About

ECE prepares the next generation of electrical and computer engineering leaders to solve society’s grand technological challenges and improve quality of life. We provide thought leadership via award-winning research, out-of-the-box solutions and turning-point ideas.

Electrical and computer engineering drives our digital life. Its impact can be found in our smart phones, wearable smart health devices and smart vehicles. From the optical fibers that connect the world to deep space exploration, many of humanity’s greatest achievements would have been unthinkable without electrical and computer engineers. The Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has played an important role in many of these achievements.

Message from the Chair

President Jim Ryan’s 2030 strategic plan states that it will “be impossible for a university to be truly great if it is not also good.” UVA ECE is aligned with this “great and good” vision. We attract students who want to treat diabetes, develop the next solar cell, program the next Tesla and make social networks more resilient. Our research strengths align with national priorities in semiconductor production, leadership in artificial intelligence and enhancing human health. This is a golden era for electrical and computer engineering. I look forward to reconnecting with you and forging new collaborations to seize this moment. Read More.

Research Strengths

We are well-known for our world-class photonics and high frequency diodes; we bridge quantum science, communication and engineering. We lead cutting-edge research in ultra low-power chip design. We are proud of our long-standing tradition in computer engineering, medical imaging, signals and systems, and machine learning research. Explore our current Research Thrusts.

Our Faculty

ECE currently has 39 Faculty Members. Thirty faculty are tenured or tenure track. Collectively, our faculty have earned many awards and honors. Seventeen have earned NSF CAREER Awards; six others have earned young investigator, inventor or faculty awards. Ten are Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Our faculty frequently serve as editors and program or conference chairs, and regularly publish at top conferences and journals. Our faculty members have also founded successful startups.

Mission and Vision

We pursue excellence through diversity in all aspects of our mission and vision. ECE’s mission is to prepare the next generation of electrical and computer engineering leaders to solve society’s grand technological challenges and improve quality of life. ECE’s vision is to provide thought leadership in electrical and computer engineering, via award-winning research, out-of-the-box solutions and turning-point ideas. ECE aspires to be an inclusive and welcoming place for all, and a hub of innovation where research and teaching go hand-in-hand. ECE is deliberate in being outward-looking. Faculty and students actively engage in cross-disciplinary research with the Medical School, the Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative, the School of Data Science and various other departments and laboratories within the School of Engineering.