Thiagarajan Named to Correll Presidential Chair in Energy
The University of Maine will bolster its research efforts in offshore wind and tidal energy with the appointment of Krish P. Thiagarajan as the first Alston D. and Ada Lee Correll Presidential Chair in Energy.
Thiagarajan, who will also have the title of professor of mechanical engineering, is currently a professor at the University of Western Australia in Perth, where he researches the hydrodynamics of floating structures. He is expected to arrive on campus in August.
The appointment is reported in the June 20 Bangor Daily News.
“Dr. Thiagarajan brings critical expertise in design of floating structures,” says UMaine College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. “This is critical to UMaine’s efforts in offshore wind and tidal power, as well as to many Maine companies that design structures and vessels for the marine environment.”
Thiagarajan has also served as the program leader for the University of Western Australia’s Offshore and Subsea Facilities Research Program.
Other experience in his field includes visiting research specialist at CSO Aker Engineering in Houston and regional manager for Australian Maritime Engineering CRC, Ltd. He has more than 80 refereed journal and conference publications.
He has degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Memorial University in Canada, and a Ph.D. in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan.
The Correll Chair was funded by a $2 million gift from Alston D. “Pete” and Ada Lee Correll, who resided in Old Town, Maine, where Ada Correll taught middle school and Pete Correll completed UMaine masters degrees in chemical engineering and pulp and paper technology in 1966 and 1967. He went on to become one of the most respected paper executives in the country, and recently retired as chairman and CEO of Georgia Pacific.
Pete Correll now heads Atlanta Equity, a Georgia-based venture capital firm that works with mid-size businesses. In 2008 the Corrells were named Philanthropists of the Year by the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.
Contact: Dana Humphrey, 207-581-2216 or dana.humphrey@umit.maine.edu; Jessica Bloch, 207-581-3777 or jessica.bloch@umit.maine.edu