Dr. Charles L. “Chuck” Karr is a three-time graduate of UA, completing his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1984 and his master’s and doctorate in engineering mechanics in 1987 and 1989, respectively. After receiving his doctorate, he spent seven years working as a research engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Tuscaloosa Research Center, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

While working at the Bureau, Karr maintained a relationship with UA by serving as a part-time instructor in both the engineering mechanics and the aerospace engineering departments. He joined the faculty full time in 1995 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor and then professor. He was named dean of the College in 2005.

Considered a leading expert in the area of intelligent systems, Karr is the author of three books and 20 book chapters, and he has published 44 refereed journal articles and more than 90 conference papers. He has become widely known for his pioneering work in combining genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic, and he has successfully applied these techniques in the aerospace, mineral processing, manufacturing and steel industries. In addition, he holds four international patents in the area of intelligent systems for locating the sources of radio signals.