Missouri University of Science and Technology completed one of its most successful hiring cycles this year, with 34 new faculty members joining the campus.

The new group includes 17 faculty members who represent the first round of hires in the university’s strategic faculty hiring plan – a key platform of Missouri S&T’s strategic plan. Those positions are the first of 100 to be recruited for over the next six years.

“Investing in our faculty is a top priority,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader. “Our outstanding instructors and researchers are critical to our success as a university.”

In addition to those strategic hires, the university added 17 other new faculty to support the strategic plan’s initiatives.

The following faculty members began their teaching and research duties at Missouri S&T this year:

— Dipak Barua, assistant professor of chemical and biochemical engineering

— Sutapa Barua, assistant professor of chemical and biochemical engineering

— Carla Bates, assistant teaching professor of business and information technology

— Egemen Kemal Cetinkaya, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering

— Mihail Cutitaru, assistant teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering

— Wen Deng, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering

— Ayman El-Midany, associate professor of mining and nuclear engineering

— Khaled Ali El-Nagdy Ali Ferguson, assistant teaching professor of mining and nuclear engineering

— Joe D. Guggenberger, assistant professor of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering

— Xian Huang, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering

— Ana-Marie Ichim, assistant professor of economics

— Jhi-Young Joo, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering

— Amardeep Kaur, assistant teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering

— Cihan Kurter, assistant professor of physics

— Christi Patton Luks, associate teaching professor of chemical engineering

— Ronald J. O’Malley, professor of materials science and engineering

— Jonghyun Park, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering

— Hefu Pu, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering

— Fateme Rezaei, assistant professor of chemical engineering

— Ali Rownaghi, assistant research professor of chemical engineering

— Abu Sayeed Saifullah, assistant professor of computer science

— Joshua Paul Schlegel, assistant professor of mining and nuclear engineering

— Julie Semon, assistant professor of biological sciences

— Simone Silvestri, assistant professor of computer science

— Sarah Steelman, assistant teaching professor of economics

— Nathan Twyman, assistant professor of business and information technology

— Risheng Wang, assistant professor of chemistry

— Julianm (Jialiang) Wang, assistant teaching professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering

— Mandy S. Welch, assistant teaching professor of teacher education program

— Guirong (Grace) Yan, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering

— Gulfem Ipek Yucelen, assistant research professor of materials science and engineering

— Hongxian Zhang, assistant professor of business and information technology

— Bingqi Zhang, assistant research professor of materials science and engineering

— Peizhen Zhu, assistant teaching professor of mathematics