Dr. Andrea Strzelec is the Program Director for the Master of Engineering in Engine Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University and Texas A&M University, after post-doctoral fellowships at Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. 

Her research interests are in reaction characterization for combustion, exhaust aftertreatment, and sustainable energy. Specifically, catalytic automotive emissions aftertreatment and remediation of hydrocarbon contamination in soils by applying a suite of chemical and physical characterization techniques. To date, she has been PI, or Co-PI of 16 sponsored research projects totaling ~$5.4 M. She is the PI of the recently announced $3.3 M ($2.6 M federal share) DOE EERE ISCA-ONE award.  

Her work has been published in Topics in Catalysis, Energy & Fuels, Fuel, and International Journal of Engine Research, and she co-authored the Automotive Emissions Regulations and Exhaust Aftertreatment Systems book published by SAE International in 2020. She is Associate Editor for the Journal of Emissions Control Science & Technology and Review Editor for Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering Engine and Automotive Engineering. 

She teaches graduate courses in thermodynamics, exhaust aftertreatment, internal combustion engines, and combustion science. She has previously taught undergraduate courses in automotive engineering, internal combustion engines, thermodynamics, heat transfer, thermal fluids analysis & design, and senior capstone design. She is the recipient of the 2015 SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award and the Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering 2015 Brittan Undergraduate Teaching Award.  

Dr. Strzelec is the current Chair for the Exhaust Aftertreatment & Emissions Committee and Vice Chair for the Powertrain, Fuels & Lubricants Activity for the Society of Automotive Engineers. She is an active member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Chemical Society, CLEERS, and Society of Automotive Engineers. In addition, she is a passionate advocate for science outreach – specifically for thermodynamic and life cycle analysis of transportation energy. She was featured on PBS Wisconsin for her talk “Dirty is in the Details.”