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FIU taps recognized resilience scholar to lead its College of Engineering and Computing
Nationally recognized authority in coastal engineering and resilience Jack Puleo has been appointed dean of Florida International University's College of Engineering and Computing.
Puleo joined FIU in December 2025 and will continue to serve as associate vice president of research for Strategic Initiatives in Coastal Engineering and Resilience in the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED).
Puleo brings an extensive record of scholarship, federal service and academic leadership to the role. His research on coastal processes, hydrodynamics and sediment transport has advanced the national understanding of nearshore dynamics, wave run-up and nature-based shoreline resilience. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and secured more than $30 million in sponsored research support across more than 65 projects funded by major federal agencies.
“The FIU College of Engineering and Computing sits at a remarkable intersection of disciplines: coastal resilience, cybersecurity, AI, quantum science, biomedical engineering,” Puleo said. “It is a genuine honor to serve as dean, and I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, students and partners to push that work further.”
Puleo has already begun to engage industry and government on the potential for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in coastal engineering and resilience at FIU.
“Jack Puleo is a nationally recognized scholar and proven academic leader whose work in coastal engineering and resilience aligns seamlessly with our mission and Florida’s unique needs,” said Elizabeth M. Bejar, provost, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “His record of impactful research, commitment to student success and experience leading complex, interdisciplinary initiatives position him to advance the College of Engineering and Computing’s momentum and elevate its role in addressing the most pressing challenges facing our communities and the world.”
FIU's College of Engineering and Computing is home to the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, one of the largest computing schools in the nation, and the Wall of Wind, a unique wind testing facility capable of simulating Category 5 hurricane conditions. The college's research enterprise includes strong collaborations with units such as FIU's Institute of Environment on coastal and stormwater challenges and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine on cardiovascular, biomedical and neural engineering breakthroughs.
Prior to joining FIU, Puleo served as chair of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware, where he also directed the Center for Applied Coastal Research. His national service includes appointments as a special government employee for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Board of Coastal Engineering Research and as a member of the USCRP Decadal Steering Committee on Coastal Processes.
Puleo earned bachelor's degrees from Humboldt State University and a master's degree from Oregon State University. He spent six years as a research oceanographer at the Naval Research Laboratory before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Florida.
Puleo succeeds Inés Triay, who served as interim dean since October 2023.
Puleo joined FIU in December 2025 and will continue to serve as associate vice president of research for Strategic Initiatives in Coastal Engineering and Resilience in the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED).
Puleo brings an extensive record of scholarship, federal service and academic leadership to the role. His research on coastal processes, hydrodynamics and sediment transport has advanced the national understanding of nearshore dynamics, wave run-up and nature-based shoreline resilience. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and secured more than $30 million in sponsored research support across more than 65 projects funded by major federal agencies.
“The FIU College of Engineering and Computing sits at a remarkable intersection of disciplines: coastal resilience, cybersecurity, AI, quantum science, biomedical engineering,” Puleo said. “It is a genuine honor to serve as dean, and I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, students and partners to push that work further.”
Puleo has already begun to engage industry and government on the potential for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in coastal engineering and resilience at FIU.
“Jack Puleo is a nationally recognized scholar and proven academic leader whose work in coastal engineering and resilience aligns seamlessly with our mission and Florida’s unique needs,” said Elizabeth M. Bejar, provost, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “His record of impactful research, commitment to student success and experience leading complex, interdisciplinary initiatives position him to advance the College of Engineering and Computing’s momentum and elevate its role in addressing the most pressing challenges facing our communities and the world.”
FIU's College of Engineering and Computing is home to the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, one of the largest computing schools in the nation, and the Wall of Wind, a unique wind testing facility capable of simulating Category 5 hurricane conditions. The college's research enterprise includes strong collaborations with units such as FIU's Institute of Environment on coastal and stormwater challenges and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine on cardiovascular, biomedical and neural engineering breakthroughs.
Prior to joining FIU, Puleo served as chair of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware, where he also directed the Center for Applied Coastal Research. His national service includes appointments as a special government employee for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Board of Coastal Engineering Research and as a member of the USCRP Decadal Steering Committee on Coastal Processes.
Puleo earned bachelor's degrees from Humboldt State University and a master's degree from Oregon State University. He spent six years as a research oceanographer at the Naval Research Laboratory before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Florida.
Puleo succeeds Inés Triay, who served as interim dean since October 2023.