UA College of Engineering Names New Mechanical Engineering Department Head

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Engineering recently named Dr. William Sutton as head of the department of mechanical engineering.

Sutton received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University in 1973, 1975 and 1981, respectively. After receiving his doctorate, Sutton began teaching at the University of Oklahoma, where he became professor and interim director of the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. His research and teaching emphasizes environmental energy systems and thermal sciences.

Sutton is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and Oklahoma, and he is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers. He also has authored or co-authored more than 40 articles, conference presentations and research reports.

Before pursuing his doctorate, Sutton worked in the private sector as a design engineer at Rockwell International and as a senior engineer at Carolina Power and Light Co.

“The College of Engineering is excited that Dr. Sutton will serve as head of mechanical engineering,” said Dr. Timothy J. Greene, dean of the College of Engineering. “He brings to the position an accomplished background of research and teaching, and his dedication and leadership will advance both the College and the University.”

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.