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Kenneth Christensen
Viola D. Hank Professor and Department Chair
Kenneth T. Christensen is currently the Provost, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Chief Academic Officer at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech). He holds joint appointments as a Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering and the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Tech.14
Prior to his current role, Christensen spent over 15 years as a doctoral student and faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He began as an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico in 2002 and joined the UIUC faculty in 2004, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010.3
Christensen received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico, M.S. in mechanical engineering from Caltech, and Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from UIUC.1 His research focuses on experimental fluid mechanics, with an emphasis on flows central to energy, environmental, and geophysical applications.12
He has authored over 200 journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings and has received numerous awards, including the Ralph Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, and the François Frenkiel Award for Fluid Mechanics from the American Physical Society.1
