Yes, I am faculty member in academia. I will say, after having spent time in industry, I find the world of academia is a bit weird. But, once you get behind the scenes, you realize this is just a business – and a billion dollar industry. Higher ed is not always about education. I have learned that all those jokes we used to say about faculty are often too true. (I will leave it up to you to determine which jokes.;)
But, overall I find a lot of great people who are really focused on helping others. We sometimes find ourselves in a system of factory thinking that gets in the way of helping. So the big winners in higher ed are often the ones who are making the most waves.
My Role in Academia
Officially I am part of the UAB School of Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. I used to actually teach courses in the department, but now I am 100% focused on working with professionals as the director of Information Engineering and Management.
My “research” roles fall into the following categories:
- Growing Technology Professionals
- Impacting Engineering Focus
- Teaching Personal Marketing Strategies
- Developing Innovative Engineering Programs
- Influencing Practical Engineering Education
- Connecting Academia to Industry
Not exactly run of the mill for academia. I spend most of my time working with and meeting with company leaders, mentoring and providing input to entrepreneurs, or mentoring and coaching professionals on how to win in the real world of work. By win, I mean have the greatest impact on people, products and companies while at the same time maximizing their financial impact on their own income. Oh yes, and also helping others to find the work they love.
Key Teaching and Research Links
- Research Activities (Going to be updated soon)
- Publications
- PhD Students – I do very little in the way of serving on PhD committees. The process is way too unproductive for me. I will work with a very limited number of PhD’s as advisor if they meet my requirements. For details please contact me – but expect a no.
Industry Links
Contact:
UAB School of Engineering – M.Eng./IEM
Building Address: 1075 13th Street South, Hoehn 370
Mailing Address: 1530 3rd Avenue South; Hoehn 370
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
(205) 934-8480
Email:
dcallahan(@)uab(dot)edu