Darabi is SIUE Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar

EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Jeff Darabi, PhD, professor in the School of Engineering’s (SOE) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is the 2019 Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Award recipient. He received the award Tuesday, Oct. 29 at the Graduate School awards ceremony in the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom

The Simon award is presented to an SIUE faculty member who has been recognized as an outstanding teacher and research scholar. The award demonstrates the belief that to be a good teacher, one must also be a good scholar. Simon award winners have shown significant contributions to original research or creative activities, and have successfully integrated those contributions into their teaching practices.

“I am honored to be recognized for my efforts, but the credit actually belongs to my students,” Darabi said. “I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with many talented and dedicated students, and am extremely proud and humbled if I have contributed in a small part to their academic and professional successes.

“Receiving this recognition gives me the drive to make a difference and encourages me to continue looking for new and better ways to inspire students to learn and succeed.”

Darabi’s research interests include micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), micro/nanofluidics, biomicrofluidics, energy and thermal systems, and multi-physics modeling. His research in these areas has resulted in 32 journal articles, 39 peer-reviewed conference papers, four issued and pending U.S. patents, and over 50 technical presentations. Nearly 60 of his publications are co-authored with his students. According to Google Scholar, his publications have been cited 1,309 times in all and 506 times since 2014.

“Dr. Darabi is an outstanding scholar in the field of micro-electro-mechanical- systems, and has published a significant number of scholarly articles in highly-regarded journals and conferences,” said Cem Karacal, PhD, SOE dean. “He is the recipient of the SIUE Annette Baich Award, as well as the 2014 School of Engineering Outstanding Researcher award.

“The microfluidics lab he has established significantly enhances the research opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students, and assist with connecting his research endeavors with his teaching.”

During the course of his academic career, Darabi has served as primary investigator (PI) or co-PI on 19 research grants totaling more than $950,000. He consistently incorporates material relevant to his research into his teaching, so that the students can see and make meaningful connections with real world applications. He has also provided research experiences to 20 undergraduate students. More than half of his students have gone on to obtain a doctorate at other universities. Meanwhile, all of his other students are gainfully employed by various companies.

Darabi has developed and taught two new courses entitled ME 442 - microelectromechanical systems and ME 592 - micro/nanofluidics, and restructured traditional ME 310 - thermodynamics I and ME 312 - thermodynamics II by integrating practice-oriented studio sessions into these courses that focus on active and cooperative learning.

Darabi has also been extremely active in national and international conferences, and organized and chaired technical sessions at American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Conferences. He currently serves as an associate editor of Heat Transfer Engineering Journal.

Darabi achieved both his master’s and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1997 and 2000, respectively. The Iran native joined the SOE faculty in 2012.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000.

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