About Us
Letter from the ECE Chair
I’m thrilled to kick off my role as chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at UC Santa Barbara! It’s great to welcome back our ECE community and extend an especially warm welcome to our new undergrad and grad students joining us this year. This incoming class is one of the most diverse and largest we’ve had in nearly 60 years—a big milestone for us.
We’re also excited to introduce Tobia Marcucci as our newest faculty member. Tobia, a PhD from MIT, is making strides in convex and combinatorial optimization with a focus on robotics, motion planning, and optimal control—fields reshaping the future, and we’re lucky to have him here.
Over the past year, our faculty have earned some truly impressive honors. Shuji Nakamura, our very own 2014 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, received the LpS Digital Innovation Award. Haewon Jeong was awarded the NSF CAREER Award. Jason Marden is now an IEEE Fellow, and Larry Coldren received the prestigious Heinrich Welker Award. John Bowers was
honored with the Jun-ichi Nishizawa Prize from IEEE, and Nina Miolane received both the NSF CAREER Award and the Hellman Family Faculty Fellowship. These awards reflect the innovative spirit defining our department and the hard work our faculty puts into pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge.
I'm incredibly proud of the legacy we’re building here—from our faculty’s game-changing research to the impact our graduates are making in tech and academia. But as they say, the best is yet to come. With the talent and energy we have in our students, faculty, and researchers, we’re set to lead in high-impact fields like semiconductors, computing, AI/machine learning, robotics and signal processing.
Let’s dive into this academic year with optimism, excitement, and a commitment to exploring the unknown. Here’s to another great year of breaking boundaries, inspiring the next generation of engineers, and making this one a year to remember — Luke Theogarajan
Faculty Awards & Honors
An overview of some of the awards and honors received by our faculty:
- 2 Nobel Prize Laureates
- 2 National Medal of Technology and Innovation
- 1 IEEE Medal of Honor
- 5 National Academy of Sciences members
- 15 National Academy of Engineering members
- 1 American Academy of Arts & Sciences Members
- 11 National Academy of Inventors Fellows
- 43 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Fellows
- 2 Association for Computing Machinery Fellows
- 10 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows
- 10 Optica (formerly OSA) Fellows
- 4 UCSB Faculty Research Lecturers
- 10 UCSB Distinguished Teaching
- 25 NSF CAREER
- 5 NSF PYI / NYI Young Investigators
- 3 Clarivate Analytics "Highly Cited Researchers"
More faculty awards and honors are at the bottom of this page.
Department Numbers
Faculty & Staff
- 45 Faculty (tenured / tenure-track)
- 5 Adjunct / Visiting Faculty
- 14 Affiliated Faculty
- 29 Emeritus Professors
- 4 Lecturers
- 2 Teaching Professors (Sr. Lecturer SOE)
- 48 Staff Members
Research Funding
- Total: $19.1 million
- Government: $17.1 million
- Corporate: $900K
- Other: $1.1 million
* 3-Year Annual Avg. 2021-2024
Enrollment (Fall 2023)
- 206 Graduate
- 284 Electrical Engineering & 273 Computer Engineering Undergraduates
Degrees (2023-24)
- 39 Master's | 32 PhD
- 58 BS EE | 58 BS CE
ECE Mission Statement
ECE has a dual mission for excellence in both education and research. These two components mutually benefit each other — Full Statement
ECE and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Research and teaching in ECE thrives most when diverse people participate. For success, we make Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion a priority — More on ECE & Diversity
Research
We attract some of the top faculty researchers from academia and industry. Our research is categorized into four focus areas – Control Systems, Communications & Signal Processing, Computer Engineering, and Electronics & Photonics. Our faculty partner their research efforts with industry, government, outside academic institutions, other UCSB departments, and within the Department.
Undergraduate Studies
We offer BS degrees in Electrical Engineering (EE) or Computer Engineering (CE). Qualified EE students may apply in their junior year for the combined BS/MS program with an MS degree either in ECE or Materials. Qualified CE students may apply for the combined BS/MS program with an MS degree in either ECE or Computer Science. A range of options are available including communications, control systems, signal processing, computer engineering, microwaves, and semiconductor devices & applications.
Graduate Studies
We offer both Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The Department has three types of degree programs (MS, MS / PhD, or PhD) with emphases in Communications, Controls & Signal Processing, Computer Engineering, and Electronics & Photonics. One of the department's strengths is its history of collaborative and interdisciplinary research.
