ME professor Carlos Fernandez-Pello has been teaching at Berkeley since 1980. He is associate dean of the graduate division as well as a scientist in the Energy and Environment Division at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. He has served as a consultant to government, industry and the private sector in work related to performance of combustion systems, accidental fires, and explosions in industry and transportation. His research also encompasses the testing of thermal materials and fire properties. He has won the Pi Tau Sigma Award for Excellence in Teaching and fellowships from the Fulbright Institute, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Ministry for Industry and Technology (MITI), and the French and Italian Centers for National Research. Professor Fernandez-Pello was born and received his undergraduate engineering degree in Spain.

Professor Minute: Interview with ME professor Carlos Fernandez-Pello

What do you do to forget about engineering and/or work ?

I participate in sports. I love tennis, skiing, and sea diving. Lately I have picked up a new sport: motorcycle dirt riding.

What is your personal recipe for success?

Enjoy what you do, do your best at it, and don’t worry about the results.

What can a student do to get through your hardest class?

Participate in the class and try to enjoy it (and have fun with my accent!)

Why did you become a professor?

Initially because of my interest in research. Later on I discovered the joy of teaching and interacting with the students. I particularly enjoy interacting with the students in my lab (graduate and undergraduate), both at work and socially. It is wonderful to see them grow and mature and eventually become more knowledgeable than myself about their work subject. I value very much the lifelong friendships that I have developed with most of my students.

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