Mohammad Davoud

Prof. Davoud joined Georgia Southern University in 1988 and retired in 2024.

— Biography from the 2025 Spring Commencement program —

Dr. Davoud, a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Georgia, earned a BS (1981) and MS (1984) from Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, and a PhD (1999) from the University of South Carolina Columbia. He joined Georgia Southern University in 1988 as a visiting assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology. In 1989, he was hired on the tenure track, was granted promotion to associate professor and tenure in 1993, and was promoted to full professor in 1999. Dr. Davoud served as Coordinator of the Mechanical Engineering Technology program from 1992 to 2004 – concurrently serving as Director of the Southeast Center for Assistive Technology (SCAT) from 1998 to 2000, and as Coordinator of the Industrial Engineering Technology program from 2000 to 2002. Dr. Davoud served as Acting Director of the Georgia Southern School of Technology from January 2004 to July 2006, then as Interim Chair (2006-2007) of the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology and then as Chair (2007-2012). With the support from excellent faculty and staff, he spearheaded the preparation of engineering degree proposals to the University System of Georgia, and the University successfully received approval to offer three engineering programs (Electrical, Civil and Mechanical) starting in 2011. The hallmark of all academic programs in the College included extensive experiential learning combined with laboratory experiences in the courses as well as co-ops and internships with industry partners for all programs. Other initiatives and accomplishments during his tenure as dean included: establishing the College’s Corporate Advisory Committee, establishing a Living Learning Community (Innovation LLC), sponsoring an undergraduate research program, and launching an annual Student Research Symposium. The original engineering degree programs received initial ABET accreditation in 2014, with subsequent renewal six years later. Degree programs added to the college during Dr Davoud’s tenure as dean included, B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering, BS in Computer Engineering, BS in Construction Engineering, BS in Software Engineering, MS in Civil Engineering, MS in Electrical Engineering, MS in Information Technology, and MS in Mechanical Engineering. In 2022, the College submitted proposals for PhD programs in Engineering and Applied Computing, both approved by the Board of Regents. During Dr Davoud’s tenure as Dean, the Engineering and Research Building, a 143,000 square-foot facility with 21 instructional research labs and 25 academic spaces, opened in January of 2021. Ten years after Dean Davoud was named Founding Dean, the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing has grown to 4,030 undergraduate and graduate students, 109 faculty, and 18 staff members, with 700 students graduating from the college in 2021. Faculty are thriving in research and scholarship, publishing in major journals in their discipline and bringing in close to $1.7 million in new external funding (FY 2022). The establishment of new Engineering and Computing programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels substantially enhanced the profile of Georgia Southern University in the state and nationally, resulted in growing technical partnerships with regional industry, and has had a significant Economic Impact in South Georgia, the State, and beyond. For these many contributions to Georgia Southern, the Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, our students, and our region, Dr. Davoud is deserving of the title Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering Dean Emeritus of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing.*