People
Director
Dr. Chang S. (CS) Nam, Ph.D., is an accomplished professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, whose interdisciplinary expertise spans human–computer interaction, brain–computer interfaces (BCI), neuroergonomics, human-centered artificial intelligence, and explainable AI-robot teaming. He has held faculty appointments in industrial engineering, biomedical engineering, and psychology, reflecting his integrated approach to technology and human systems. During his tenure at North Carolina State University, Dr. Nam earned a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech; he also holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University (Seoul), an MBA from Sogang University (Seoul), and an MS in Industrial Engineering from SUNY Buffalo. He is the recipient of NSF’s CAREER Award (2010) and a U.S. Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship (2018), and he has been recognized with honors such as the Leland S. Kollmorgen Spirit of Innovation Award (HFES Augmented Cognition Technical Group) as well as accolades for excellence in teaching, research, and service. His editorial leadership includes serving as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Brain–Computer Interfaces, set for rebranding in 2025 to Research in Biomedical Engineering and Technology ise.ncsu.edu+9ceet.news.niu.edu+9ise.vt.edu+9.
In his current capacity as Interim Director of the Center of Excellence in Product Design and Advanced Manufacturing (CEPDAM) at North Carolina A&T State University, Dr. Nam leads an institution-wide hub that drives transformational product design and manufacturing innovation. The center provides comprehensive R&D support across the product lifecycle—including design, prototyping, systems modeling, digital and sustainable manufacturing, and supply chain integration—and actively cultivates workforce development through curriculum initiatives in Industry 4.0, smart and bio‑manufacturing, and additive manufacturing. Under Dr. Nam’s leadership, CEPDAM fosters inclusive partnerships with industry, federal labs, and regional collaborators to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. Its facilities feature state-of-the-art design studios, digital manufacturing suites, additive manufacturing labs, nano‑bio fabrication cleanrooms, and high‑performance modeling capabilities, enabling a “mind and hand” integration of innovation and practical application.
Faculty Affiliates
CEPDAM’s faculty affiliates represent a dynamic, interdisciplinary community drawn from seven colleges across NC A&T, bringing together innovators across engineering, design, computational sciences, and the arts to advance convergent research and education in product design and advanced manufacturing.
Department of Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering
Narayan Bhattarai, Associate Professor - nbhattar@ncat.edu
Arvind Chandrasekaran, Assistant Professor - achandra@ncat.edu
Mohammad Azad, Assistant Professor - maazad@ncat.edu
Yeo Heung Yun, Professor - yyun@ncat.edu
Lijun Wang, Professor - lwang@ncat.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Jag Sankar, University Distinguished Professor - sankar@ncat.edu
Dhananjay Kumar, Professor - dkumar@ncat.edu
David Schall, Assistant Professor - jschall@ncat.edu
Ajit Kelkar, Professor - kelkar@ncat.edu
Sun Yi, Associate Professor - syi@ncat.edu
Michael Atkinson, Assistant Professor - mdatkinson@ncat.edu
Paul Akangah, Associate Professor - pmakanga@ncat.edu
Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Steven Xiaochun Jiang, Associate Professor, xjiang@ncat.edu
Sanjiv Sarin, Professor - sarin@ncat.edu
Zhichao Li, Associate Professor - zli@ncat.edu
Lauren Davis, Professor - lbdavis@ncat.edu
Michael Hamilton, Assistant Professor - mahamilton1@ncat.edu
Younho Seong, Professor - yseong@ncat.edu
Stephen Oneyear, Adjunct Associate Professor - sjoneyea@ncat.edu
Hyung Nam Kim, Assistant Professor - hnkim@ncat.edu
Faisal Alkaabneh, Assistant Professor - fmalkaabneh@ncat.edu
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Taher Abu-Ledbeh, Professor - taher@ncat.edu
Renzun Zhao, Assistant Professor - rzhao@ncat.edu
Raymond Tesiero, Assistant Professor - rctesier@ncat.edu
Ahmed Megri, Associate Professor - acmegri@ncat.edu
Sameer Hamoush, Professor - sameer@ncat.edu
Venkatesh Pandey, Assistant Professor - vpandey@ncat.edu
Kristen Rhinehardt, Assistant Professor - klrhineh@ncat.edu
Marwan Bikdash, Professor and Chair - bikdash@ncat.edu
Ali Karimoddini, Associate Professor - akarimod@ncat.edu
Grace Gowdy, Assistant Professor - gmgowdy@ncat.edu
Department of Graphic Design Technology
Robert Cobb Jr., Associate Professor - rcobbjr@ncat.edu
Devang Mehta, Interim Chair and Associate Professor - mehtad@ncat.edu
