Albemarle Research and Technology Advisor Dr. Ali Dadgar and Engineer Dr. Avery Rose now serve as adjunct professors in Southern Arkansas University’s Department of Engineering and Physics.
Dr. Dadgar has been with Albemarle for 33 years and holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Rose has been with Albemarle for three years and holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University. As members of the Albemarle Magnolia Research and Technology Group, led by Dr. John Harden, they engineer larger scale plant improvements and cost reduction efforts.
Dr. Ali Dadgar teaching Chemical Engineering Fundamentals, SAU, Fall 2019.
Dr. Dadgar joined SAU in 2017 and has taught Industrial Safety, Mass Transfer, and Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Rose began serving as an adjunct faculty member at SAU in 2019 and has taught Properties of Materials and Fluid Dynamics.
“Our ABET reviewers were very positive about the contributions of local industry engineers as adjunct professors,” said Dr. Sam Heintz, chair of the Department of Engineering and Physics.
“I am proud to be part of SAU’s engineering program, and thankful to Albemarle leadership for encouraging me to teach at SAU,” said Dr. Rose. “By offering high quality engineering and science education in a rural location, SAU provides a unique and practical opportunity for students to better themselves and their communities.”
The student body comprises talented and motivated individuals capable of becoming perfect‑fit, technical employees. “Accreditation – well-deserved and monumental by itself – positions SAU for unprecedented impact on the community and the region,” Rose enthused.
Dr. Avery Rose teaching Fluid Mechanics at SAU, Fall 2019.
Dadgar and Rose exemplify Albemarle’s long‑term support of SAU. The company sponsors senior projects, funds an endowed professorship, and encourages its skilled employees to contribute time to assisting the program. Sarah Palazzi, for example, serves as Albemarle’s SAU ambassador. Albemarle engineers provide classroom talks, contribute as special guest speakers and review senior projects, among other valuable contributions. Two Albemarle engineers serve on SAU’s Engineering Industry Advisory Board. The company also hires SAU graduates. Jason Bevan, the Magnolia plant manager and a strong supporter of the Albemarle‑SAU relationship, states that Albemarle “welcomes the opportunity to support the sustainability of this region’s technical workforce and contribute to such a valuable asset of this community.”
According to Dr. Abdel Bachri, Dean of SAU’s College of Science and Engineering, access to Albemarle’s engineers, “which is greatly appreciated, is a huge advantage to SAU. They are embraced by the students, their industry perspective is the perfect complement to textbook theory, and their experience‑based approaches more completely prepare our graduates for employment. This is just one of the many great aspects of our partnership with Albemarle.”
“I am tremendously proud of the SAU Engineering program and the impact SAU Engineering has had on the students, industry, and southwest Arkansas community,” shared Dr. Dadgar. “The students and faculty at SAU are top notch. The diversity of students from almost all 50 states and several countries has benefited SAU Engineering and the impact of the program’s reach. I am proud to teach at SAU and look forward to a long and prosperous adventure together.”
Albemarle employees Jason Bevan (plant manager), John Harden (R&T manager), Dr. Ali Dadgar (R&T advisor), and Dr. Avery Rose (R&T engineer) pose with SAU President Dr. Trey Berry, College of Science and Engineering leadership, and SAU Engineering students.
