Photo of Edwin A Stevens building

About the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science

We're training the next generation of leaders in technology and applied sciences.

The Schaefer School educates and empowers tomorrow’s technological innovators and leaders with strong fundamentals, broad-based knowledge, critical thinking skills, and global perspectives.

Our collaborative community of engineers and scientists discover new knowledge and advance research frontiers through creativity and innovation. Our graduates impact society through technical and leadership services in professional organizations and the public and private sectors.

Our History

Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering & Science researchers build on the legacy of invention and discovery of Stevens’ founding family, whose steamboat and locomotive designs revolutionized American transportation.

Beginning in the 19th century, celebrated inventor Edwin A. Stevens, along with members of his family, were celebrated for unique feats of engineering such as the nation’s first steam ferry, first commuter trains, and the T-rail, which is still the main form of railroad track used worldwide. Known as “America’s First Family of Inventors,” the Stevens family established Stevens Institute of Technology to carry on their legacy of engineering solutions.

A Legacy of Innovation

Following in the footsteps of our founding family, Schaefer School researchers and graduates have:

  • Invented IMAP — the modern form of email

  • Developed the Gantt Chart, an essential tool for construction and other project managers

  • Worked with UNICEF to filter dissolved minerals from Bangladesh well waters

  • Won a Nobel Prize for co-discovering the neutrino — and validating the Big Bang Theory

  • Developed a new method of synthesizing penicillin

  • Prepared NASA spacecraft for America’s Apollo moon missions

  • Invented Bubble Wrap

  • Perfected the art of kinetic structures known as mobiles

  • Created the Jersey Barrier to separate traffic lanes

  • Patented a new mass spectrometry technique

Stevens School of Engineering and Science Dean Jean Zu

Welcome From Dean Jean Zu

It is my great honor and privilege to lead the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science. With the tremendous talent at Stevens, rich history in technology innovation, geographical proximity to leaders in industry and academia, and the school's upward trajectory, I am confident that we will establish wide collaborations on all levels and move our school to a new level of excellence. Together, we will build a world-class, prominent school of engineering and science.

Meet Dean Jean Zu

Photo of Dean Jean ZuJean Zu, Lore E. Feiler Professor and Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science

Dr. Jean Zu is the Lore E. Feiler Professor and Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science and a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Her research is focused on mechanical vibrations and dynamics and mechatronics, particularly in areas of biomedical instrumentation and energy harvesting. Dr. Zu holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tsinghua University and Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba, and has published over 340 papers including more than 170 journal papers. 

Dr. Zu’s academic career started as a lecturer and researcher at Tsinghua University in China in 1987-88. She joined the University of Toronto as a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department in 1994. She made history at the University of Toronto by becoming the first female and Asian Department Chair in 2009, a role she served until she joined Stevens on May 1, 2017 as Dean.

Over the course of her 30-year career in academia, Dr. Zu has worked extensively to raise both awareness and funding for engineering programs at the University of Toronto and across Canada. She is Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering (CSME). She served as president of the CSME from 2006 to 2008, on the Grant Selection Committee of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) from 2004 to 2007, and as the Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Vibrations and Acoustics from 2007 to 2013. She served as President of Engineering Institute of Canada in 2012 to 2014.


Jean Zu

Jean Zu, Lore E. Feiler Dean

201-216-8233
Edwin A. Stevens Hall 216

More about Jean Zu >


Frank Fisher

Frank Fisher, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies

[email protected]
201-216-8913
Carnegie Laboratory 302

More about Frank Fisher >


Rainer Martini

Rainer Martini, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

[email protected]
201-216-5634
Burchard Building 610

More about Rainer Martini >


Henry Du

Henry Du, Associate Dean for Research

[email protected]
201-216-5262
Burchard Building 410

More about Henry Du >

Office of the Dean Staff Directory

View the Office of the Dean staff directory by category below.

Collaborate with the Schaefer School

Corporate and community partners can work with the Schaefer School for educational and business collaborations.

student wearing a black hoodie building his project

Corporate Relations

Corporate partners can work with students and faculty to solve real business problems through sponsored projects and research collaborations, recruit graduates for open positions, or work with our faculty for corporate education.

Two girls sit at a table assembling small towers from engineering supplies kits

STEM Outreach

You can partner with students and faculty to lead STEM awareness and education initiatives at your local K-12 school. The Schaefer School also holds a variety of STEM outreach events on our campus on an annual basis.


SES Strategic Plan Cover

2023-2028 Strategic Plan

In 2022 Stevens unveiled its latest 10-year strategic plan, "Stevens 2032: Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology™." The Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science is committed to aligning our renewed strategic vision with that of the overall university with the development of our own strategic plan entitled "Empowering Excellence, Shaping the Future."

2023 SES Annual Report Cover

2023-24 Annual Report

The Annual Report presents updated information and progress of the School of Engineering and Science's goals outlined in the 2023 Strategic Plan. The information presented in the report was collected from official Institutional data sources and the SES community.

Current Facts and Statistics

The Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science is an institution on the rise. The Schaefer School is one of the top schools in the state of New Jersey and an up-and-coming research institution at the national level. Browse are rankings, program and research statistics below.


Past Annual Reports

2021-2022
Annual Report
2020-2021
Annual Report
2019-2020
Annual Report

Our Location

Edwin A. Stevens building with a blue sky in the background
Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science
Edwin A. Stevens Hall, 2nd Floor, Room 216
24 5th Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030