Dr. Atkinson new CAFEE Director

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at West Virginia University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Chris Atkinson to the position of Professor and Director of the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE). Dr. Atkinson comes to us with a strong combination of academic, management, leadership, teaching and entrepreneurial skills that will prove indispensible to CAFEE's future success. Dr. Atkinson received the degree of Doctor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1991 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1991 to 2000, Dr. Atkinson served on the faculty of MAE, leaving academia to found Atkinson LLC, a small high technology company that provides specialized consulting services to the automotive and energy industries.

With regard to his vision for CAFEE's future, Dr. Atkinson said, "CAFEE's strong externally funded research program in fuels, engines and emissions must be nurtured, grown and expanded. There is currently significant turmoil in the automotive industry and consequently it is a time of great opportunity for CAFEE. The goal of energy independence will drive the development of new alternative fuels (such as CTL and biofuels) and new automotive energy sources, including significant electrification and hybridization of vehicles. Tailpipe emissions of all regulated species other than carbon dioxide will be driven to zero or close to it through the use of sophisticated aftertreatment systems. The imperative to drastically improve fuel efficiency is now the next frontier for both engine and vehicle technologies. While nurturing existing areas of research and development in engines and emissions, including on- and off-highway, marine and locomotive applications, CAFEE can and should expand its research portfolio to include the more advanced vehicle research that will be required to lead our automotive industries into the future."

08/10/2009