Invest in ECE
We invite you to invest in the Department by visiting Giving to ECE. Opportunities include:
- Unrestricted Support to the ECE Department
- Undergraduate Capstone Project Fund
- George Matthaei Undergraduate Award Fund
- Herbert Kroemer Endowed Fellowship Fund
- Roger C. Wood Endowed Fund
- Petar V. Kokotovic Distinguished Visiting Professorship
For more information contact Steve Ramirez, Ass't. Dean of Development, College of Engineering
Academic & Admin Officers
- Department Chair: ECE Prof. Luke Theogarajan
- Vice Chair & Graduate Program Director: ECE Prof. Clint Schow
- Vice Chair & EE Undergraduate Program Director: ECE Prof. Shiv Chandrasekaran
- Vice Chair and CE Undergraduate Program Director: ECE Prof. Yogananda Isukapalli
- Academic Business Officer: Mike Moore
Faculty w/ Endowed Chairs
• Cree Chair in Solid State Lighting and Display (Materials) - Shuji Nakamura
• Doluca Family Chair in ECE – Mark Rodwell
• Richard A. Auhll Professorship and Dean’s Chair of Engineering – Umesh Mishra
• Donald W. Whittier Professor of ECE – Umesh Mishra
• Kavli Chair in Nanotechnology – John Bowers
• Kavli Chair in Optoelectronics and Sensors – Larry Coldren
• Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. Chair in Solid State Lighting and Display (Materials) – Steve DenBaars
Recent Books by ECE Faculty
ECE Newsletters
Faculty Honors & Awards
Nobel Prize Laureates
- Herbert Kroemer – Physics (2000) *
- Shuji Nakamura – Physics (2014)
National Medal of Tech. & Innovation
- Glenn Culler – Physics (1999) *
- Arthur Gossard – Physics (2014) *
IEEE Medal of Honor
- Herbert Kroemer (2002) *
Members and Fellows
- National Academy of Sciences
-
National Academy of Sciences
- Lawrence Rabiner (1990) *
- David Auston (1991) *
- Arthur Gossard (2001) *
- Herbert Kroemer (2003) *
- Evelyn Hu (2008) *
- National Academy of Inventors
-
National Academy of Inventors
- Steven DenBaars (2014)
- Shuji Nakamura (2014)
- Umesh Mishra (2015)
- John Bowers (2015)
- Larry Coldren (2016)
- Dan Blumenthal (2017)
- Rod Alferness (2018) *
- Sanjit Mitra (2019) *
- Nikil Jayant (2020) *
- B.S. Manjunath (2022)
- U. Madhow (2022)
- AAAS Fellows
-
American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows
- Venkatesh Narayanamurti (1983) *
- David Auston *
- Evelyn Hu (1998) *
- Sanjit Mitra (1982) *
- Pierre Petroff (2009) *
- Arthur Gossard (2010) *
- Kaustav Banerjee (2016)
- Yuan Xie (2019) *
- John Bowers (2021)
- Chris Palmstrøm (2023)
- National Academy of Engineering
-
National Academy of Engineering
- Lawrence Rabiner (1983) *
- Arthur Gossard (1987) *
- David Auston (1989) *
- Venkatesh Narayanamurti (1992) *
- Petar Kokotovic (1996) *
- Nikil Jayant (1996) *
- Herbert Kroemer (1997) *
- Evelyn Hu (2002) *
- Rod C. Alferness (2003) *
- Sanjit Mitra (2003) *
- Shuji Nakamura (2003)
- Larry Coldren (2004)
- John Bowers (2005)
- Umesh Mishra (2009)
- Steven DenBaars (2012)
- IEEE Fellows
-
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Fellows
- Phillip Ordung (1959) *
- Glen Wade (1962) *
- Herbert Kroemer (1970) *
- Sanjit Mitra (1974) *
- Lawrence Rabiner (1976) *
- Petar Kokotovic (1980) *
- David Auston *
- Allen Gersho (1982) *
- Larry Coldren (1982)
- Nikil Jayant (1982) *
- Venkatesh Narayanamurti (1987) *
- Adel Saleh (1987) *
- James Merz (1988) *
- Rod C. Alferness (1989) *
- Pochi Yeh (1991) *
- Jerry Gibson (1992)
- Hua Lee (1992)
- John Bowers (1993)
- Evelyn Hu (1994) *
- Umesh Mishra (1995)
- Behrooz Parhami (1997)
- Margaret Marek-Sadowska (1997) *
- Tim Cheng (2000) *
- Arthur Gossard (2001) *
- Andrew Teel (2002)
- Dan Blumenthal (2003)
- Mark Rodwell (2003)
- Ken Rose (2003)
- Steven DenBaars (2005)
- U. Madhow (2005)
- B.S. Manjunath (2005)
- Nadir Dagli (2006)
- Joao Hespanha (2008)
- Bob York (2009)
- Kaustav Banerjee (2012)
- Yuan Xie (2015) *
- Peng Li (2016)
- Li-C. Wang (2017)
- Clint Schow (2017)
- Yasamin Mostofi (2020)
- James Buckwalter (2022)
- Dmitri Strukov (2023)
- Jason Marden (2024)
- Other Fellows
-
Other Fellows
- Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Lawrence Rabiner (1970) *
