James M. Pitarresi

James M. Pitarresi is the Vice Provost and Distinguished Teaching Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Binghamton University. He holds roles in the Office of the Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and directs the Opto-Mechanics Research Laboratory. His work bridges academia and industry through research in computational mechanics, vibration modeling, and electronic packaging reliability.

Dr. Pitarresi earned his BS, MS, and PhD in Civil/Structural Engineering from SUNY Buffalo. His research focuses on solder joint reliability, finite element modeling, and opto-mechanical techniques, with applications in electronics and structural systems. He co-directs the Vibration Research Laboratory and collaborates with industry as an engineering consultant.

His teaching excellence is recognized through awards including the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching and the Peter A. Engel Memorial Award. Courses taught include Statics, Dynamics, Finite Element Methods, and Energy Variational Methods. He co-authored Introduction to Solid Mechanics with Irv Shames.

Research highlights include vibration reliability testing, analytical solutions for electronic assemblies under impact, and fatigue life prediction of solder joints. His work addresses challenges in resonant vibrations and thermal cycling effects on electronic components.

Lab leadership includes the Opto-Mechanics Research Lab and collaboration in the Vibration Research Lab. Prior roles include research fellow at the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and industry experience with Bell Aerospace.