The department chair serves as a guiding force for their respective departments at the College of Engineering. They are always present to assist students and answer any questions they may have. Get to know your department chair:
Bioengineering Department Chair – Anita Singh, PhD
Anita Singh, PhD joined the College of Engineering in January 2023 with more than 13 years of teaching experience and over two decades in the bioengineering field. She became chair of the Bioengineering Department in 2024, now leading a team of motivated students and faculty at the top of their research field.
In addition to teaching and leading the department, Singh serves as the principal investigator of the Neural Injury Biomechanics Laboratory with a research focus on neonatal birthing injuries, specifically neonatal brachial plexus injuries. Her research is funded by grants from organizations including the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health.
As department chair, Singh enjoys the ability to mentor students and junior faculty as well as positively engaging students through bioengineering education.
Learn more about Singh and her bioengineering expertise here.
Civil & Environmental Engineering – Philip Udo-Inyang, PhD, PE
Philip Udo-Inyang, PhD, PE has been a mainstay at the College of Engineering for 36 years. He now serves as interim department chair; a position he's held several times in his three decades at the College. Cumulatively, he’s led the Civil and Environmental Engineering department for 10 years.
Throughout his career, Udo-Inyang has focused on teaching, research, and service. In addition to teaching many major core classes, he was involved in developing academic curricula and developing program accreditation reports. His research focus areas include computer applications, construction productivity and administration, claims and disputes, environmental effects of construction and demolition activity and value engineering concepts. He has served on various college and university-level committees. He has been active in various professional organizations, such as the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE) where he rose to the rank of President of Philadelphia Chapter of PSPE.
In his time as interim chair, Udo-Inyang most enjoys advising and helping students to solve their problems, academically and professionally.
Learn more about Udo-Inyang's engineering experience here.
Electrical & Computer Engineering – Iyad Obeid, PhD
After nearly 20 years at the College of Engineering, Iyad Obeid, PhD, was named Department Chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department earlier this summer. In addition to teaching, Obeid conducts research with a focus on neural and biomedical system processing. He also serves as Temple’s university-wide faculty liaison for NSF’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps).
Obeid’s current research project with fellow College of Engineering faculty member Joseph Picone, PhD, focuses on training artificial intelligence for pathology, specifically the detection of breast cancer cells. In the spring of 2024, Obeid and Picone received a grant from the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition for their research. He has also received a Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award and an NSF CAREER Award.
With the Fall semester approaching, Obeid looks forward to leading a department full of talented students and faculty.
Learn more about Obeid’s teaching and research experience here.
Engineering, Technology & Management – Thomas Edwards, DPS
Thomas Edwards, DPS, guided by his decades of professional engineering and management experience, including 10 years as the general manager of a publicly traded company, established and now leads the Engineering, Technology & Management department. He has served as the department chair since the department’s inception in 2019.
Edwards teaches several graduate courses and the undergraduate engineering entrepreneurship course, focusing on leadership skills. These skills, sharpened in the classroom, prepare students with the tools they need for day one of their first engineering job. In addition to teaching, he is an advocate for effective leadership of neuro-divergent employees, focusing on making employment more accessible for autistic individuals.
Through his teaching and mentorship, Edwards strives to shape his students today into the effective and inclusive leaders of tomorrow.
Learn more about Edwards here.
Mechanical Engineering – Kurosh Darvish, PhD
Kurosh Darvish, PhD has been part of Temple University’s College of Engineering for over two decades, serving the past seven years as Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In addition to teaching and overseeing the department, he directs the Temple Biomechanics Lab.
His research mainly focuses on the constitutive modeling of soft tissues and the biomechanics of thoracic and brain injuries, with the goal of advancing safety and injury mitigation strategies. The Temple Biomechanics Lab collaborates across disciplines, including with faculty from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and the Rothman Institute.
As department chair, Dr. Darvish is committed to supporting faculty and students in achieving their goals, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthening both academic and research programs. He finds the greatest reward in seeing students graduate prepared to succeed and make an impact in their careers.
Read his department chair statement here.