Hua Lee - American Physical Society (APS)
Pierre Petroff (1989) *
Venkatesh Narayanamurti *
Herbert Kroemer *
David Auston (1990) *
Evelyn Hu (1995) *
John Bowers (1996)
Arthur Gossard *
Chris Palmstrom (2001)
Kaustav Banerjee (2014) - American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)
B.S. Manjunath (2023) - American Vacuum Society (AVS)
Chris Palmstrom (1999) - British Computer Society (BCS)
Behrooz Parhami (Chartered fellow – 2004) - International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)
Petar Kokotovic (2005) *
Andrew Teel (2010)
Joao Hespanha (2017) - Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) (Foreign Fellow)
Umesh Mishra (2022) - Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) Fellow International
Umesh Mishra (2013)
Kaustav Banerjee (2024) - Materials Research Society (MRS)
Chris Palmstrom (2012) - Optica (formerly OSA)
Rod C. Alferness (1984) *
David Auston *
Larry Coldren (1992)
Atac Imamoglu (2002) *
John Bowers (2003)
Dan Blumenthal (2006)
Clint Schow (2016)
Nadir Dagli (2019)
Steven Denbaars (2022)
Jonathan Klamkin (2022) - Russian Academy of Sciences (Foreign Member)
Petar Kokotovic (2012) * - The Engineering Academy of Japan (International Fellow)
Sanjit Mitra (2022) * - The Institution of Engineering & Technology
Behrooz Parhami (2010)
- Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
- American Academy of Arts & Sciences
-
American Academy of Arts & Sciences
- David Auston (1992) *
- ACM Fellows
-
Association for Computing Machinery Fellows
- B.S. Manjunath (2018)
- Yuan Xie (2019) *
IEEE Awards
- IEEE
-
IEEE
Medals
- Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal
Lawrence Rabiner (1999) * - James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal
Petar Kokotovic (2001) *
Sanjit Mitra (2006) * - Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal
Umesh Mishra (2022)
John Bowers (2024)
Technical Field Awards
- Photonics Award
Rod C. Alferness (2005) *
John Bowers (2017) - Emanuel R. Piore Award
Lawrence Rabiner (co-recipient 1980) * - Control Systems Award – IEEE Control Systems Society
Petar Kokotovic (1995) * - Jack A. Morton Award (renamed Andrew S. Grove Award in 2000) – IEEE Electron Devices Society
Herbert Kroemer (1986) * - James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award – IEEE Signal Processing Society
Allen Gersho (2007) * - David Sarnoff Award – SRI Int'l Sarnoff
Umesh Mishra (2007)
Mark Rodwell (2010)
Larry Coldren (2014) - Gustav Robert Kirchhoff Award – IEEE Circuits and Systems Society
Sanjit Mitra (2013) * - Kiyo Tomiyasu Award – Dr. Kiyo Tomiyasu, IEEE GRSS and IEEE MTT
Kaustav Banerjee (co-recipient 2015)
Other IEEE Awards
- Centennial Medal (1984)
Allen Gersho *
Behrooz Parhami
Lawrence Rabiner * - Millennium Medal (2000)
Rod C. Alferness *
Lawrence Rabiner *
Allen Gersho *
Nikil Jayant *
Sanjit Mitra *
Glen Wade * - IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA) – Ernest S. Kuh Early Career Award
Zheng Zhang (2021) - IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) Vice-President's Recognition Award
Sanjit Mitra (2017) * - IEEE Region 6 Outstanding Engineer Award
Yasamin Mostofi (2013) - Bob Madge Innovation Award – IEEE Test Technology Technical Council (TTTC)
Wang (2017) - IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC) Distinguished Lecturer
Strukov (2019)
- Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal
- IEEE Society
-
IEEE Society
Circuits and Systems Society (CAS)
- Mac Van Valkenburg Award
Sanjit Mitra (1999) *
Communications Society
- IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer
Jerry Gibson (2007-2008) - IEEE Communications Society Wireless Communications Recognition Award
Jerry Gibson (2009)
Computer Society
- Seymour Cray Computer Engineer Award
Glen Culler (2000) * - Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award
Yuan Xie (2020) *
B.S. Manjunath (2020)
Control Systems Society (CSS)
- Hendrik W. Bode Lecture Prize
Petar Kokotovic (1991) * - Antonio Ruberti Young Researcher Prize
