covering fundamental topics such as shock-induced vibration, composite fastening, creep-relaxation, adhesive bonding, ultrasonics and laser optics. His work has received funding and accolades from the Department of Defense, NASA, and the energy sector.
Dr. Nassar is the principal investigator on 19 funded research grants and has brought more than $13 million to the institution from TARDEC, NSF, NASA, Chrysler, Cummins, General Dynamics and DTE. At the same time, he has published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers, one book, and holds three patents.
Besides noting his research, the committee of senior OU educators and scholars who recommended Dr. Nassar for Distinguished Professor honors cited his teaching and mentoring activities. Recently, two of his students’ thesis work was included in a NASA report on space fastener systems.
Currently, FAJRI is engaged in two major research and development initiatives sponsored by TARDEC, which provides $4 million over four years for the center to develop and demonstrate new technologies. In the future, Dr. Nassar plans to continue developing these external funding commitments, as well as building new relationships with corporate foundations and finding support for student scholarships and research faculty exchanges.
Throughout his Oakland career, Dr. Nassar has supervised numerous doctoral and masters students and teaches courses related to his expertise in fastening and joining. Truly a scholar-teacher, Dr. Nassar is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
For more information about Oakland’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, view the website. To learn more about FAJRI,
view the website.
