Get to know ECE's newest department head in this quick Q&A about our department highlights, connecting with alumni, and the future of ECE at Virginia Tech.

What’s been a highlight for you from this past semester working at Virginia Tech?

While I officially started as department head in January 2025, I have already had the opportunity to spend extensive time on campus and meet many of our exceptional faculty, students, and staff. One highlight has been seeing, firsthand, the strong sense of community and the shared pride from everyone. It is energizing to join a department that is both rooted in excellence and excited about the future. I have especially enjoyed conversations around research innovation, student success, and our strategic role within the broader university.

We are building strong momentum on multiple fronts. A key priority is expanding hands-on, project-based learning opportunities that equip our students with real-world experience and the practical skills essential for success in today’s engineering landscape. We are also strengthening our collaboration with the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing based in Alexandria, creating new pathways to integrate cutting-edge research with experiential education. These efforts aim to connect students directly with industry-relevant challenges and better prepare them to meet the evolving demands of the job market.

I am also deeply energized by our ongoing efforts to expand national and international partnerships that elevate and amplify ECE’s unique strengths. In today’s rapidly evolving and highly competitive research landscape, leadership demands more than excellence, it requires agility, vision, and meaningful collaboration. We recognize the critical importance of forging strategic alliances across academia, industry, government, and national laboratories.

These partnerships are essential not only for advancing cutting-edge research and driving real-world innovation, but also for supporting the university’s broader goal of achieving global distinction. We are actively creating new avenues for our faculty to engage in bold, interdisciplinary initiatives through large-scale collaborative proposals, international research collaborations, and translational projects with strong industry engagement, to position VT ECE as a global leader in shaping the future of technology and engineering education.

How would you love our alumni to get connected to the department?

Our alumni are an essential part of what makes ECE at Virginia Tech exceptional. Their contributions, as engineers, innovators, and leaders, not only elevate the department’s reputation but also serve as a powerful source of inspiration for our students.

We would love to see even more of our alumni actively involved, whether through mentoring, guest lectures, research collaborations, or advisory roles. There are countless ways to stay connected and make a meaningful impact, and we always welcome fresh ideas and new perspectives.

Our goal is to foster lasting, two-way relationships that enrich both our current community and our alumni network. By staying engaged, our alumni help shape the future of the department while remaining an enduring part of its story.

When you look ahead, what’s next for ECE, and how can our alumni play a role in that?

Looking ahead, we are committed to advancing ECE’s leadership in a broad range of critical and emerging areas, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, power electronics and systems, bioelectronics, biomedical devices, wireless communications, space systems, and quantum technologies. These fields not only align with pressing global challenges but also position our department to make transformative contributions across industry, government, and society.

In parallel, we are working to more fully leverage ECE’s growing presence in Northern Virginia to expand our impact. This region offers a unique convergence of federal agencies, private sector R&D, and entrepreneurial activity—providing a powerful platform for research collaboration, graduate education, and workforce development. By connecting our faculty and students with these opportunities, we aim to strengthen our role as a national leader in innovation, while ensuring that our graduates are well-prepared to thrive in the evolving technology landscape.

Our alumni can play a vital role in shaping what’s next for ECE. As the technology landscape evolves, their insight helps us stay attuned to real-world challenges and emerging industry needs, ensuring that our curriculum, research, and strategic priorities remain relevant and forward-looking. Alumni can provide valuable input on skill gaps, innovation trends, and interdisciplinary opportunities that inform how we prepare the next generation of engineers.

Through mentorship, project sponsorship, and guest teaching, alumni can enrich our students’ hands-on learning and professional development. Their support, whether through internships, co-ops, or collaborative research, helps bridge the gap between academia and practice, providing students with the tools and confidence to thrive. Alumni can also be powerful advocates in helping us recruit top faculty, expand industry partnerships, and create career pipelines for our graduates.

Most importantly, our alumni network embodies the legacy and future of Virginia Tech ECE. We warmly invite our alumni to stay connected, share their journeys, and help us build a vibrant and impactful community that continues to lead in innovation, education, and service.