Santa Clara University

As an alumnus of Seattle University, mechanical engineering’s new faculty member, Dan Strickland, doesn’t just “get” what Jesuit education is all about, he is what Jesuit education is all about!

Strickland’s Ph.D. work at Stanford University focused on improving the efficiency of fuel cells by using novel methods, such as integrating wick materials to remove the excess water produced as a byproduct of the reaction. This resulted in up to a 60% improvement in peak power of the cells.

In the next few months, Strickland will be setting up a meso-scale fabrication laboratory on campus and sees lots of possibilities for collaboration with SCU’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society (CSTS). His research program aims to leverage porous materials and innovative fabrication techniques to help enable affordable and practical energy technologies.

“I’m so happy to be at Santa Clara, where applying research toward practical solutions to the world’s great needs is valued and is a hallmark of much of the work being done here. SCU’s strength is tying what we learn to how we use it. It’s great to see students being put to work on projects that have real social benefit through programs and collaborations that institutionalize the Jesuit ethic,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see that our work is not disconnected from the good it can do.”

Strickland is excited to be teaching fluid mechanics and thermodynamics and looks forward to developing new courses focusing on energy. “Santa Clara is exactly the place my academic career has led up to,” he said; adding, “from research to teaching, all I hope to achieve is in line with Santa Clara’s ethic and it’s so great to be here!”

See Prof. Strickland's home page.