Peters named associate dean for graduate programs and postdoctoral affairs

Kara Peters has been named as the associate dean of graduate programs and postdoctoral affairs in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University.

Peters has served as interim associate dean for graduate programs since 2023 and as a Distinguished Professor in NC State’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE).

Peters came to NC State as an assistant professor in 2000 after earning her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and postdoctoral work at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland. She has served as director of graduate programs and associate department head in MAE and was named an Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professor in 2021. From 2015 to 2018, she served as program manager for the Mechanics of Materials and Structures Program at the National Science Foundation.

Peters is also the topical editor, fiber optic sensors, for Applied Optics; the associate editor of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Journal of Non-Destructive Evaluation, Diagnostics and Prognostics of Engineering Systems; and the associate editor of Smart Materials and Structures. She is a member of the Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Technical Committee at ASME.

Additionally, she has numerous scholarly publications including in Advanced Materials, Sensors, Applied Optics and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Journal of Ocean Engineering, among others. Some of her notable awards include Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics, the College of Engineering Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award, MAE Department Research Award, Asian-Pacific Network of Centers for Research in Smart Structure Technology Young Researcher Award and more.

Peters will be responsible for our graduate programs, which enroll approximately 3,500 students, and support of our postdoctoral population of around 130. She will also support 14 directors of graduate programs and their graduate service coordinators, and 15 departments and centers offering 32 on-campus degrees, two certificate programs and 16 online degrees. Postdoctoral success, a new element to this role, will also be a key component of her work to support research trainees within the College of Engineering.

“I am thrilled to announce Kara’s appointment and look forward to working with her in this new role,” said Jim Pfaendtner, Louis Martin-Vega Dean of Engineering. “I would also like to extend my thanks to Joel Ducoste, professor and associate dean for the Office of Faculty Development and Success, who led the search committee for this position, and to all the members of the committee for their time and thoughtfulness in this effort.”