CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — David E. Daniel, the head of the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been chosen to be the next dean of the College of Engineering, pending approval of the UI Board of Trustees at its meeting today in Urbana.
Daniel, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, will assume his new duties April 21. William Schowalter retired as dean Feb. 28. Timothy Trick, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is serving as interim dean.
“David Daniel has proven to be a skilled leader, outstanding teacher and scholar, and he has had an impressive tenure as head of his department,” Provost Richard Herman said. “We believe he has all the qualities that will sustain this universitys exemplary record of achievement in engineering education and research.”
Daniel earned his bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Texas at Austin. He was a member of the civil engineering faculty at UT-Austin from 1981 to 1996 and then joined the faculty at the UI. He was named Gutsgell Professor in 2000.
Daniels research has focused on engineering containment systems for waste disposal and on the cleanup of contaminated waste-disposal sites.
He has won the American Society of Civil Engineers highest award for papers published in its journals. He served for three years as editor in chief for the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, and has served as a member of the National Research Councils Board on Energy and Environment, and on its Geotechnical Board.
Daniel, who worked as an engineer for Woodward-Clyde Consultants in San Francisco in the early 1970s, has taught more than 125 continuing education and training courses on waste containment.
