25 Top Electrical Engineering Professors

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Jelena Kovačević - Carnegie Mellon University

Jelena Kovačević has a number of positions at Carnegie Mellon University; she is the David Edward Schramm Professor within the department of electrical and computer engineering, wherein she also acts as the department head. She is also the director of the Center for Bioimage, and her research largely focuses on “providing signal representation tools to be used primarily in communication and biomedical systems.”

Jim Bain - Carnegie Mellon University

Jim Bain is a professor within the department of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where his research focuses on applied physics and devices. He is also the associate director of the Data Storage Systems Center at the university, and has worked extensively on magnetic disk technology, magnetic tape technology, optical disk technology, and probe storage technology.

Keren Bergman - Columbia University

Karen Bergman is the Charles Bachelor Professor and chair of the electrical engineering department at Columbia University. She is the director of the Lightwave Research Laboratory at Columbia, where she also leads numerous research programs on optical interconnection networks for advanced computing systems.

Shih-Fu Chang - Columbia University

Shih-Fu Chang is the senior vice dean of the engineering school at Columbia University, where he also holds the position as the Richard Dicker Chair Professor and director of the Digital Video and Multimedia Lab. Dr. Chang, along with his students, “developed some of the earliest image/video search engines, such as VisualSEEk, VideoQ, and WebSEEk.”

Evelyn Hu - Harvard University

Evelyn Hu is the Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and of Electrical Engineering at Harvard University, where she is also a participant in the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center. She has received a number of honors and awards, including being named the NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar in 2005, and receiving the AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award in 2000.

Marko Loncar - Harvard University

Marko Loncar is the Tiantsai Lin Professor of Electrical Engineering at Harvard University, where he is also a faculty associate with the Center for Nanoscale Systems, as well as a participant with the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center. His research “focuses on phenomena resulting from the interaction of light and matter on a nano-scale level.” He was also bestowed with the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in 2010 and the NSF CAREER Award in 2009.

Ashfaq A. Khokhar - Illinois Institute of Technology

Ashfaq A. Khokhar is a professor and the chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is well known for his work in high performance computing and multimedia systems. He has received numerous awards, including best paper awards and the NSF career award.  He was elected to be an IEEE Fellow in 2009 “for his work on multimedia computing and databases.” 

Zuyi Li - Illinois Institute of Technology

Zuyi Li is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, as well as the associate director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation. His areas of expertise include market operation of electric power systems and integration of renewable energy, among others, and he was awarded the IEEE Chicago Section Certificate of Appreciation.

Degang James Chen - Iowa State University

Degang James Chen is the Jerry R. Junkins Chair Professor of electrical engineering at Iowa State University, where some of his areas of research include small-scale technology and systems and controls. He is a co-author of many publications, including the most recent (2009) “High-resolution ADC Linearity Testing Using a Fully Digital-Compatible BIST Strategy.”

Venkataramana Ajjarapu - Iowa State University

Venkataramana Ajjarapu is the Nicholas Professor of electrical engineering at Iowa State University, where his core research area includes electric power and energy systems. He also focuses on power system security, wind and solar energy integration, and other areas of study.

Etienne-Cummings Ralph - Johns Hopkins University

Etienne-Cummings Ralph is the professor and chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering within Johns Hopkins University. He was named a Visiting African Fellow and Fulbright Fellowship Grantee for his sabbatical and the University of Cape Town, and he received the NSF CAREER and Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Awards.

Hynek Hermansky - Johns Hopkins University

Hynek Hermansky is the Julian S. Smith Professor within the department of electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was the recipient of the 2013 International Speech Communication Association Medal for Scientific Achievement, and also currently works as the director of the Center for Language and Speech Processing.

Don Gruenbacher - Kansas State University

Don Gruenbacher is an associate professor and the head of the department of electrical and computer engineering at Kansas State University, where he also works as the George and Alice Fielder Chair within the same department. He is a co-author of the recent publication “Size-Based Flow Management Prototype for Dynamic DMZ,” and focuses on networks protocols, network security, and other fields of study.

