I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

Maria Auad has been shattering glass ceilings since the day she arrived on the Plains.

Auad, who serves as the Gavin Distinguished Professor and the college’s associate dean for graduate studies and faculty development, first came to Auburn in 2006 as an assistant professor after completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mar del Plata in her home country of Argentina. She previously served as a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology and as a research assistant at the University of Southern California.

During her career at Auburn, Auad has served as the interim chair of the former Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering — only the second woman in the college’s history to serve as a department chair — as the first director of the Center of Polymer and Advanced Composites and the first woman to ever hold the title of associate dean of engineering. In her current role, the college has risen in the U.S. News & World Report rankings to No. 31 among public institution graduate programs and No. 16 among all engineering institutions online graduate programs.

“Our rankings are a reflection of the hard work put in by our faculty and staff to ensure Auburn is providing the best student-centered engineering experience in America — both on campus and online — and that our graduate students and faculty are producing cutting-edge research that improves the quality of life for all,” Auad said.