UAH receives $1 million commitment for College of Engineering chair

The University of Alabama in Huntsville received a major donation to establish the Ashok K. Singhal Endowed Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

The commitment comes from Sangeeta Singhal, the wife of the late Dr. Ashok K. Singhal. Here are the details:

About Dr. Ashok Singhal

Dr. Singhal founded the local engineering firm CFD Research in his basement in 1987. In the ensuing 35 years, he guided the company as its president, CEO and eventually chairman to significant growth and success in Huntsville.

His dedication to his work reflected his passion for science, innovation and technology, and his spirit of giving to the community has impacted UAH in numerous ways.

He also served on the UAH College of Engineering Industrial Engineering Advisory Board on two separate occasions, as well as the UAH Foundation Board. In 2008, Dr. Ashok and Sangeeta Singhal established the Singhal Scholarship for undergraduate engineering students as well as the CFD Research Scholarship.

“It means a lot to the family to honor him this way. He was a great man and a true supporter of education. He always used to say that ‘education should be free to young people like sunshine.’”

Sangeeta Singhal

The Ashok K. Singhal Endowed Chair

Pending approval from the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees, this gift will create the first endowed Chair in the College of Engineering that is endowed by an individual, non-corporate donor.

Following a recommendation from the College of Engineering Dean, the UAH Provost will present the Ashok Singhal Endowed Chair to the UA System Board of Trustees for final review and approval. The successful candidate will have exhibited a strong record of research funding and an appointment as a senior associate professor or professor.

This endowment will be used to support the teaching, research and professional development of a selected mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty member.

“I am truly humbled that Ms. Sangeeta Singhal and her family have elected to create the first endowed chair established by an individual, non-corporate donor in the history of the College of Engineering at UAH. We are grateful for the opportunity to carry on Dr. Singhal’s legacy and to contribute to innovations in science, engineering and technology through research and teaching.”

Dr. Shankar Mahalingam, dean of the UAH College of Engineering

The Singhal Chair will be one of the highest academic accolades a COE faculty member can receive and will help ensure the College of Engineering continues to promote the highest standard of excellence by attracting and retaining respected colleagues and recognized scholars who are experts in their respective disciplines.

Faculty chosen for this honor will play a pivotal role in UAH’s mission to provide advanced research education for developing new curricula; supporting post-doctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate research assistants; mentoring junior faculty colleagues; acquiring state-of-the-art research equipment and cultivating innovative research.

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