Michelle Sabick Appointed Dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science

Michelle Sabick has been named the new dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver. She will begin her new role on March 1, 2021. Most recently, Sabick served as the dean of the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology at Saint Louis University (SLU).

An expert in the biomechanics of the shoulder and elbow, medical device development, and engineering education, Sabick received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa. She worked at several of Colorado’s top educational and medical institutions, including as an affiliate and adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines, and as senior staff scientist at the world-renowned Steadman Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation in Vail.

“Dr. Sabick brings to the University of Denver exceptional leadership skills, a commitment to the future of research, teaching, and learning in the engineering and computer science fields, and her inclusive, consultative, and highly effective management style,” says Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Clark.”

Sabick began her formal academic career in the department of mechanical engineering at Boise State University. She was promoted to full professor in 2012 and served as chair of the department from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, Sabick moved to SLU and became chair of the department of biomedical engineering. Two years later she was appointed dean of SLU’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology.

“I’m delighted Dr. Sabick is joining the University of Denver community. Both her leadership experience and background in biomechanics will serve the University and the Ritchie School well, and we look forward to welcoming her and her family to Denver,” says DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner.

Sabick is the past president of the American Society of Biomechanics, an organization of roughly 850 academic researchers, clinicians and industry leaders dedicated to advancing basic and applied science in the field of biomechanics.

“I am honored to be entrusted with the opportunity to lead the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at DU during this transformative time in its history,” Sabick says. “The Ritchie School is poised to increase the size and eminence of its research enterprise while remaining steadfast to its focus on student learning. I look forward to working closely with the faculty, staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders to develop and implement a shared vision for the future of the Ritchie School, and with my fellow deans to advance interdisciplinary collaborations that address the grand challenges confronting our region, nation and world.”

In addition to her appointment as dean, Sabick will hold the position of full professor in the department of mechanical and materials engineering at the Ritchie School.