Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin

Background

The Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Texas ECE) at The University of Texas at Austin is the largest department within the Cockrell School of Engineering, comprising over 2,500 students and 80 faculty members. Established as a national leader in research and education, the department's programs are consistently ranked among the top 10 in the United States.

Mission: To drive student success, scientific discovery, and technical innovation for social good.

Vision: To be a bold, innovative, and collaborative home to faculty, students, and partners.

Primary Area of Focus: Electrical and computer engineering, encompassing a wide range of subfields from hardware design to software systems.

Industry Significance: Texas ECE's research and educational programs significantly contribute to advancements in technology, impacting various industries and society at large.

Key Strategic Focus

Texas ECE's strategic focus includes:

Core Objectives: Enhancing student success, fostering scientific discovery, and promoting technical innovation for societal benefit.

Specific Areas of Specialization: The department offers eight academic tracks:

Architecture, Computer Systems, and Embedded Systems (ACSES): Focuses on the hardware-software interface across devices from supercomputers to handhelds.

bioECE: Bridges engineering with biology and medicine through research in biomedical devices, neural engineering, health informatics, genomics, and synthetic biology.

Decision, Information, and Communications Engineering (DICE): Emphasizes data science, machine learning, signal processing, control theory, and communication networks.

Electromagnetics & Acoustics (EA): Investigates wave behavior across frequencies, including antennas, radar, and underwater acoustics.

Electronics, Photonics, and Quantum Systems (EPQS): Advances next-generation electronic, photonic, and quantum devices.

Integrated Circuits & Systems (ICS): Focuses on analog, digital, RF, and biochip design, along with CAD tools and interdisciplinary systems.

Power Electronics and Power Systems (PEPS): Addresses energy generation, conversion, storage, and smart grid management.

Software Engineering and Systems (SES): Covers the lifecycle of software systems, including design, testing, deployment, and evolution.

Key Technologies Utilized: Advanced computing paradigms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum systems, and bioengineering.

Primary Markets or Conditions Targeted: The department's research and education serve various sectors, including healthcare, telecommunications, energy, and information technology.

Financials and Funding

In September 2022, alumnus Sanjay Chandra and his family made a transformative gift to support the department's future, leading to its naming as the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This generous contribution aims to provide critical resources for graduate and undergraduate student programs and significant investments in faculty teaching and research, particularly in areas such as new computing paradigms, artificial intelligence, and the intersection of health and engineering.

Pipeline Development

As an academic and research institution, Texas ECE's "pipeline" focuses on:

Graduate and Undergraduate Programs: Offering comprehensive curricula across various subfields of electrical and computer engineering.

Research Initiatives: Engaging in cutting-edge research projects that lead to technological breakthroughs and innovations.

Industry Collaborations: Partnering with industry leaders to apply research findings to real-world challenges and to provide students with practical experience.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Texas ECE distinguishes itself through:

Proprietary Technologies: Development of novel computing paradigms, advanced quantum systems, and bioengineering solutions.

Significant Scientific Methods: Utilization of machine learning algorithms, advanced signal processing techniques, and innovative hardware design methodologies.

AI-Driven Capabilities: Integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning across various research areas, including robotics, data science, and communications.

Leadership Team

The department is led by a distinguished team of faculty members, including:

Deji Akinwande: Professor and Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #8, specializing in electrical engineering.

Jeffrey G. Andrews: Professor and Truchard Family Chair in Engineering, focusing on wireless communications and networking.

Jonathan Baker: Assistant Professor and Fellow of the Advanced Micro Devices Chair in Computer Engineering, with expertise in computer engineering.

Sanjay K. Banerjee: Professor and Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering #4, specializing in electrical engineering.

Seth R. Bank: Professor and Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #21, focusing on electrical engineering.

Suzanne Barber: Professor and AT&T Foundation Endowed Professor in Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Adela Ben-Yakar: Professor and Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #14, with joint appointments in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.

Alan C. Bovik: Adjunct Professor and Cockrell Family Regents Endowed Chair in Engineering #3, specializing in electrical engineering.

David P. Burghoff: Assistant Professor and Texas ECE Early Career Fellow, focusing on electrical engineering.

Constantine Caramanis: Professor and Chandra Family Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering #1, specializing in electrical engineering.

Ray T. Chen: Professor and Keys and Joan Curry/Cullen Trust Endowed Chair, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Lillian Chin: Assistant Professor and Texas Instruments/Kilby Fellow, starting Fall 2024, specializing in electrical engineering.

Sandeep Chinchali: Assistant Professor and Fellow of the Jack Kilby/Texas Instruments Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Computer Engineering, focusing on computer engineering.

Shwetadwip Chowdhury: Assistant Professor and Fellow of the Jack Kilby/Texas Instruments Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Computer Engineering, specializing in computer engineering.

Michael A. Cullinan: Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with expertise in mechanical engineering.

Poulami Das: Assistant Professor and Fellow of the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Chair in Computer Engineering, focusing on computer engineering.

Gustavo A. de Veciana: Professor and Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #18, Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs, specializing in electrical engineering.

Inderjit S. Dhillon: Professor in the Department of Computer Science, with expertise in computer science.

Ananth Dodabalapur: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Andrew K. Dunn: Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, focusing on biomedical engineering.

Mattan Erez: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Brian L. Evans: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

D. Emma Fan: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on electrical engineering.

Linran Fan: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Donald S. Fussell: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Vijay K. Garg: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Andreas Gerstlauer: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Joydeep Ghosh: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Milos Gligoric: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on software engineering and formal methods.

Kristen L. Grauman: Professor in the Department of Computer Science, with expertise in computer science.

Neal Hall: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Mark F. Hamilton: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Alex Hanson: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Qin Huang: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Todd E. Humphreys: Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, focusing on aerospace engineering.

Warren A. Hunt Jr.: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Jean Incorvia: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Yaoyao Jia: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Lizy K. John: Professor and Truchard Foundation Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on computer architecture and hardware architectures for machine learning.

Brian Johnson: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Christine L. Julien: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Sarfraz Khurshid: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on software testing and program analysis.

Hyeji Kim: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Jaydeep Prakash Kulkarni: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Sensen Li: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Xiuling Li: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on electrical engineering.

Calvin Lin: Professor in the Department of Computer Science, with expertise in computer science.

Nanshu Lu: Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, specializing in aerospace engineering.

Ruochen Lu: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Diana Marculescu: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on electrical engineering.

Radu Marculescu: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Mia K. Markey: Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, specializing in biomedical engineering.

Jose del R. Millan: Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, with expertise in biomedical engineering.

Javad Mohammadi: Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

Aryan Mokhtari: Assistant Professor and Fellow of the Jack Kilby/Texas Instruments Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Computer Engineering, focusing on computer engineering.

Michael E. Orshansky: Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with expertise in electrical engineering.

Zhigang Pan: Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in electrical engineering.

chandra-family-department-of-electrical-and-computer-engineering-(texas-ece---ut-austin-ece)