Four Women Selected for Endowed Professorships at Purdue University

Elisa Bertino has been named the Samuel Conte Distinguished Professor in Computer Science. She has been a member of the Purdue faculty for the past two decades. She previously served as director of the university’s Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security. Her current research focuses on computer and network security, specifically wireless networks and the use of AI cybersecurity. Outside of her role with Purdue, she is the vice president of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Dr. Bertino holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Pisa in Italy.

Zhihong Chen has been named the Reilly Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. A Purdue faculty member since 2010, she currently serves as the Mary Jo and Robert L. Kirk Director of the Birck Nanotechnology Center. As a scholar, her research centers around the design and fabrications of novel materials, devices, circuits, and computing schemes. Prior to her career in higher education, she was manager of the Carbon Technology Group at IBM.

Dr. Chen received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Fudan University in Shanghai, China. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Florida.

Shirley Dyke has been named the Donald A. and Patricia A. Coates Professor of Innovation and Mechanical Engineering. She began her career with Purdue in 2009 with a joint faculty appointment in the School of Mechanical Engineering and the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering. She currently directs the NASA-funded Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitat Institute, as well as the Intelligent Infrastructure Systems Lab at Purdue. Currently, her research focuses on developing and implementing intelligent structures for various multidisciplinary applications.

Dr. Dyke is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she majored in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Catherine “Cammie” McBride has been named the Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Science. In 2022, she joined the Purdue faculty as the associate dean for research in the College of Health and Human Sciences and a professor in the department of human development and family science. Earlier in her career, she was the Choh-Ming Li Professor of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her current academic pursuits focus on literacy and mathematics development, learning impairment, and parenting.

Dr. McBride completed her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College in Ohio. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.