CEE’s Krista Wigginton named associate dean for graduate and professional education at Michigan Engineering
Wigginton has assumed this role effective October 2024
The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved the appointment of Professor Krista Wigginton as the College of Engineering’s new associate dean for graduate and professional education, effective October 1, 2024. As the associate dean for graduate and professional education, Wigginton will be responsible for overseeing and setting the strategy for graduate academics as well as professional and online programs.
Wigginton joined the University of Michigan faculty in 2011. During her time at CEE, she served as a professor, as well as the associate department chair for graduate programs. Wigginton has significantly advanced CEE’s graduate programs by leading efforts to streamline the recruitment process to attract a diverse and talented candidate pool and clarifying requirements and milestones to make the program easier to navigate for both students and advisors.
One of Wigginton’s key priorities as associate dean will be to help programs modernize their curricula by integrating new technologies and methodologies and by fostering creativity in how students approach problem-solving.
“This role provides an exciting opportunity to shape graduate education as the demands on engineering careers are evolving,” said Wigginton. “As the world becomes more interconnected and complex, it’s essential that we equip students not only with technical mastery but also with the ability to think creatively, collaborate across disciplines, and communicate effectively—all while being socially conscious leaders who understand the broader impact of their work on society.”
Wigginton’s research focuses on the presence and behavior of pathogens in the environment, with an emphasis on innovative detection methods and understanding how pathogens are mitigated in natural and engineered systems. Her work has been instrumental in the development and implementation of wastewater monitoring systems used to track the prevalence of COVID-19 in a community. She has been honored with several awards, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award and the Water Research Foundation’s Paul L. Busch Award.
“Krista’s forward-thinking approach to graduate education and her ability to lead successful, collaborative teams make her an excellent fit for this role,” said Karen A. Thole, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering. “I look forward to working with her to equip our graduate students to tackle the challenges we face today and in the future.”
This story was edited and adapted from the original release by Michigan Engineering, which can be found here.
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