Medhat M. Morcos - Kansas State University

Medhat M. Morcos is a professor and university distinguished scholar within the department of electrical and computer engineering at Kansas State University. He also works as a faculty advisor for the Delta Upsilon fraternity, as an associate editor of Electric Power Components and Systems, and is a founding member of the Graduate Exchange Program between INPL, KSU, and France.

Giovanna Oriti - Naval Postgraduate School

Giovanna Oriti is a professor of electrical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School. She is the holder of one United States patent, the co-author of 40 papers in IEEE conference proceedings and IEEE transactions, and she is an IEEE Senior Member.

Roberto Cristi - Naval Postgraduate School

Roberto Cristi is a professor within the department of electrical and computer engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School. He began his career in engineering with General Electric Company in 1977, and since has held various positions, both business-related and academic, in the United States and abroad.

Dan Boneh - Stanford University

Dan Boneh is the Rajeev Motwani Professor in the school of engineering and professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. He was the 2006 recipient of the Horizon Award by Computerworld, and during his career he has developed new mechanisms for improving web security, file system security, and copyright

Robert Dutton - Stanford University

Robert Dutton is the Robert and Barbara Kleist Professor in the school of engineering at Stanford University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Semiconductor Industries Association, and was the 2006 recipient of the Phil Kaufman Award by the Electronic Design Automation Consortium.

Tatsuo Itoh - University of California, Los Angeles

Tatsuo Itoh is a distinguished professor and Northrop Grunman Chair in electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. His primary area of research is within physical and wave electronics, and he has been the recipient of many awards over the past years, including being named as number one in electrical engineering by Microsoft Academic Search in 2014, as well as being named as a highly cited researcher by Thomson Reuters in the same year.

Frank Barnes - University of Colorado at Boulder

Frank Barnes is a distinguished professor within the department of electrical, computer & energy engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research areas include biomedical engineering and nanostructures and devices, and his further research interests include electric grid reliability and security, as well as electrical energy storage.

Michael Lightner - University of Colorado at Boulder

Michael Lightner is a professor within the department of electrical, computer & energy engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he also works as the co-director for the Lab for New Media Strategy and Design. His areas of focus include computer engineering and VLSI/CAD, and he is also a fellow with the University of Colorado Center for the Integrative Study of Work.

Jack W. Judy - University of Florida

Jack W. Judy is a professor within the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Florida, where he also works as the director of the Nanoscience Institute for Medical & Engineering Technologies. His primary research area focuses on devices, and he has received a handful awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, the Okawa Foundation Award, and a Fulbright Senior Scholarship in Australia.

Robert M. Fox - University of Florida

Robert M. Fox is the chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering, as well as an associate professor. His various publications have received 1,235 citations in all, and his research interests include analog integrated circuit design.

Melvin A. Breuer - University of Southern California

Melvin A. Breuer is a professor within the department of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California. His areas of interest include the computer-aided design of digital systems, design-for-test and built-in self-test, and VLSI circuits.

P. Daniel Dapkus - University of Southern California

P. Daniel Dapkus is the William M. Keck Distinguished Professor of Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering and physics and astronomy at the University of Southern California. His research interests include photonics and novel photonic devices, among others, and is the author or co-author of over 300 publications in reviewed journals.

Methodology

In order to arrive at the names presented on the list above, we focused on a set of criteria that we believe helps highlight some of the most dedicated and brilliant minds in the field. To be sure, the aforementioned 25 individuals were all selected based on the criteria found below:

  • Current work within the institution – Perhaps most importantly, all of the professors mentioned on this list currently work at their associated institution; many have done so for multiple decades.
  • Extracurricular operations or appointments – In addition to working as professors, the aforementioned professionals all focus on various other activities, some of which are within the university itself.
  • Employment within a four-year institution – while many two-year institutions or other trade schools nationwide offer engineering-related degrees, all of these professors work within institutions wherein students can pursue a four-year degree.
  • Doctorate degree – Though some educators may excel with only a limited amount of post-high school education, these individuals have all shown their commitment to the field of electrical engineering by obtaining a doctorate degree or its equivalent.