Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Innovative research is a top priority for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. Our faculty are not only making strides in core areas of their research, but they also are  making contributions to achieve larger goals as identified in our department's strategic plan. Faculty and graduate students are working towards earning patents for their work, receiving prestigious awards, publishing their research in high-impact journals and at conferences, and bringing in millions of dollars in research grants.

Our research is funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Energy, among other government agencies and interested industries. The following are links to our new strategic research areas, core research areas for graduate study, research laboratories, research centers, strategic plan, and departmental research highlights.

Strategic Research Areas

To meet the challenge of the future and to carry out the cutting-edge research for the betterment of society, we have identified five strategic areas in which the department will invest and spend its energy. We believe that this will allow us to adapt and respond in a timely manner. These areas are:

• Bioengineering
• Cyber Infrastructure
• Distributed Sensing and Decision-making
• Energy Infrastructure
• Small-scale Technologies
  
  

Core Research Areas for Graduate Study

To impart undergraduate and graduate education in the core areas of electrical, computer, and software engineering, the department is organized according to the following nine research areas:

• Communications and signals processing
• Computing and networking systems
• Electric power and energy systems
• Electromagnetic, microwave, and nondestructive evaluation
• Microelectronics and photonics
• Secure and reliable computing
• Software systems
• Systems and controls
• VLSI
  
  

Research Centers and Institutes

Iowa State provides first-rate facilities and support for conducting innovative research. Below are the eleven centers and institutes on campus for electrical and computer engineering:

• Ames Laboratory
• Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE)
• CyberInnovation Institute
  
• Electric Power Research Center (EPRC)
• Information Infrastructure Institute
• Information Assurance Center
• Institute for Physical Research and Technology (IPRT) Centers
• Microelectronics Research Center (MRC)
• Plant Science Institute and L.H. Baker Center
• Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSERC)
• Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC)
• VLSI Design Center
  
  

Laboratories

We have more than a dozen technical and general computer labs especially for electrical and computer engineering students and faculty to use, as well as  several specialized research laboratories.

• Computer labs
• Control Engineering Education Lab
• Dependable Computing and Networking Laboratory
• Discrete Event Systems Lab
• High-Speed Communications Carver Laboratory
• High Speed Systems Engineering Laboratory
  
• iCube Wireless and Sensor Networking Laboratory
  
• NanoDynamics Systems Lab
• RF/Microwave Circuits and Systems Laboratory
  
• Rockwell Automated/Allen Bradley Power Electronics and Drive Systems Lab