Faris A. Malhas has been named dean of the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering, Sciences and Mathematics at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, WVU Tech officials announced.

Malhas, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Dayton in Ohio, will assume his new duties, effective July 1.

I am excited for Tech to have such a dynamic and enthusiastic leader for its college of engineering and sciences, WVU Tech Campus Provost Scott M. Hurst said.I look forward to working with him on the challenges of our wonderful college.

A licensed professional engineer in the state of Florida, Malhas has been in academia more than 22 years and a practicing consultant structural engineer for over two decades. He was the founding coordinator of the civil engineering program at the University of North Florida and head of the civil engineering group and associate professor at Bradley University.

Malhas has also taught at the University of Bahrain, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Jordan.

Last summer, his best-selling textbook on the design of steel structures was published, and he is currently working on a textbook about structural analysis.

Malhasresearch interests include durability of concrete structures, repair of concrete structures, seismic behavior of precast concrete structures and most recently the safety and strengthening of bridge structures. He is an active member of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Steel Construction and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. Currently, he chairs ACI Committee 444-Experimental Analysis of Concrete Structures.

Malhas received bachelors and masters degrees in civil engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He also holds a Master of Science degree in engineering mechanics and a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He is married to Vicky Abdo and has four children: Ameen, Sami, Tamara and Layla.