Alexander Leonessa selected as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering

Alexander Leonessa has been appointed to serve as chair of Clemson University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, effective Aug. 15. His appointment was approved in April by the Board of Trustees.

Leonessa brings to Clemson an accomplished career defined by visionary leadership, pioneering research, and an unwavering commitment to mentorship, inclusion, and service. His research expertise spans control theory and robotics; autonomous ground, aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles; rehabilitation robotics, human-robot interaction; and assistive technologies. His experience makes him ideally suited to lead the department as it navigates the evolving challenges and opportunities of the modern engineering landscape.

Leonessa joins Clemson from the National Science Foundation (NSF), where he served as program director. At NSF, he led the Mind, Machine, Motor Nexus (M3X) program, fostering cutting-edge research at the intersection of human and synthetic actors, and contributed to major initiatives in dynamic systems and control, robotics, and computational neuroscience, and human-technology partnerships. His tenure at NSF was marked by strategic leadership and a strong commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research.

Prior to his role at NSF, Leonessa held multiple leadership positions at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. These included associate department head for Strategic Initiatives and director of the Proposal Development Institute, where he played a crucial role in shaping the department’s research vision and growth. He also served as chair of the Commission on Research and actively participated in various university-level initiatives focused on research excellence, faculty development, and inclusion.

Leonessa’s academic contributions include publishing over 100 peer-reviewed papers, graduating more than 50 Master of Science and Ph.D. students, and leading projects supported by over $20 million in external funding from sponsors such as NSF, Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and industry partners. His achievements have earned him numerous honors, including the NSF CAREER Award, Virginia Tech’s Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence, the Dean’s Award for Outstanding New Assistant Professor, and recognition from professional societies such as The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and IEEE, where he has held various leadership roles.

Leonessa will be named the D.W. Reynolds Distinguished Professor in Mechanical Engineering. This endowed position will support Leonessa  in driving innovation, research excellence, and faculty development for years to come. Reynolds graduated from Clemson with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1967, served in the U.S. Air Force for four years and then worked at Exxon Chemical Co. from 1971 until his retirement in 2000.  He and his wife Jackie live in Pendleton. 

In a joint statement, Laine Mears, director of the School of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, and Anand Gramopadhye, dean of Clemson’s  College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, extended their gratitude to the search committee, chaired by Phanindra Tallapragada. They also thanked John Wagner for serving as interim chair during the search.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Leonessa to Clemson University,” Mears and Gramopadhye said. “He brings impressive credentials and an inspiring vision for the future of mechanical engineering at Clemson.”