2022 Lindback Winner - Smitesh Bakrania

Dr. Smitesh Bakrania was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He completed his high school in 1999 along with his current wife and both decided to look abroad for higher education. His interest in the sciences and his technical exposure at their family woodworking shop led him to pursue Mechanical Engineering in the United States in 1999. He completed his BS in Mechanical Engineering at Union College in Schenectady, New Year in 2003. A small liberal arts school where he had the opportunity to research thermochromic liquid crystals and aerogels. Here he was encouraged to pursue teaching as a career by his colleagues and his mentors.

In 2003, Dr. Bakrania joined the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor for his graduate studies to work on combustion synthesis of nanocomposites for gas sensing applications. He had several opportunities to teach as a graduate student that fueled his passion for teaching. He completed his PhD, along with his wife who also completed her PhD in Chemistry in 2008 at the same time. He immediately sought a teaching position in New Jersey because his wife joined a large pharmaceutical company as an organic chemist.

For the past 14 years, Dr. Bakrania has been a professor at Rowan University in the College of Engineering teaching a wide variety of courses within Engineering. From Freshmen Engineering to Mechanical Engineering Electives, Dr. Bakrania has had a breadth of experience. He enjoys teaching Introduction to Nanotechnology, Thermal-Fluid Sciences, and Quality and Reliability. His passion for experimenting with his teaching has lead to several engineering educational publications. These endeavors also led him to New Zealand, where he served as the 2018 Fulbright Scholar for six months. He has developed instructional videos, mobile tools, and online tools that have earned him recognition has a valued educator.

Beyond Rowan, Dr. Bakrania enjoys reading non-fiction books related to science, history, and behavioral economics. He also paints and continues his family’s tradition of wood working. He enjoys hiking with this wife and two kids; and takes every opportunity to travel and bring those experiences back to his classes.

Updated 3/18/22