University of Arkansas professor named VP of global engineering organization

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 241 views 

A University of Arkansas engineering professor has been tapped to help lead a global organization, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Samir El-Ghazaly, distinguished professor of electrical engineering, has been selected to serve as vice president of IEEE and chair of its publications services and products board, according to the UA.

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization, with more than 420,000 members in 160 countries.

His term begins Jan. 1. As vice president, El-Ghazaly will oversee the organization’s publications, including about 180 journals, magazines and transactions.

El Ghazaly has been a UA faculty member in electrical engineering since 2007 and served as director of the National Science Foundation’s Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems division from 2013 to 2016. The NSF division supports research in areas of critical importance for the U.S. economy and the defense industry, with an annual budget of around $115 million, according to the UA.

He has trained and worked at several universities and research centers, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Cairo University in Egypt, the Université de Lille in France, the Swiss Federal Research Institute, Arizona State University and the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his doctorate.

“The College of Engineering is honored to have one of our professors serving in such an important and visible role, and I know Dr. El-Ghazaly will make great contributions to IEEE as vice president,” John English, dean of the college, said in a UA press release. “Dr. El-Ghazaly is a respected faculty member and a valuable ambassador for the University of Arkansas.”

El-Ghazaly’s research has focused on microwave and millimeter-wave semiconductor devices and circuits, semiconductor device simulations, electromagnetics, antennas and numerical techniques applied to monolithic microwave integrated circuits, according to the UA. He has authored or co-authored five book chapters and nearly 200 publications.