Engineering Leadership Development using an Interdisciplinary Competition-based Approach

Dr. Bayless is the Gerald Loehr Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of Ohio University’s Coal Research Center, part of Ohio University’s Center of Excellence in Energy and the Environment. He is also the director of the Robe Leadership Institute and director of the Center for Algal Engineering Research and Commercialization (an Ohio Third Frontier Wright Project) He is engaged in the development of energy and environmental technology such as producing algal-based fuels coupled with mitigation of greenhouse gases, bioreactor design, novel fluidized bed gasification, thermal processing of solid fuels, and adapting planar solid oxide fuel cells to coal-derived syngas. He has been principal investigator for over $18 million in externally funded research, holds several patents with three revenue generating licenses and one spin-off company, and over 60 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Bayless formerly worked for American Electric Power (Gavin and Amos Plants) and was an officer in the United States Navy. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign (Profs. Richard Buckius and James Peters, advisors.) He was the technical administrator of the State of Ohio’s Coal Research Consortium, funded by the Ohio Coal Development Office, from 2000-2007. He consults for several industrial, financial and legal firms. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri and Ohio and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and of the National Academy of Inventors. He has twice won the Ohio University Russ College of Engineering’s Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. He is also the founding Director of the American Society for Engineering Education’s Division for Engineering Leadership Development.