Janet Callahan

Professor Janet Callahan is a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Michigan Technological University. She previously served as the 15th dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan Tech from 2018 until 2023. Before joining Michigan Tech, she was a professor at Boise State University in Idaho, where she helped launch their new programs of study in materials science and engineering with support from Micron, and served as chair of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering. Earlier in her career, she was an assistant and associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Callahan earned all three of her degrees from the University of Connecticut at Storrs:

• PhD in Materials Science
• MS in Metallurgy
• BS in Chemical Engineering

Her research spans two primary domains: materials science and engineering education. In materials science, her work focuses on medical devices, brachytherapy and related materials synthesis, biomaterials with emphasis on metallurgy, oxidation of high temperature and refractory alloys, ion beam synthesis of nanomaterials, and oxides coatings. In engineering education, her research encompasses faculty development, first year engineering retention, STEM retention, and K-12 partnerships.

Dr. Callahan's publications reveal a strong trajectory toward educational research in recent years, with numerous papers on college retention, engineering education, and campus climate. Her work increasingly focuses on diversity and inclusion in engineering education, calculus reform to improve STEM retention, and longitudinal studies of engineering student outcomes.

Her scientific achievements have been recognized through several prestigious honors:

• Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
• Fellow of The American Ceramic Society (ACerS)
• Member of the University of Connecticut's Academy for Distinguished Engineers

Dr. Callahan has been actively involved in advising and mentoring. She has led numerous grant-funded projects focused on improving STEM education and increasing diversity in engineering. Her work includes the Redshirt in Engineering Consortium, which aims to improve student success in engineering programs. She has also been instrumental in developing faculty-in-residence programs and creating supportive environments for engineering students.

Throughout her career, Dr. Callahan has maintained strong connections with her alma mater, the University of Connecticut, where she was inspired to pursue materials science by her undergraduate professor, Dr. Donald Potter. She emphasizes the importance of teachers and mentors in shaping STEM careers, particularly acknowledging her 8th grade science teacher Mr. Messersmith and her third-grade teacher Ms. Alcott for their early influence.