Andrew Douglas is the executive vice dean of the Whiting School and emeritus professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research focused on the non-linear mechanics of compliant materials including the mechanics of the left ventricle (with substantial collaboration with the late Bill Hunter in BME) and the dynamic fracture of ductile metals.
In 1997, Dean Don Giddens asked Douglas to serve as chair of the department. After two years as chair, the new dean, Ilene Busch-Vishniac, asked him to serve as associate dean for academic affairs. After that, he served as interim dean (2003 to 2004 and in 2013) and as vice provost for faculty affairs (2019 to 2022).
Douglas earned his BS (1975) and MS (1977) degrees in civil engineering from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. His mentor at UCT, John Martin, enabled him to study at Brown University where he completed his MS (1979) and PhD (1982) degrees in engineering mechanics.
Douglas began his professorial career at Rice University before joining Johns Hopkins in September 1983.