Henry T. Yang joined UC Santa Barbara as chancellor in 1994. He also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, where he teaches one or two undergraduate courses in structural analysis each year and guides several graduate students. He was formerly the Neil A. Armstrong Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University, where he also served as the dean of engineering for ten years, and as director of the Computer Integrated Design, Manufacturing, and Automation Center. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Yang has remained active in teaching and research. He has authored or co-authored more than 160 articles for scientific journals, served as principal or co-principal investigator for 30 sponsored research grants, and received 12 outstanding undergraduate teaching awards. His book Finite Element Structural Analysis, published by Prentice-Hall, has been adopted by many universities and has also been published in Japanese and Chinese.

Dr. Yang has served on numerous governmental, corporate, and academic committees and advisory boards, such as the Defense Science Board, USAF Scientific Advisory Board, Naval Research Advisory Committee, NASA’s Aeronautical Advisory Committee, and the Engineering Advisory Committee of the National Science Foundation. He has received many honors and awards for his research, teaching, and service, including the Benjamin Garver Lamme gold medal from the American Society of Engineering Education and four honorary doctorates in engineering. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.