Prof. Ateshian named Andrew Walz Professor in Mechanical Engineering

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Department of Mechanical Engineering proudly announce the appointment of Gerard Ateshian as the Andrew Walz Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

GERARD ATESHIAN is chair of Columbia Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and has a joint appointment in biomedical engineering. His research combines theoretical, computational, and experimental methods to address the biomechanics and growth of biological soft tissues and cells. As founder and director of Columbia’s Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory since 1996, Ateshian has collaborated with colleagues in the area of cartilage tissue engineering, leading to important research breakthroughs and notable advances in the understanding of cartilage lubrication and the role of mechanical loading in engineered cartilage growth and development. He is a lead developer of open source software to model transport, chemical reactions and growth mechanics in deformable charged hydrated biological tissues. An alumnus of the Engineering School, Ateshian’s honors and awards include the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates, the Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award of the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association, ASME’s YC Fung Young Investigator Award, and the Basic Science Award of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International.

The Andrew Walz Professorship was established at Columbia Engineering from an endowment created by Mr. Walz, who earned a master's degree in mining engineering from the Columbia School of Mines in 1905. Mr. Walz enjoyed a long, varied career in the international mining business, including as a senior executive for the Guggenheim Brothers in New York City and at the Thompson Cadillac Mining Company in Canada.