Joao Hespanha (2009)
Yasamin Mostofi (2016)
Education Society
- McGraw-Hill / Jacob C. Millman Award
Sanjit Mitra (2001) *
Electron Devices Society (EDS)
- J. J. Ebers Award
Herbert Kroemer (1973) * - National Lecturer
Herbert Kroemer (1983) * - Distinguished Lecturer (Region 6)
Kaustav Banerjee (2008)
Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S)
- Distinguished Educator Award
Umesh Mishra (2017) - Microwave Prize
Mark Rodwell (1997) - Outstanding Young Engineer Award
Bob York (2004)
Jim Buckwalter (2015)
Photonics Society
- Aron Kressel Award
Larry Coldren (2009)
Steven DenBaars (2010) - William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award
John Bowers (1996) - John Tyndall Award
Larry Coldren (2004)
John Bowers (2012)
Signal Processing Society (SPS)
- Technical Achievement Award
Lawrence Rabiner (1978) *
Sanjit Mitra (1996) * - Society Award
Lawrence Rabiner (1980) *
Sanjit Mitra (2001) * - Education Award
Sanjit Mitra (1989) *
- Mac Van Valkenburg Award
More Awards
- Societies
-
Other Societies
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
- R. Bruce Lindsay Award (formerly the Biennial Award)
Lawrence Rabiner (1974) *
American Physical Society (APS)
- Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize
Arthur Gossard (co-recipient 1984) * - James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials
Arthur Gossard (2001) * - David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials Physics
Chris Palmstrom (2018)
American Society for Engineering Education
- Frederick Emmons Terman Award
Sanjit Mitra (1973) *
Jerry Gibson (1990)
Optica (formerly OSA)
- Holonyak Award
John Bowers (2009)
Larry Coldren (2017) - Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award
Rod C. Alferness (2010) * - Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize
Rod C. Alferness (2018) * - C.E.K. Mees Medal
Daniel Blumenthal (2020)
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
- Activity Group on Control and Systems Theory (SIAG/CST) Prize
Andrew Teel (1998)
The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS)
- John Bardeen Award
Arthur Gossard (2005) *
- R. Bruce Lindsay Award (formerly the Biennial Award)
- Fellowships
-
Fellowships
- DoD National Security Science and Engineering Faculty (NSSEFF)
Chris Palmstrom (2015) - Hellman Fellows Fund
Michael Liebling (2011)
Katie Byl (2012)
Dmitri Strukov (2013)
Jon Schuller (2014)
Yon Visell (2017)
Nina Miolane (2023) - JSPS Invitation Fellowship (Short-Term), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Kaustav Banerjee (2013) - Marie Curie Fellowship
Jonathan Klamkin (2012) - NATO Science Fellowship
Nadir Dagli - Sloan Research Fellowship
Katie Byl (2011) - DARPA Director’s Fellowship
Jonathan Klamkin (2020)
- DoD National Security Science and Engineering Faculty (NSSEFF)
- Early Career
-
Early Career
- ACM-SIGDA Outstanding New Faculty Award
Kaustav Banerjee (2004)
Zheng Zhang (2021) - Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) – Young Investigator Award
Jason Marden (2012)
John Schuller (2013)
Galan Moody (2020) - Army Research Office (ARO) Young Investigator Award
Bob York (1993) - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award
James F. Buckwalter (2007)
Jonathan Klamkin (2018)
Loai Salem (2019) - IEEE Magnetics Society Early Career Award
Kerem Camsari (2021) - NASA Early Career Faculty Space Technology Research Grant
Jonathan Klamkin (2014) - NASA Early Stage Innovation (ESI)
Jonathan Klamkin (2017) - National Institutes of Health (NIH) – New Innovator Award
Luke Theogarajan (2010) - National Science Foundation (NSF) – Faculty Early CAREER Development Award
Louise Moser (1990) *
Andrew Teel (1995)
Bob York (1995)
U. Madhow (1996)
Shiv Chandrasekaran (1998)
Atac Imamoglu (1995) *
Joao Hespanha (2001)
Edward Chang (2002) *
Volkan Rodoplu (2007) *
Yuan Xie (2006) *
Peng Li (2008)
Yasamin Mostofi (2009)
Pradeep Sen (2009)
Luke Theogarajan (2011)
James K. Buckwalter (2011)
Katie Byl (2013)
Jason Marden (2014)
John Schuller (2015)
Yon Visell (2018)
Mahnoosh Alizadeh (2019)
Zheng Zhang (2019)
