What makes a great faculty mentor of students at The University of Texas at Arlington?
The Faculty Spotlight series showcases excellence in faculty teaching and mentoring. This post features Dr. Dereje Agonafer, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at UT Arlington, and a Member of the National Academy of Engineering. Additional accolades include:
ASME Honorary Member, ASME and NAI Life Fellow, AAAS Fellow
Director, Center for Chip-to-Chiller Integration for AI Data Centers (C³I-AIDC)
Site Director, NSF IUCRC Center in Energy Efficient Systems
Director, Electronics, MEMS & Nanoelectronics Systems Packaging Center
For Dr. Dereje Agonafer’s students (Department of Mechanical Engineering), exceptional mentoring means someone who creates opportunity, instills confidence, and celebrates growth for students.
What to Know about Dr. Agonafer’s Exceptional Faculty Mentoring of UT Arlington students:
- Mentoring Graduate Students: He has a university record for graduating 259 graduate students since joining UTA in 1999, including 42 PhDs. He is dedicated to training the next generation of engineers.
- Active and Current Advising: He is currently advising a large cohort of students: 17 PhDs and 2 MS students, indicating sustained and active commitment to mentorship.
- Career Placement and Impact: His students secure positions and make significant contributions in top-tier industry companies like NVIDIA, Intel, Microsoft, META, Google, Tesla, and GlobalFoundries; his mentorship and team approach directly leads to successful professional careers.
- McNair Scholar Mentorship: He served as a McNair Scholar Mentor in both 2003 and 2004, indicating a commitment to mentoring underrepresented students in preparation for doctoral studies.
- Research-Centric Training: His mentoring is deeply integrated with research through two major centers he directs: the NSF IUCRC in Energy Efficient Systems and the Electronics, MEMS and Nanoelectronics Systems Packaging Center. His latest initiative is Director, Center for Chip-to-Chiller Integration for AI Data Centers (C³I-AIDC), where major companies will participate in an initiative to address AI date centers requirement – chip to chiller. The new center will be 9600 sq ft with 1700 ton chiller and potentially 8MW of power. It will be anchored by two rows of 16 racks each provided by NVIDIA – which will be at the heart of all the research.
- This gives students direct experience with multi-million dollar funded, industry-collaborative projects.
- Direct Industry Collaboration: His students benefit from his deep industry connections (e.g., his 15-year career at IBM) and corporate research partnerships (like NVIDIA, Intel, Microsoft, META, Google, and TI), providing real-world problems, large equipment donations, and valuable professional networking opportunities.
- Patent and Innovation Focus: Students have been involved in innovative work resulting in patents, such as the active cooling method developed by one of his PhD students, who is now a CEO of a company.
Empowering Students Through Trust and Real Experience
Dr. Agonafer’s mentoring philosophy begins with a simple belief: students learn best when they are trusted with real responsibility.
From leading hands-on research in state-of-the-art facilities to supporting professional networking, he ensures that every graduate student is challenged, supported, and empowered to take the lead. Whether in the lab or out in the field, students gain confidence because he gives them space to innovate and learn as emerging experts—not just trainees.
He shares in a recent interview (source):
Given that, my graduate students travel extensively to conferences and present papers as well as publish papers. I tell them that looking for a job and school work are parallel processes—you don’t wait until you graduate to look for a job. I also encourage my graduate students to do internships, as it will usually lead to a job.
The Nai Profile: An Interview With Dr. Dereje Agonafer
Developing Career-Ready Leaders in Engineering
Many of Dr. Agonafer’s mentees step directly into high-impact and high-profile industry positions. Five PhD graduates have joined NVIDIA, a testament to the career-ready skills they developed under his guidance. He encourages students to work on real-world systems in real-time, offering mentorship that blends technical growth with professional readiness:
- Guidance on how to communicate research to broad audiences
- Encouragement to collaborate with industry engineers and partners
- Support in navigating the transition from student to colleague
Mentoring Through Visibility and Advocacy
Dr. Agonafer actively champions his students by celebrating their successes publicly and helping them gain recognition for their contributions. Whether presenting at conferences, engaging in industry collaborations with partners like NVIDIA and Trane, or joining global research events, students feel seen and valued.
He uses his platforms—including LinkedIn and professional networks—to uplift student achievements so they are noticed by future collaborators and employers. Through his advocacy, doors open.
Building a Community of Support
His students often describe his lab not only as a workspace, but as a community:
- A place where questions are welcomed
- A culture rooted in respect and collaboration
- A shared mission to grow and support one another
He builds mentorship networks that extend long after graduation, creating lifelong professional connections and supportive alumni relationships.
A Faculty Mentor Who Invests Time and Energy into UTA Students
His mentorship is grounded in advocacy and belief in every student who walks into his lab.
Celebrating Dr. Agonafer as an Educator and Mentor at UTA
We at CRTLE UTA are proud to spotlight and showcase Dr. Agonafer as a mentor and educator who places students at the heart of his mission. As a scholar and mentor at UT Arlington, he is someone who leads not through accolades but through unwavering dedication to helping others thrive.
Thank you so much, Dr. Agonafer, for the lives and careers you continue to shape.
You show us what impactful mentorship looks like at UTA and beyond.
*Note: This blog post was co-written with AI (ChatGPT) and CRTLE.
Links:
LinkedIn. Dr. Agonafer is prolific on LinkedIn and often shares updates on his student’s success.
