Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering

Glennan Building (7071)
Phone: 216.368.2800; Fax: 216.368.6888
Pedram Mohseni, Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation and Chair of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE)
pedram.mohseni@case.edu


The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE) spans a spectrum of topics from (i) materials, devices, circuits, and processors through (ii) control, signal processing, and systems analysis to (iii) human-machine interfaces, computation, computer systems, embedded systems and networking.  The ECSE Department at Case Western Reserve supports synergistic undergraduate major degree programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, as well as the undergraduate minor degree program in Systems & Control Engineering. At the graduate level, the department offers the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Systems & Control Engineering.  We offer minors in electrical engineering, computer engineering, systems & control engineering, computer gaming, and electronics.

ECSE is at the heart of modern technology.  ECSE disciplines are responsible for the devices and microprocessors powering our computers and embedded into everyday devices, from cell phones and tablets to automobiles and airplanes.  Healthcare is increasingly building on ECSE technologies: micro/nano-systems, electronics/instrumentation, implantable systems, embedded microprocessors, wireless medical devices, surgical robots, imaging, system biology, and visualization.  The future of energy will be profoundly impacted by ECSE technologies, from smart appliances connected to the Internet, smart buildings that incorporate distributed sensing and control, to the envisioned smart grid that must be controlled, stabilized, and kept secure over an immense network.  ECSE drives job creation and starting salaries in our fields are consistently ranked at the top of all college majors.  Our graduates work in cutting-edge companies--from giants to start-ups, in a variety of technology sectors, including computer and internet, healthcare and medical devices, manufacturing and automation, automotive and aerospace, defense, finance, energy, and consulting. 

Educational Philosophy

The ECSE department is dedicated to developing high-quality graduates who will take positions of leadership as their careers advance.  We recognize that the increasing role of technology in virtually every facet of our society, life, and culture makes it vital that our students have access to progressive and cutting-edge higher education programs.  The core values for all of the degree programs in the department are:

  • mastery of fundamentals
  • creativity
  • social awareness
  • leadership skills
  • professionalism

Stressing excellence in these core values helps to ensure that our graduates are valued and contributing members of our global society and that they will carry on the tradition of engineering leadership established by our alumni.

Our goal is to graduate students who have fundamental technical knowledge of their profession and the requisite technical breadth and communications skills to become leaders in creating the new techniques and technologies which will advance their fields.  To achieve this goal, the department offers a wide range of technical specialties consistent with the breadth of electrical engineering, computer engineering, and systems & control engineering, including recent developments in the fields.  Because of the rapid pace of advancement in these fields, our degree programs emphasize a broad and foundational science and technology background that equips students for future developments.  Our programs include a wide range of electives and our students are encouraged to develop individualized programs which can combine many aspects of electrical engineering, computer engineering, and systems & control engineering.

Research

The research thrusts of the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering department include:

  1. Micro/Nano Systems
  2. Electronics and Instrumentation
  3. Robotics and Human-Machine Interfaces
  4. Embedded Systems, including VLSI and FPGA design
  5. Hardware Algorithms, Hardware Security, Testing/Verification
  6. Systems Biology
  7. Machine Learning and Data Mining
  8. Computer Networks and Distributed Systems
  9. Energy Systems, including Wind and Power Grid Management/Control
  10. Gaming, Simulation, Optimization
  11. Medical Informatics and Wireless Health

ECSE participates in a number of groundbreaking collaborative research and educational programs, including the Microelectromechanical Systems Research Program, the Center for Computational Genomics, graduate program in Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, the Clinical & Translational Science Collaborative, the Great Lakes Energy Institute, and the VA Center for Advanced Platform Technology.

Faculty

Alexis E. Block, Dr.sc.
(ETH Zurich)
Assistant Professor
Physical human-robot interaction, social robotics, teleoperation, haptics, tactile sensors, physiological sensing, empirical studies in interaction design

M. Cenk Cavusoglu, PhD
(University of California, Berkeley)
Nord Professor of Engineering
Robotics, systems and control theory, and human-machine interfaces; with emphasis on medical robotics, haptics, virtual environments, surgical simulation, and bio-system modeling and simulation

Vira Chankong, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Associate Professor
Large-scale optimization; logic-based optimization; multi-objective optimization; optimization applications in radiation therapy treatment planning, medical imaging, manufacturing and production systems, and engineering design problems

Zonghe Chua, PhD
(Stanford University)
Assistant Professor
Intelligent robotic teleoperator systems capable of sensing, understanding, and delivering multisensory feedback to the user to improve performance

Gourav Datta, PhD
(University of Southern California)
Assistant Professor
In-Sensor Computing, In-Memory Computing, Neuromorphic Computing, Embedded Machine Learning, Machine Learning for Smart Healthcare, Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Algorithm-Hardware Co-Design

Michael Fu, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Timothy E. and Allison L. Schroeder Associate Professor
Neuro-rehabilitation and motor-relearning, with emphasis on virtual environments, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and haptic interfaces

Mario Garcia-Sanz, DrEng
(University of Navarra, Spain)
Professor
Robust and nonlinear control, quantitative feedback theory, multivariable control, dynamic systems, systems modeling and identification; energy innovation, wind energy, spacecraft, electrical, mechanical, environmental and industrial applications

Evren Gurkan-Cavusoglu, PhD
(Middle East Technical University)
Associate Professor
Systems and control theory, systems biology, computational biology, biological system modeling, signal processing applied to biological systems, signal processing

