Assistant Professor Diego Cerrai has been appointed a Collins Aerospace Professor of Engineering Innovation in the University of Connecticut College of Engineering, recognizing his exceptional achievements in research, teaching, and service.
The three-year professorship honors outstanding early-career faculty members whose accomplishments place them among the leaders in their fields. The appointment recognizes excellence in research productivity and impact, teaching contributions, and service while supporting continued innovation across engineering disciplines.
Cerrai's research focuses on improving community resilience to extreme weather through the integration of engineering, atmospheric science, data science, and industry collaboration. His work includes precipitation measurements and microphysics, power outage prediction and restoration, power grid resilience, renewable energy integration, and the development of advanced forecasting tools that help communities prepare for and recover from severe weather events.
"I am deeply honored to receive the Collins Aerospace Professorship of Engineering Innovation," Cerrai said. "Beyond recognizing past accomplishments, this award encourages me to continue pursuing cutting-edge research and innovation. I am inspired by the growing need to make our communities more resilient to extreme weather hazards. By combining engineering, atmospheric science, data science, and strong industry collaborations, I aim to develop increasingly innovative tools that help anticipate impacts, reduce disruptions, and support faster recovery when disasters occur."
This recognition reflects Cerrai's growing impact within the engineering community and highlights the innovative research taking place at UConn. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships with industry, his work continues to advance technologies that strengthen infrastructure resilience and improve the ability of communities to respond to increasingly complex environmental challenges.
The School congratulates Cerrai on this well-deserved honor and looks forward to the continued impact of his research and leadership over the course of the professorship.
