Draft:Ann E. Jeffers

Ann E. Jeffers (born 1982) is an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan.. . Her research focuses on using computational methods to understand various phenomena related to heat transfer and structural mechanics primarily in the field of fire safety engineering. She is the author of the memoir, ''Can You Hear the Music? My Journey Through Madness'', which describes her experience with bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress symptoms from her time at Virginia Tech.

Academic career
Jeffers earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2009 and subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Michigan as an assistant professor. In 2015, she was promoted to associate professor with tenure. From 2016 to 2018, Jeffers served as co-editor-in-chief of Fire Safety Journal. In 2023, she was appointed to serve on the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Foundation’s Board of Directors.

During her academic career, Jeffers has received awards and distinctions for her teaching, research, and service. In 2013, Jeffers received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. She received the 2014 Harry C. Bigglestone Award from the journal Fire Technology for her group’s paper, “Probabilistic Evaluation of Structural Fire Resistance”. Within the University of Michigan, Jeffers has been recognized with a number of awards, including the 2019 John F. Ullrich Education Excellence Award, the 2021 Raymond J. and Monica E. Schultz Outreach and Diversity Award , the 2024 Willie Hobbs Moore Achievement Award

Memoir
Jeffers was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder with psychotic features while she was on the tenure track. . She recounted her experience with mental illness from diagnosis to recovery in her memoir, Can You Hear the Music? My Journey Through Madness, which she self-published in 2023 under the limited liability company, Mad Engineer Press, LLC. A key component of her story was that she hid her illness from the university despite its severity due to the social stigma. She has since chosen to speak candidly about the most challenging aspects of the illness, including psychosis and suicidal ideation, to reduce the social stigma around serious mental illness

In addition to bipolar disorder, Jeffers has experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms attributed to three separate incidents that took place during her time at Virginia Tech: the 2006 Virginia Tech shooting, the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, and the murder of Yang Xin. During the period covered in her memoir, she experienced a worsening of symptoms. Jeffers’ story was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education in the context of mass shootings on college campuses and their resulting impact