Since he received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1985, Dr. Hefazi has been involved in a broad range of teaching, research, and academic administration activities.
His more recent research works have been on the application of CFD in turbomachinery, aerodynamic design optimization, aeroacoustics, hydrodynamics, ship design, and advanced multidisciplinary design and optimization (MDO) methods. Dr. Hefazi has been the principal investigator for more than one-hundred externally funded research projects including projects sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research, NASA, US National Science Foundation, and the Boeing Company among others. Prior to joining SUNY Korea, he served as the head of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Departments at California State University and Florida Tech for a combined 19 years.
Dr. Hefazi has also served as the director of several organizations and research labs including the Boeing Company's Technology Centre at California State University. He has received many awards including The US Department of Defense’s Nunn-Perry Award for 2005 and 2006 and the Boeing Company's Silver Eagle Award for innovation in 2006. He is a member of the US National Academy of Inventors and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Hamid Hefazi has already contributed much in many areas of SUNY Korea operations during his short tenure at SUNY Korea: personnel and policy committee, faculty senate, grievance policy, faculty evaluation criteria and guidelines, etc. As the chief academic officer overseeing the curricular and faculty matters, he has much to contribute to the university.
Business Management Professor Younggeun Lee of the State University of New York, Korea delivered a keynote address on December 9, 2025, in Phuket, Thailand, at the U.S. Department of State–hosted Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI forum. The event convened 50 delegates from 16 countries, including government officials, NGO executives, AI startup founders, and academic experts, to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping entrepreneurial ecosystems worldwide. In his keynot
Expanding Internal Accounting Controls Could Be Key to Ending Korea’s Embezzlement Crisis Despite stronger audit regulations and major investments, fraud and embezzlement continue to impose heavy financial and reputational damage on Korean companies. Internal accounting controls were created to ensure that financial reporting processes are trustworthy, but effectiveness remains limited when the system is treated as an accounting task instead of a responsibility shared across al
Two FIT professors, Professor Hyemin Kang of the Fashion Design Department and Professor Linda Kim of the Fashion Business Management Department, are currently participating in the 2025 International Fashion Art Invitational Exhibition, an event that celebrates the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization between Korea and Japan. This year’s exhibition is presented under the theme “Resonance of K-Fashion: From Tradition to Innovation,” highlighting the rich cultura
The third episode of the TEFLON series, “AI as Collaborator, Challenger, and Catalyst in the Classroom,” took place on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. Teaching Excellence Forum & Learning Optimization Network (TEFLON) is a dynamic academic series dedicated to strengthening faculty teaching excellence and fostering innovative learning across SUNY Korea. Organized by Dr. Joseph Cabuay, Technology & Society Department professor, the event brought together faculty and communi
Professor Neal Dreamson of the Department of Technology and Society was appointed as a National Curriculum Expert Committee member of the National Education Commission on October 23, 2025. The National Education Commission is an administrative committee under the President that establishes a mid- to long-term vision and policy direction for education based on social consensus; it also gathers and coordinates public opinion on education policies. Its purpose is to contribute to the de