Dr. Mohammad Dehghani became chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology on Aug. 1, 2019. A mechanical engineer, Dehghani is a nationally prominent research and academic leader.

Dehghani joined S&T from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, where he served as vice provost for research, innovation and entrepreneurship since 2013. Before joining Stevens, he was a professor of mechanical engineering and founding director of the Johns Hopkins University Systems Institute. Through that institute, he established collaborative research and application programs with many organizations.

Dehghani previously led the New Technologies Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – a $1.8 billion, 7,000-employee multidisciplinary applied science and engineering national security laboratory.

Dehghani holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University, where he earned his master of science and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering. He also completed a postdoctoral National Science Foundation internship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Andrew Careaga joined Missouri S&T in 1991 as a staff writer, later serving as manager of public relations and director of communications. As chief marketing and communications officer, he leads a team responsible for developing and managing Missouri S&T’s brand identity, strategic communications, web and digital initiatives, social media, visual identity and media relations, and engagement and outreach. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, he worked in the newspaper and non-profit sectors before joining Missouri S&T. He served as a trustee for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), where he was involved in other regional and national leadership positions.

Dr. Drowne became interim dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business on July 1, 2019. She previously served as the college’s associate dean of academic affairs since 2015. Drowne is a professor of English and technical communication and leads S&T’s Center for Science, Technology and Society. She joined S&T in 2001 from the W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute at Harvard University. Drowne holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in English from the University of Connecticut, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Colby College.

Dr. Khayat joined Missouri S&T as the Jones Professor in 2011. He also serves as director of the Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies and was previously director of the Center for Research on Concrete Applications for Sustainable Transportation and Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety, U.S. Department of Transportation-funded University Transportation Centers. Before joining Missouri S&T, he was director of the Center for Excellence on Concrete Infrastructure Engineering and head of the Integrated Research Laboratory on Materials Valorization and Innovative and Durable Structures at the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a master of engineering degree in construction engineering and management, and a master of science degree in structural engineering.

Alysha M. O'Neil became vice chancellor for finance and operations at Missouri University of Science and Technology on July 1, 2021.

O’Neil served as director of project implementation and engagement in MU’s Division of Finance since July 2019. In that position, she led various campuswide initiatives that required close collaboration with numerous leaders, as well as in-depth understanding of university operations. She managed over $86 million in COVID relief funds, increased transparency and accountability for academic units through her work on a committee focused on administrative costs, and aligned investment opportunities with the university’s strategic plan.

O’Neil also served as chief business officer for MU’s Division of Student Affairs since 2010. Among other duties, she oversaw a budget of $150 million that financed campus dining services, student unions, residential life, the student recreation center, student health and well-being, fraternity and sorority life, and university stores on four campuses.

O’Neil also served as assistant director of the MU budget office, a senior accountant in accounting services, a teaching assistant in the College of Business’ School of Accountancy and an auditor at Deloitte. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy from the Trulaske College of Business at MU and an MBA from the university’s Gordon E. Crosby Jr. MBA program.

Dr. Colin Potts joined Missouri S&T June 1, 2021, as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs following a nearly 30-year career at Georgia Institute of Technology. A native of London, Potts holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Sheffield University. Following his Ph.D., he worked as a software engineer and ergonomics consultant before joining Imperial College London’s department of computing. Later, he moved to the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. in Austin, Texas, then joined Georgia Tech in 1992. His research over the past 25 years has spanned the fields of requirements engineering, software design methods, human-computer interaction and information privacy.

As acting chief diversity officer since 2021, Rivera guides the university’s cultivation of an inclusive community through cultural programming and outreach. She joined S&T in 2013 and has led the university’s student diversity initiatives program since 2017. Rivera holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Upper Iowa University and an MBA from Colorado Technical University. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. from the University of the Southwest.

Appointed in June 2021 as vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and chief operating officer of the Kummer Institute, Dr. Roberts joined Missouri S&T in 2014 as the founding dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. He served as interim provost from July 2019 through May 2021, Roberts previously served as professor and chair of biology at Central Michigan University. As an evolutionary scientist focused on the integrative biology of insects, he specializes in the study of honeybees and solitary bee species. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from Arizona State University and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biological sciences from Illinois State University.

Vice Chancellor Robinson joined Missouri S&T in 1980 as a counseling psychologist. She oversees athletics and recreation; career opportunities and employer relations; community standards and conduct; counseling, disability support and student wellness; leadership and cultural programs; Leach Theatre; residential life; student health services; student life; and the testing center. Robinson has been assistant director and associate director of the Counseling Center, director of the Center for Personal and Professional Development, and associate vice chancellor for student and international affairs. She was named vice chancellor for student affairs in January 2003. Robinson served on the board of directors for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and as co-chair of the Council for Student Affairs, one of 10 operational councils APLU. Robinson has also served as president of the Society of Consulting Psychology, Division 13 of the American Psychological Association. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in education and counseling psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Danny Tang became the chief information officer at Missouri S&T on July 1, 2021.

Tang joined the University of Iowa in 2016 as chief technology officer for the College of Engineering, a position he held until becoming senior director of research services in August 2019. In his current position, he leads the division of the university’s IT organization responsible for research IT services, such as high-performance computing, data analytics, specialized systems and application support.

Prior to joining the University of Iowa, Tang worked 12 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, most of that time in the Grainger College of Engineering. He was named assistant director for instructional services for the University of Illinois in April 2015.

Tang holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois and is pursuing a master’s degree in analytics from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Costas Tsatsoulis joined Missouri S&T in September 2018 as vice chancellor of research and dean of graduate studies. He formerly served as dean of the College of Engineering at the University of North Texas from 2008 to 2018 following a 20-year academic career at the University of Kansas. An electrical engineer, Tsatsoulis’ research focuses on multi-agent systems, case-based reasoning, machine learning and intelligent image analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, is a member of IEEE, and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences.

Verkamp joined Missouri S&T in 2014 as a senior development officer and was promoted to executive director of development in 2015 and assistant vice chancellor of University Advancement in 2017. Before joining the university, she served as manager of development at Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation in Indianapolis. Verkamp earned a bachelor of journalism degree and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a certified fundraising executive.

Dr. Wlezien leads efforts to achieve the college’s mission through the promotion of excellence in teaching, research and service. He is responsible for CEC’s external affairs, interacting with key constituencies including research sponsors and alumni. He was previously aerospace engineering chair at Iowa State University, a former researcher and program director at NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and chair of mechanical engineering at Tufts University. Wlezien earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.