08/31/2026
This week we’re welcoming Dr. Krishna Pakala!
Krishna Pakala, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering (MBE) at Boise State University. He currently serves as the inaugural Graduate Mentoring & Advising Faculty Fellow for Faculty Development in the Graduate College and as the Dean’s Fellow for ABET Accreditation in the College of Engineering.
An award-winning educator, Dr. Pakala has taught more than 60 courses and 2,500 students and has received honors including the 2023 ASEE National Outstanding Teaching Award, ASEE Mechanical Engineering Division Outstanding New Educator Award, Boise State Foundation Excellence Award, David S. Taylor Service to Students Award, and multiple Golden Apple Awards. He is a past Chair and current Campus Representative for the ASEE Pacific Northwest Section.
Dr. Pakala’s scholarly interests center on innovative teaching and learning, emerging technologies, storytelling, STEM identity, student belonging, and graduate education. He has secured more than $16 million in external funding, including leading an NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program project focused on developing K–12 STEM teacher leaders in microelectronics and semiconductor education. He has mentored graduate and undergraduate researchers, peer educators, and student leaders and serves on the Board of Directors for The Story Collider, a national nonprofit dedicated to elevating true, personal stories about science.
