Dr. Carl Laird

Professor

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Biography

Carl D. Laird is the John E. Swearingen Professor and Department Head of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta in 2000 and completed his Ph.D. at CMU in 2006. He also pursued postdoctoral studies in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining CMU, Laird held faculty positions at Texas A&M and Purdue University, and worked as a principal member of technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, focusing on Discrete Mathematics and Optimization. Laird leads an internationally recognized research program specializing in process systems engineering, particularly in high-performance computing techniques, large-scale nonlinear optimization, and parallel scientific computing. His research contributes significantly to critical areas like public health and energy systems. Laird has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the Steven J. Fenves Award for Systems Research and the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Development (CAREER) Award. He is also known for his work on the IPOPT software library for solving complex optimization problems.

Research Interests

Experience

Department Head

2024-01-01 — Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Leading the Department of Chemical Engineering and overseeing academic and research initiatives.

John E. Swearingen Professor

2024-01-01 — Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Teaching and conducting research in Chemical Engineering.

Awards

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Steven J. Fenves Award for Systems Research

2024-01-01
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INFORMS Computing Society Prize

2024-01-01
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Outstanding Young Researcher Award

2024-01-01
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National Science Foundation Faculty Early Development (CAREER) Award

2024-01-01
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Montague Center Teaching Excellence Award

2024-01-01

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.