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Message from the Chair

UW ECE professor and Chair Eric Klavins

UW ECE Professor and Chair Eric Klavins

Dear UW ECE Community,

Welcome to the University of Washington Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering! Leveraging the vitality of the Pacific Northwest, UW ECE strives to create an inclusive, diverse, innovative, and creative space to learn and perform research with truly international impact. We take our responsibility to humanity seriously, and are driven to develop beautiful, inclusive, and impactful technologies that contribute to society both economically and socially.

UW ECE faculty and students conduct research in surprisingly diverse areas including data science, machine learning, brain-computer interfaces, integrated photonics, quantum computing, robotics, sustainable energy and much more. Our faculty lead and participate in numerous cross-disciplinary centers at the University of Washington, including the Clean Energy Institute, QuantumX, the Institute for the Foundations of Data Science, and the Center for Neurotechnology. We benefit from strong relationships with other UW College of Engineering departments, the UW Medical School, the UW College of Arts and Sciences, and the UW School of Public Health. Given the ubiquity of electrical and computer technology in these fields, I believe there is no more exciting place for an ECE department than at the University of Washington.

We are also leaders in entrepreneurship, benefitting from and contributing to the rich and deep tech scene in the Pacific Northwest. From big companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing, to UW ECE spinouts like WiBotic and Jeeva Wireless, to a thriving biotech community with companies like Just Biotherapeutics and Nanostring, to our substantial venture capital sector, Seattle and the surrounding area has it all. These factors have helped UW ECE become the number one producer of new spinouts at the University of Washington, with our faculty and students starting five new companies in the last two years alone. We embrace and support our role in the regional, national, and international technology sectors, and see it as a wonderful way to not only transition technologies to the public, but to support the careers of our students.

Our research and development activities are translated into our educational offerings at all levels. With more than 700 undergraduates and 250 graduate students, UW ECE is one of the biggest ECE departments in the country, and our graduate school was ranked #19 nationally in 2022 according to U.S. News & World Report. We offer bachelors, masters, professional masters, and Ph.D. degrees. We are constantly developing new programs. For example, we just launched a new Machine Learning Certificate program for our professional students so they can brush up on the latest in deep learning. Our undergraduate capstone engineering program is expanding as well, with dozens of industrial partners contributing to the mentorship of our students’ projects. And our department is growing, with with eight new faculty members hired in the last two years!

There is so much more happening at UW ECE than I can describe here. I encourage you to explore our web pages and learn about our faculty research, academic programs and more. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

Cheers,

Eric Klavins
Professor and Chair
UW Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering