The Department of Mechanical Engineering is excited to welcome Dr. Cristian Clavijo as an associate professor (lecturer) this fall. Clavijo has over 9 years of industry experience working with medical devices, including extensive roles in leadership. He brings this experience to the new Master’s in Engineering Management program, where he will be teaching leadership courses.
“I’m really excited to teach these leadership courses,” said Clavijo. “It’s critical for engineering leaders to have strong people, communication and negotiation skills. Many engineering professionals are so focused on technical execution that they forget about the people side of things. In leadership, you’re no longer contributing individually for your company, so you need to know how to motivate a team towards innovative outcomes, have difficult conversations with an understanding of what sits below the surface, and foster a culture of collaboration in the workplace.”
Clavijo is a U Mechanical Engineering alum, where he earned a combined BS/MS. He went on to complete a PhD in mechanical engineering at BYU with a specialization in Fluids Mechanics and Heat Transfer. After school, he joined Becton Dickinson and participated in their Technology Leadership Development Program and worked in different capacities including senior engineer, technical lead, project manager. He eventually moved on to Thermo Fisher Scientific where he was a staff program manager leading large engineering teams. He has worked on a wide range of medical devices and life science instrumentation, including devices relating to oncology, end stage kidney disease, diagnostics, and vaccine production.
In addition to the leadership experience Clavijo will bring to the classroom, he also brings extensive experience in research and development from industry. He has a background in computational heat transfer, experimental fluid mechanics, and superhydrophobic surfaces, along with his industry experience in medical devices. He hopes to combine these to investigate heat transfer mechanisms at the biological cell level.
“Coming back to the U is a treat,” said Clavijo. “I’ve been a Ute my whole life and I’m excited to be back at my Alma Mater. I’m excited to help grow the Master’s in Engineering Management program and help engineers gain skills to lead highly innovative teams. Engineering is big in Utah and the state’s economy will benefit from more engineers with these skill sets.”
You can learn more about the Engineering Management program at the Systems, Industrial, and Management Engineering website.