Galan Moody (2021)
Kerem Çamsarı (2023)
Bongjin Kim (2023)
Haewon Jeong (2024) - NSF Young Investigator Award
Hua Lee – NSF / PYI (1985)
John Bowers – NSF / PYI (1988)
Mark Rodwell – NSF / PYI (1989)
Umesh Mishra – NSF / PYI (1989)
Steven DenBaars – NSF / NYI (1994) - NSF Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
Dan Blumenthal (1999)
Yasamin Mostofi (2011)
Spencer Smith (2019) - NSF – Research Initiation Award
Jerry Gibson (1974)
Ali Sayed *
John Shynk (1993)
Atac Imamoglu (1994) *
Roy Smith *
Andrew Teel (1993) - ONR Young Investigator Award
Bob York (1996)
Jason Marden (2015)
Kerem Camsari (2022) - Photonics & Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS) Conf. Young Scientist Award
Jonathan Klamkin (2019)
- ACM-SIGDA Outstanding New Faculty Award
- Industry
-
Industry
- Google Faculty Research Award
Yon Visell (2015)
Dmitri Strukov (2016) - Heinrich Welker Award
Herbert Kroemer (2003) *
Umesh Mishra (2012)
Larry Coldren (2023) - IBM Faculty Award
Kaustav Banerjee (2008)
Yuan Xie (2008) * - IBM Ph.D. Fellowship
James K. Buckwalter (2004) - Northrop Grumman Excellence in Teaching Award
Luke Theogarajan (co-recipient 2011)
Michael Liebling (co-recipient 2014)
Mahnoosh Alizadeh (co-recipient 2018)
Yoga Isukapalli (co-recipient 2020) - Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering
Atac Imamoglu (1996) * - Semiconductor Research Corporation – Technical Excellence Award
Li-C Wang (2010) - University Research Award – Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)
Mark Rodwell (2022)
- Google Faculty Research Award
- UC System & UCSB
-
U. of California & UCSB
U. of California Systemwide
- Outstanding Faculty Leadership in Presidential Initiatives
David Auston (2015) *
UC Santa Barbara
Academic Senate
- Faculty Research Lecture Award
Herbert Kroemer (1984-1985) *
Evelyn Hu (2004-2005) *
John Bowers (2012-2013)
Umesh Mishra (2017-2018)
- Distinguished Teaching Award
Glen Wade (1978) *
John Skalnik (1986) *
Hua Lee (1988)
Roger Wood (1989) *
Nadir Dagli (1990)
John Shynk (1992) *
Alan Laub (1993) *
Evelyn Hu (1999) *
Steve Butner (2007) *
Yogananda Isukapalli (2021) - Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award
Kaustav Banerjee (2023)
- Outstanding Faculty Leadership in Presidential Initiatives
- Other Awards
-
Other Awards
- Clarivate Analytics – Highly Cited Researchers
Umesh Mishra (2014)
Kaustav Banerjee (2019)
John Bowers (2022) - Academia Nacional de Engenharia (ANE)
Sanjit K. Mitra (2021) * - American Association for Advances in Functional Materials – AAAFM–Nakamura Award
Steven DenBaars (2021) - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Newcomb Cleveland Prize
Arthur Gossard (2005 & 2006) * - Alexander von Humboldt Research Award
Herbert Kroemer (1994) * - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation – Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award
Kaustav Banerjee (2011) - American Automatic Control Council (AACC)
Richard E Bellman Control Heritage Award
Petar Kokotovic (2002) *
Donald P. Eckman Award
Andrew Teel (1999)
Jason Marden (2012) - Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities – Corresponding Member
Sanjit Mitra (2024) * - Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) Award (DOD)
Kaustav Banerjee (2018)
Galan Moody (2021) - Dresden Fellowship Program – Dresden Senior Fellow
Kaustav Banerjee (2016) - Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESD) Research Grant Award
Kaustav Banerjee (2005 and 2011) - Erasmus Mundus Fellowship - European Commission
Kaustav Banerjee (2016) - Indium Phosphide and Related Materials (IPRM) Award
John Bowers (2021) - International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) – Georgio Quazza Medal
Petar Kokotovic (1990) * - International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors (ISCS) – Quantum Devices Award
Steven DenBaars (2021)
Umesh Mishra (2007) - NSF Director's Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars
Evelyn Hu (2005) *
- Clarivate Analytics – Highly Cited Researchers
* No longer active in the Department.