Marsha Kowal
Honors College Faculty
Director, Honors Engineering Program
Email: mckowal@central.uh.edu
Marsha Kowal, Ph.D., is an instructional assistant professor in the Cullen College of Engineering and director of the Honors Engineering Program. She primarily teaches within the First Year Experience in Engineering, which is a two-semester course sequence that emphasizes problem-solving across all engineering disciplines. Kowal also teaches honors and non-honors sections chemical processes, which is a required course in the chemical engineering degree plan. She is an advocate for student involvement and professional development, and in 2022, she launched she launched the Leadership, Engagement, and Professionalism (LEAP) peer-mentoring program to promote student success and build community within Honors Engineering. Prior to joining UH, Kowal was a scientist and team lead at a biotech startup in Houston. She earned a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the Oregon State University Honors College and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.