Dr. Shekhar Garde is Thomas R. Farino, Jr. ’67 and Patricia E. Farino Dean of Engineering and the Elaine and Jack Parker Chaired Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Dr. Garde has led innovations in engineering education, helped launch cutting-edge new programs and multidisciplinary research teams linked to global challenges, and led workforce development to support growing chips and semiconductors, nuclear, and other industries in NY and beyond.

Dr. Garde’ research has focused on understanding the role of water in biological structure, function, and interactions. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, given over 150 invited lectures and keynotes, and led panels and roundtable discussions with alumni, government, and industry experts focused on the impact of STEM on education, economy, and society. He has received many prestigious awards including the NSF CAREER Award and the 2011 Robert W. Vaughan Lecturer-ship at CalTech. He is an elected fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (2014) and of American Association for Advancement of Science (2015). For his leadership of the Molecularium Project, he was honored with the 2011 Explore~Imagine~Discover Award by the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology, in the Capital District, NY.