Carnegie Mellon University names new dean for engineering school

PITTSBURGH — On Wednesday, CMU announced that it has tapped a longtime leader to serve as the next dean for its engineering school.

Burcu Akinci, head of CMU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been named the Dr. Willam D. and Nancy W. Strecker dean at the College of Engineering, the first woman to ever hold the role. Her appointment comes after the previous dean, William Sanders, left CMU over the summer to become president of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

Akinci’s appointment is effective on Jan. 1, 2026. Vijayakumar Bhagavatula has served as interim dean since Sanders’ departure and will continue until Akinci’s tenure begins.