Anthony Petrella was named as the department head for mechanical engineering at Colorado School of Mines, effective March 1. Petrella has been with Mines since 2006 and is currently an associate professor and director of the FEA (Finite Element Analysis) Professional Certificate program.
From 2020 to 2023, he served as the director of online programs for the Mechanical Engineering Department, where he helped launch the online master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
“It’s been an honor to support the ME Department by developing and leading several initiatives over the past two decades, and I am excited for the opportunity to now serve in the department head role,” Petrella said.
The Mechanical Engineering Department is the largest on campus by undergraduate enrollment, offering bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees. Undergraduate students may select from eight specialized tracks: aerospace, automotive, automation & controls, biomechanics, energy, manufacturing, materials or nuclear engineering. The department also offers an aerospace minor and a sustainable energy undergraduate distinction.
Several faculty members, including Petrella, lead interdisciplinary programs and research groups, such as the Computational Biomechanics Group and the FEA Professional interdisciplinary graduate program.
As department head, Petrella plans to focus on various areas of growth to differentiate the department from other mechanical engineering programs. He aims to prioritize excellence in undergraduate education, support graduate curricula and research, expand online programs and enhance engagement with Mines’ entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. “My goal is to ensure that ME faculty, staff, students and alumni are empowered to continue leading at Mines and across the global high-tech landscape where impactful engineering practice is truly changing lives for the better,” he said.
Petrella holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and both a MS and BS from Purdue University, all in mechanical engineering. His research centers on computational biomechanics and the experimental study of the musculoskeletal system, particularly focusing on spine, hip, and knee mechanics. Prior to joining Mines, he worked at Johnson & Johnson, where he managed the computational biomechanics research group for DePuy Orthopedics.
