Pieremanuele Canepa

Pieremanuele "Piero" Canepa joins Purdue University as Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in November 2026. He comes from the University of Houston, where his research applies and develops computational methods to advance our understanding of material properties for energy storage and conversion. His research combines materials science, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and supercomputing to discover novel materials and molecules. The models developed support the rational design of clean-energy technologies, including battery electrode materials, ionic conductors, and liquid electrolytes for energy-dense, sustainable energy-storage systems. 

John Eric Goff

Joining Purdue this summer, John Eric Goff is Professor of Engineering Practice In Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. An internationally recognized expert in the physics of sports, Goff studies how the laws of physics influence athletic performance and sports equipment. His research spans topics ranging from the aerodynamics of soccer balls and modeling of the Tour de France to shoe-court friction, climbing-helmet safety and other sports engineering problems. Goff will help develop Purdue’s growing Sports Engineering program, bringing together engineering, physics and athletics to prepare students for careers in a growing area of engineering.

Mina Karimi

Mina began at Purdue in January 2026 as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, after a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon. Her lab develops new mathematical and computational approaches by integrating physics-based multiscale models, statistical learning methods and data to address complex multi-physics problems in engineering. Her research focuses on mechanics of porous materials, fluid transport, solid-fluid interactions, and thermo-chemo-mechanical coupling with applications ranging from geomaterials for subsurface water transport, energy storage and production to soft biological materials.

Romit Maulik

Romit joined Purdue from Argonne National Labs in January 2026 as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Perry Faculty Academic Excellence Scholar. His Interdisciplinary Scientific Computing Laboratory performs research at the intersection of data science, applied mathematics, and high-performance computing to enhance the understanding of complex multifidelity and multiphysics phenomena — creating science-based AI algorithms for applications in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Earth systems modeling, nuclear fusion, and more. 

Scott Michaels

Scott Michaels is the newest faculty member of Purdue's Motorsports Engineering program, the only such accredited program in the country. As Assistant Professor of Engineering Practice, Scott teaches various classes to Motorsports Engineering students and operates motorsports-related outreaches and other extracurricular activities. Originally from England, Scott has a Master's and Ph.D. from University of Southampton. In addition to previously teaching engineering at the K-12 level, he has worked for Team Penske in North Carolina, and has competed as an elite cyclist and cycling coach.

Sascha Ranftl

Purdue welcomed Sascha Ranftl as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in August 2026. A physicist by training, he brings an interdisciplinary approach to probabilistic and scientific machine learning, including Bayesian & physics-based machine learning, uncertainty quantification, data analysis, and interdisciplinary applications in mechanical and biomedical engineering. His bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. are from TU Graz, Austria.

Join the Purdue ME faculty today!

We currently have faculty openings in the following areas:

• National Defense and Security
• Automotive Engineering and Transportation
• Professor of Engineering Practice, Mechanical / Civil and Construction Engineering