Engineering Distinguished Researcher Award
The Engineering Distinguished Researcher Award recognizes sustained and consistent research excellence by a full-time full professor within the college. The award was established in 2016 to recognize significant achievements over a person’s research career, and awardees receive a $3,000 cash prize. The selection committee uses the following criteria for this award:
Sustained and consistent research activities including most of the following:
- External funding support and expenditures
- Refereed publications and citations
- Intellectual products including patents and disclosures
- National and international research awards
- Research mentoring and team building including collaborative funding
- Graduate program accomplishments including Ph.D. student mentoring
- Outstanding impact of work on his/her profession and K-State
Nominations are due March 15, 2024 and application packets are due May 1, 2024.
Current recipient
Shuting Lei
This year’s recipient is Shuting Lei, professor in the industrial and manufacturing systems engineering department.
Lei’s research focuses on laser-based manufacturing processes, in particular laser-assisted machining and laser micromachining. His most significant accomplishment is sustained contributions to the knowledge base in laser-matter interaction through both numerical modeling and experimental investigations, as well as the development of novel laser-based manufacturing processes for potential industrial applications.