Nicholas J. Altiero, Ph.D.

Dr. Altiero received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1969 and a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering in 1970, a Master of Arts degree in mathematics in 1971 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in aerospace engineering in 1974 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Following postdoctoral appointments at the University of Michigan and at the Department of the Interior's Twin Cities Research Center, he joined the faculty of the Materials Science and Mechanics department at Michigan State University in 1975. At Michigan State, he advanced through the faculty ranks to the rank of Professor in 1986 and, in 1990, he was named the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of the College of Engineering, where he had administrative responsibility for the research, technology transfer, graduate studies, and distance education operations of the college. In January 1998, he was named Chairman of the Department of Materials Science and Mechanics and he served in that position until June 2000. At that time, he retired from Michigan State with the title of Professor and Chairman Emeritus and joined the faculty at Tulane University as Dean of the School of Engineering. In 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Tulane University was restructured and Altiero was named the founding Dean of the School of Science and Engineering.  For a brief period in 2016, he served as Tulane's Interim Provost. He stepped down as Dean in August 2017 and retired from the Tulane faculty in August 2018 with the title of Professor and Dean Emeritus.

Altiero held visiting positions at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, as a Fulbright Scholar, and at the Technical University of Aachen, Germany, as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. He published extensively in the areas of computational mechanics, fracture mechanics, geo-mechanics, and bio-mechanics and received external funding for research, teaching and other projects from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Economic Development Administration, Ameritech, Consumer's Power, the Edward Lowe Foundation, Ford Motor, Garrett Turbine Engine, General Dynamics, General Electric Foundation, General Motors, the Industrial Technology Institute, and the Michigan Department of Commerce. He taught a wide range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and, in 1991, received the State of Michigan Teaching Excellence Award. 

Altiero is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and a member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society and Tau Beta Pi Honorary Engineering Society.  He served as a member of the ASEE Board of Directors, as President of ASEE, as Chairman of the ASEE Engineering Deans' Council, and as Chairman of the ASEE Engineering Research Council.   He also served as Chairman of the Council of Deans Subcommittee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aeronautics Research Advisory Committee, as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Department of Energy's National Institute for Global Environmental Change, and as a member of the ASME Task Force on Federal Engineering Research Funding.

Additionally, Altiero has served as a member of the Louisiana Governor's Advisory Task Force on Funding and Efficiency of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Louisiana Governor's Emergency Preparedness Advisory Council, the Board of Trustees of the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), the Board of Directors of Wink Companies, LLC, the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America (ASTRA), the Louisiana Innovation Council, the EPSCoR Committee of the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Nominating Committee for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authorities, the Executive Board of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), the Board of Trustees of the Advocates for Science and Math Education,  the Louisiana Board of Regents Advisory Council, and the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Bioinnovation Center.

Since his retirement, he has remained active in the community, particularly in the area of K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.  He currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair, as President-Elect of the Board of Directors of the Greater New Orleans STEM Initiative, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education, and as a member of the Executive Advisory Council of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in Louisiana-Mississippi.

Research Interests

• Computational Mechanics
• Fracture Mechanics
• Biomechanics