The Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Riverside welcomes two new faculty members whose expertise strengthens both teaching and research.

Salvador Mayoral, associate professor of teaching in mechanical engineering, received his Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He previously served as an associate professor at California State University, Fullerton, where he also advised Baja and Formula SAE student teams. His research interests include ground vehicle aerodynamics, wall-stress modeling, and the hydrodynamics of marine life. He will join the faculty in January.

Kavan Hazeli, associate professor of mechanical engineering, specializes in the design, analysis, and optimization of multifunctional materials through experimental and computational methods. His research also includes the development of biomedical devices that integrate artificial intelligence and computer vision. Hazeli is a recipient of the 2020 NSF CAREER Award, and his work has been supported by agencies including NASA, NSF, ARO, DOJ, Dynetics, Signify, and Arizona Technology and Research Initiatives.