A Commitment to Innovative Research

Associate Dean Sylvie Lorente, PhD, named inaugural holder of William M. Brown ’84, ’87 Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering

The College of Engineering announced last summer that William “Bill” M. Brown ’84 ME, ’87 MSME, CEO of 3M, made a $2.5 million gift for the establishment of an endowed chair in Mechanical Engineering, with Sylvie Lorente, PhD, serving as the inaugural chairholder. This endowed chair furthers the College’s commitment to innovative research and teaching through the recruitment and retention of top faculty members.

A world-renowned expert in thermal engineering, Dr. Lorente joined Villanova’s faculty in 2019 as the College of Engineering Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering before also becoming the associate dean for Research and Innovation.

Dr. Lorente pioneered the field of flow architectures of heat, mass and fluid that morph toward better efficiency. In 2019, she was elected to the prestigious Academica Europaea, which includes 80 Nobel laureates, and in 2022, she was appointed to the governing body of the European Research Council by the European Commission.

As a Mechanical Engineering alumnus, Bill Brown has been a longtime supporter of the College, helping to launch the INNOVATE summer program as the former CEO of L3Harris Technologies. Brown is now CEO of 3M, a $25 billion materials science and manufacturing company and a leader in areas including automotive and industrial technologies, consumer electronics, personal safety and consumer products.

Photo caption: From left: Bill Brown, Dean Michele Marcolongo, Sylvie Lorente and Dr. Lorente’s husband, Henri, at a recognition ceremony in the fall.