Diann Brei

Diann Brei is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering, where she joined the faculty in 1994. She currently serves as Chair of the Integrative Systems + Design division since 2018 and is University Co-Director of the Smart Materials and Structures center. Brei holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University in 1993 and a B.S.E. in Computer Systems Engineering from the same institution in 1988. Her research interests encompass design, smart materials and structures, sensor and actuator design, structural dynamics, vibration and noise control, mechatronics, and smart mechanisms. She has co-directed the General Motors/University of Michigan Smart Materials and Structures Collaborative Research Lab for over a decade, fostering innovations in automotive applications.

Brei's career is marked by pioneering contributions to smart materials and adaptive structures, translating research into practical technologies such as the Michigan ENdoluminal Distraction (MEND) device, which provides life-saving treatment for children with Short Bowel Syndrome, and foundational work for Liftware, a self-stabilizing spoon aiding individuals with Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s Disease. She has held national leadership roles, including co-founding the ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures, and Integrated Systems (SMASIS) division, serving as its Technical Chair, past chair of the AIAA Adaptive Structures Technical Committee, and Past Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. Her accolades include the 2022 ASME Machine Design Award—the first woman recipient—the 2019 Smart Structures and Materials Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 ASME Adaptive Structures & Materials Award, ASME Fellow in 2011, AIAA Associate Fellow in 2008, and election to the National Academy of Inventors 2026 class of Senior Members. In education, she directed the Design Science graduate program, established the undergraduate RISE program, and received awards like the Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teaching Award in 2001 and Rackham Master’s Mentoring Award in 2018. Her work has advanced experiential design education and built collaborative communities across industry and academia.