Kam Leang, NSHE Board of Regents members, and UNR President Johnson at the Honor the Best award ceremony, May 13, 2014.
Dr. Kam Leang receives Nevada Board of Regents’ Rising Researcher Award! The Nevada Regents’ Rising Researcher Awards recognize early-career accomplishments and potential for future advancement and recognition in research. These awards are given annually to one faculty member each from UNLV, UNR, and DRI.
Dr. Kam K. Leang received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah in 1997 and 1999, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington) in December 2004. He joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno as an Assistant Professor in July 2008. Between August 2005 and May 2008, he was an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA). Dr. Leang was promoted to an Associate Professor in 2011 and tenured in 2013. His work is funded by federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and NASA, as well as industry. His core research interests include: modeling and precision control of electroactive (smart) material actuators (piezoelectrics and electroactive polymers); nanopositioning and scanning probe microscopy; and design and control of unmanned autonomous systems. In the five years he has been at UNR, Professor Leang published 32 journal papers in highly respected journals, completed one book, secured over $4.3M in research funding, been recognized as an excellent teacher and mentor, provided significant service to both his profession and UNR, and received a 2013 College of Engineering Faculty Excellence Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions that have had a transformative impact on the Mechanical Engineering Department and the College of Engineering at UNR. In 2012, he became an Associate Editor of two journals: IEEE Control Systems Magazine and IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. Professor Leang is also active in community outreach and received a $1.2M National Science Foundation GK-12 award in 2011 to promote STEM awareness in K-12 schools. He is a member of ASME and IEEE.
