Skip to main content
<p>IUPUI bestows appointment of Chancellor&#8217;s Professor upon Yaobin Chen</p>

IUPUI bestows appointment of Chancellor’s Professor upon Yaobin Chen

476113_actual

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Chancellor Charles R. Bantz recently bestowed the prominent appointment of Chancellor’s Professor upon Yaobin Chen, director of the Transportation Active Safety Institute and professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI.

 The Chancellor’s Professor is the most notable appointment a faculty member can attain at IUPUI. It recognizes senior faculty members who display a record of extensive accomplishment and leadership in teaching, research and campus/professional service.

 “Chancellor’s Professors are distinguished by at least 10 years of exemplary research and vital contributions as educators to student success,” Bantz said. “This appointment affirms Professor Chen’s substantial contributions to his field of expertise, the campus and university as well as my intention to seek his wisdom and counsel on matters important to the future of IUPUI.”

 Chen’s research interests, for which he has gained international recognition, are in modeling, optimization and control of electric and hybrid vehicle systems; intelligent transportation and vehicle systems; and clean and renewable energy systems. Since his arrival at IUPUI nearly 25 years ago, Chen has had the vision, ability and determination to make significant research accomplishments, including securing the school’s first grant from the National Science Foundation in 1991.

 Chen founded the Transportation Active Safety Institute at IUPUI in 2006. Under his leadership, the institute — which advances automotive safety research and development — has received substantial external support, including a multi-million-dollar, multi-year award from Toyota Corp. The institute was also designated an IUPUI Signature Center — a prestigious designation earned based on the institute’s unique and distinctive research and scholarly activities.

Chen has also provided leadership and service to the broader IUPUI community through his work on numerous school, campus and university committees, including the Council of Associate Deans for Research and the Faculty Affairs Committee. He is also the founding principal of the Chinese School at IUPUI and the co-founder and president of the IUPUI Asian-Pacific Faculty/Staff Council.

Chen’s service also extends to the greater Indianapolis community, where he serves on the Board of Advisors and Board of Directors for the Indianapolis Chapter of the American Red Cross, as well as holds positions on other community-based committees.

Over the years, Chen has demonstrated a career of sustained, exceptional achievement in teaching, research, service and leadership for the campus, the engineering profession and the community.

 “Yaobin is an enthusiastic, highly motivated and productive individual who continually goes the extra mile to enhance the educational experiences of students, to motivate and provide opportunities for his colleagues through teamwork and to aggressively pursue an externally funded research agenda,” said David. J. Russomanno, dean of the School of Engineering and Technology. “In all of these activities, he has brought distinction to the school, campus and university, and furthered the excellence in its undertakings.”

Chen holds his master’s and doctorate in electrical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the Nanjing Institute of Technology in China.