Dr. Shehla Arif is an Engineer-Scientist with inter- and cross-disciplinary interests. Her current research and teaching focus on reclaiming the goals of liberal education by emphasizing the social and ecological dimensions of engineering work. She aims to support diversity and promote sustainability by foregrounding the societal impacts of Engineering practice and thus preparing compassionate engineers who care about the well-being of fellow human beings, other life forms, and the planet.
With a PhD in Soft Matter, Fluid Mechanics, and Fracture Mechanics from Northwestern University, IL, U.S.A followed by a post-doctoral research fellowship in Earth Sciences at McGill University, Canada, Shehla specializes in Thermal Fluids Sciences in Mechanical Engineering. She also has experience in Robotics and Controls through her Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University, PA, USA. She earned her bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering with honors from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan.
Currently an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mount Union. Shehla is a fluid dynamicist with a focus on bubble-induced dynamics in multi-phase flow.
Her contributions range from creating novel Fluid Dynamics experiments to applying liberative pedagogies to teaching ThermalFluids Sciences. She is the lead editor of the International Journal of Engineering, Social Justice, and Peace.