Returning to Ann Arbor Roots: Eric Hald Rejoins U-M BME
Dr. Hald’s pedagogical approach has been significantly shaped by his international experience, particularly with capstone projects.
2–4 minutes
U-M BME welcomes Eric Hald, Ph.D., back to our faculty roster. Dr. Hald, now a Lecturer III, not only comes with a wealth of global experience, but also with a heartfelt connection to Ann Arbor, having previously served as an Instructional Fellow in the department from 2017 to 2019. His academic journey started at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his B.S., and continued through the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities for his Ph.D.
Reflecting on his initial time in Michigan BME, Dr. Hald reminisced about his year in Ann Arbor. “It was great to prove that all these assumptions I had about the community and the program were true,” he said. “Michigan is top-notch, and the people really make it a special place to be.” His return marks the culmination of several years abroad, during which he spearheaded the establishment of the Biomedical Engineering program at Shantou University in China.
This transition comes at a fortuitous time for Dr. Hald, who had harbored aspirations of returning to an American university. “Coming back is both a personal and professional milestone,” he said, adding that he is “ready to embrace the evolving dynamics of U.S. academia.” With awareness of the differences among students globally, he anticipates adjusting his teaching techniques and is enthusiastic about providing new learning experiences. Navigating his faculty position based in China while teaching online living in the United States during the Covid pandemic demonstrates Dr. Hald’s ability to pivot instruction and adapt to changing situations. Flexibility and adaptability are skills that will also serve students well throughout their professional careers.
Dr. Hald’s pedagogical approach has been significantly shaped by his international experience, particularly with capstone projects. During his time at Shantou University, where there are more individually-focused senior theses, he further realized the critical importance of team-based learning in engineering education. “That missing piece drives my passion for reintegrating with team-based capstone design projects at Michigan,” Dr. Hald said, eager to incorporate his insight into enhancing the senior design courses he will be instructing.
While exact course determinations are waiting to be finalized, Dr. Hald anticipates leading upper-level design courses, as well as courses focused on biomechanics—a nod to his research expertise in cell and tissue mechanics.
As an advocate for interdisciplinary learning, Dr. Hald is excited about fostering interconnected courses that mirror the complexity of real-world biomedical engineering challenges. “BME, by nature, is interdisciplinary,” he said. “We need to think about how the contents of each lecture, of each lab, of each assessment, can facilitate students’ abilities to connect what they’re doing now in class to what they’ll be doing in the future. This important focus is something I try to implement directly in all of my teaching. It’s vital our courses feed into one another and that we continually refine these instructional feedback loops.”
Dr. Hald reiterated his enthusiasm about returning to Ann Arbor, highlighting the personal and professional growth opportunities it represents. “This is a great chance to interface with the university and everything it offers,” he said. “I am looking forward to the aspect of getting back to the U-M program to strengthen connections among clinical faculty, students and industry partners to develop projects that have a direct impact. I know Michigan already does this really, really well, but I’m excited to be able to bring my international experience back to this environment.”