Congratulations to University of Utah mechanical engineering associate professor Kam Leang, who has been elected a Fellow of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Founded in 1880, the ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization “that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society.” Only 4% of the 83,000 ASME members are elevated to the grade of Fellow.

“Being named ASME Fellow is quite an honor for me,” Leang said. “I am especially thankful for being able to work with incredibly talented students, and also for the support of my colleagues, community, and university.”

Leang earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Utah and a doctorate from the University of Washington, all in mechanical engineering. He was an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va, and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. He then joined the U in 2014. He has published more than 135 technical papers and is currently an associate editor for the Mechatronics journal (Elsevier) and the ASME Letters in Dynamic Systems and Control.

He has received the Professor of the Year Award from Virginia Commonwealth University and the College of Engineering Senior Scholar Mentor Award and the College of Engineering Faculty Excellence Award from the University of Nevada, Reno. He also was honored with the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents’ Rising Researcher Award and was the William R. and Erlyn J. Gould Distinguished Lecturer on Technology and the Quality of Life at the U in 2018.

Leang’s research focuses on dynamic systems, control, mechatronics, and robotics. Applications of his research include nanotechnology (nanopositioning and scanning probe microscopy), precision mechatronic systems, electroactive polymer-based actuators for soft mechatronics and robotics, and unmanned aerial vehicles for emergency response and environmental monitoring.