Hossein Miri Lavasani, PhD
(The Georgia Institute of Technology)
Assistant Professor
High performance integrated circuits and systems, Low power interface circuits for MEMS and sensors

Gregory S. Lee, PhD
(University of Washington)
Assistant Professor
Haptic devices, including low-power design and effects on perception; applications to robotic surgery and telesurgery; secure teleoperation

Pan Li, PhD
(University of Florida)
Associate Professor
Networks, Cybersecurity, Big data, Cyber-physical systems, Bioinformatics

Wei Lin, PhD
(Washington University in St. Louis)
Professor
Nonlinear control, dynamic systems and homogeneous systems theory, H-infinity and robust control, adaptive control, system parameter estimation and fault detection, nonlinear control applications to under-actuated mechanical systems, biologically-inspired systems and systems biology

Steve Majerus, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Assistant Professor
New medical treatments and diagnostic tools by integrating low-power interface circuits, signal-processing algorithms, and flexible sensors

Behnam Malakooti, PhD, PE
(Purdue University)
Professor
Risk analysis and prediction, design and multiple-objective optimization of manufacturing/production/operations systems, NASA intelligent internet protocol systems and networks, feed-forward artificial neural networks, intelligent decision making

Pedram Mohseni, PhD
(University of Michigan)
Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation and Chair
Biomedical microsystems, bioelectronics, wireless neural interfaces, CMOS interface circuits for MEMS, low-power wireless sensing/actuating microsystems

M. Hassan Najafi, PhD
(University of Minnesota)
Assistant Professor
Emerging Design Technologies, Brain-Inspired Computing, Stochastic Computing, Hyperdimensional Computing, Low Power VLSI Design, Processing In Memory, Near-Sensor Processing, and Computer Architecture

Christos Papachristou, PhD
(Johns Hopkins University)
Professor
VLSI design and CAD, computer architecture and parallel processing, design automation, embedded system design

Daniel Saab, PhD
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Associate Professor
Computer architecture, VLSI system design and test, CAD design automation

Christian A. Zorman, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
F. Alex Nason Professor
Materials and processing techniques for MEMS and NEMS, wide bandgap semiconductors, development of materials and fabrication techniques for polymer-based MEMS and bioMEMS


Secondary Faculty Appointments

Changyong (Chase) Cao, PhD
(Australian National University)
Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Vipin Chaudhary, PhD
(University of Texas at Austin)
Professor, Computer and Data Sciences

Kathryn Daltorio, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Dominique Durand, Ph.D.
(University of Toronto)
Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Mark Griswold, PhD
(University of Würzburg, Germany)
Professor, Radiology

Roger D. Quinn, PhD
(Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Satya S. Sahoo, PhD
(Wright State University)
Associate Professor, Dept of Population & Quantitative Health Sciences

Peter Thomas, PhD
(University of Chicago)
Professor, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics

Dustin Tyler, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Satish Viswanath, PhD
(Rutgers University)
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Xiong (Bill) Yu, PhD, PE
(Purdue University)
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Chris Yingchun Yuan, PhD
(University of California, Berkeley)
Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering


Research Faculty

Allison Hess-Dunning, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Research Assistant Professor
bio-microsystems, MEMS-based neural interfaces, micro- and nanosystem.

Michael A. Suster, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Research Assistant Professor
Point-of-care diagnostic platforms, sensors, circuits, and microsystems


Adjunct Faculty Appointments

Hanieh Agharazi, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Nicholas Barendt, MSEE
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Sr. Instructor

Michael S. Branicky, ScD, PE
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Adjunct Professor

Philip Feng, Ph.D.
(California Institute of Technology)
Adjunct Professor

Roberto Galan, PhD
(Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany)
Adjunct Associate Professor

Suparerk Janjarasjitt, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

David Kazdan, Ph.D.
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Soumyajit Mandal, Ph.D.
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Adjunct Associate Professor

Maximilian Scardelletti, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Lawrence Sears
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Instructor

Nicole Seiberlich, PhD
(Universitaet Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg)
Adjunct Associate Professor

Amit Sinha, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Benjamin Vandendriessche, PhD
(Ghent University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Daniel Weyer, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Francis G. Wolff, Ph.D.
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Associate Professor

Jackie Wu, PhD
(Mayo Graduate School)
Adjunct Professor


Emeritus Faculty

Marc Buchner, PhD
(Michigan State University)
Emeritus Associate Professor
Computer gaming and simulation, virtual reality, software-defined radio, wavelets, joint time-frequency analysis

Sheldon Gruber, PhD
Emeritus Professor
Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics

Kenneth A. Loparo, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Emeritus Professor
Stability and control of nonlinear and stochastic systems; fault detection, diagnosis, and prognosis; recent applications work in advanced control and failure detection of rotating machines, signal processing for the monitoring and diagnostics of physiological systems, and modeling, analysis, and control of power and energy systems

Francis "Frank" L. Merat, PhD, PE
(Case Western Reserve University)
Emeritus Associate Professor
Computer and robot vision, digital image processing, sensors, titanium capacitors and power electronics; RF and wireless systems; optical sensors; engineering education

Wyatt S. Newman, PhD, PE
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Emeritus Professor
Mechatronics, high-speed robot design, force- and vision-based machine control, artificial reflexes for autonomous machines, rapid prototyping, agile manufacturing, mobile robotic platforms