Dr. Stephanie G. Adams

Ericsson Inc. created the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair in December 1986 for the dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

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“UT Dallas’ continued success is owed in great part to corporate and community support based on mutual respect and inspiration. This support fuels our identity as innovators and entrepreneurs, and is galvanizing to me as dean, as well as to Jonsson School faculty members and students.”

Dr. Stephanie G. Adams is an engineering education thought leader who has served as the fifth dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science since 2019. She is also a professor of systems engineering.

Adams is a pioneer in engineering education. In 2003 she received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to research effective teaming in the engineering classroom. In addition to teamwork and team effectiveness, her other areas of research expertise include broadening participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), faculty and graduate student development, global education, and quality control and management.

Adams’ passion and work toward expanding participation in STEM derives, in part, from her belief in the importance of engineering to society.

“Engineering is at the heart of everything,” she said. “From smartphones to smart homes, from driverless vehicles to renewable energy, engineering allows people to collaborate to solve the biggest problems we face. Our students and faculty members in the Jonsson School are fearlessly learning the principles, creating the prototypes and conducting the research leading to innovations that will profoundly impact our lives.”

Adams has served in leadership roles in several organizations, including as president of the American Society for Engineering Education from 2019 to 2020, on the advisory board of the National Society of Black Engineers and on the board of directors of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network.

Prior to joining UT Dallas, Adams was dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering & Technology at Old Dominion University. She also served in various academic leadership positions at Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers, North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, South Plains Community College and 3M Co.

Adams is an honors graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. She earned a Master of Engineering in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in interdisciplinary engineering and management from Texas A&M University, where she concentrated on industrial engineering and management.