Professor Tim McLain announced as new dean for College of Engineering

Tim McLain was appointed dean for the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering. He began his term July 1.

"Ive worked closely with Tim for many years and Im excited for his service as dean. Hes very good at finding consensus among people who started out with disagreements and he is a collaborative leader who helps people feel valued and needed," Brian Jensen, mechanical engineering department chair, said. "To me, hes a great example of Christlike humility."

"Tim leads with a thoughtful mind and a caring heart the perfect combination to lead our college," Kristi Chase, research development specialist at the College of Engineering, said.

He was born in Wyoming, but moved several times while growing up. In high school, he enjoyed taking math and science classes. He even competed in engineering competitions.

"I enjoyed mechanical things, cars and such, and I enjoy tinkering around a little bit," McLain said. "I came to BYU as a freshman and I jumped into mechanical engineering."

While at BYU, he married his wife, Amber.

"When I finished my bachelor's degree, the economy was in recession and the job opportunities weren't that great," McLain said. He decided to pursue a master's degree.

McLain landed a job at a startup in Salt Lake City after completing his master's. At the startup, he worked on hydraulic robots. This included animatronics at Disneyland and underwater robots for the U.S. Navy.

Years later, he decided to get a Ph.D. and was accepted to Stanford.

"That time I didn't have any funding lined up, but I went ahead and accepted the offer to attend," McLain said. He was eventually able to secure funding. He and his wife also had twins during that time.

At Stanford, he continued to work on underwater robots and grew his family. He spent much of his research in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

After he received his Ph.D., he worked at BYU as an engineering professor, department chair and then assistant dean.

Recently, he was nominated as dean of the College of Engineering and was eventually appointed. He shared some insights into the future of the college.

"I'm really motivated by President Kimball's vision of BYU becoming an educational Everest considering what it means for the College of Engineering," McLain said. He said part of this is being "technically excellent," which includes excellent teaching and student opportunities.

McLain also emphasized the importance of strengthening students spiritually.

"I think one thing President Kimball really emphasized is that, as a university, we need to be spiritually strengthening," McLain said. "We can bring together spiritual aspects of our education, along with the technical aspects of our education, in a synergistic way."

There also may be exciting new opportunities ahead with the coming BYU School of Medicine.

"I think we (will find) it interesting to see what happens with the medical school and think about ways that we can collaborate with them on research," McLain said. He explained there may be opportunities to work with the medical school on biomechanical research.

In addition, there may be changes ahead to the building the college is located in.

"The Clyde Building's been a great resource for us for a long time, but it's kind of maxed out in terms of its capabilities," McLain said. "It's been approved by the university for being placed on the list to be remodeled in the future or replaced in the future. So, planning for that will be an important part of what we do."

McLain also emphasized the College of Engineering's focus on providing students with experiential learning opportunities.

"Experiential learning is a big part of what we do, and in engineering we're really all about creating other things," McLain said. "We use fundamental principles of science, mathematics and computing (to) bring all those things together, to design and create new things that help and bless the world."

"Learning engineering is, by definition, experiential learning. Its very hands-on in every discipline," Brian Blumer, communications manager for the College of Engineering, said.

Tim McLain said he will bring his insights and experience from his career in engineering into his new role as dean.