Dewey Jung Appointed Rackham Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Initiatives

Rackham Graduate School welcomes Dewey Jung (Ph.D. ’01) as associate dean for academic programs and initiatives. His appointment was approved by the U-M Board of Regents and begins July 1. As associate dean, he will have responsibility for relationships with Rackham programs at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

In this position, Jung will work closely with Rackham’s Ph.D. degree-granting programs in the UM-Dearborn College of Engineering and Computer Science to provide strong and effective leadership for graduate education, programs, and the Rackham community.

“A commitment to and investment in graduate research has been a hallmark of Professor Jung’s career,” says Rackham Dean Mike Solomon. “I look forward to working with him as we grow our partnership with the Dearborn campus to enhance graduate education and the experience of Rackham students. I am particularly excited by the opportunity to further our support for Rackham graduate faculty at the University of Michigan Dearborn as they advance their goals for Ph.D. training and research on their campus.”

As a faculty member in the UM-Dearborn Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jung conducts award-winning research on thermal and fluid sciences and their applications to advanced energy conversion, modeling and simulation, and system integration. His work has been published in over 65 journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters, and has been supported through research grants from the automotive industry, other manufacturing industries, nonprofit organizations, and the U.S. government. Jung was recognized with UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Research Award in 2012.

He has served his department, college, and university in both leadership and support capacities on numerous occasions, including faculty search and promotion committees, the Honors and Scholarship Committee, the Faculty Grievance Panel, the University Curriculum and Degree Committee, and the Distinguished Research Award Committee. He currently serves as director of both the Ph.D. program in mechanical sciences and engineering and the doctor of engineering program in automotive systems and mobility.

“I firmly believe that the quality of graduate education, particularly in engineering, is fundamentally driven by research activities of doctoral students led by dedicated faculty advisors,” he says. “Strong, sustainable doctoral programs play a critical role in enhancing our educational impact and contributing to societal advancement. I view this associate dean position as an opportunity to further strengthen and support UM-Dearborn’s graduate programs through strategic leadership, advocacy, and collaboration with Rackham.

“UM-Dearborn’s doctoral programs are distinct from those on the Ann Arbor campus, facing unique challenges that require equally unique solutions,” Jung continues. “With my experience leading doctoral programs as the program director, I am well positioned to advocate for UM-Dearborn within the broader Rackham structure. I aim to serve as a bridge between UM-Dearborn and Rackham leadership—communicating our campus’s specific needs and working toward customized, effective strategies for program growth and success.”

Jung earned his undergraduate and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University in 1989 and 1991, respectively, and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2001. He joined the U-M faculty in 2002 as an assistant research scientist and was promoted to assistant professor at UM-Dearborn in 2008. He was promoted to associate professor in 2013 and professor in 2019.