Electrical and Computer Engineering

ECE 60th Anniversary Celebration Highlights

 

Key Takeaways

  • Six decades of growth: UC San Diego's ECE department, founded in 1965, now has 17,000+ alumni, 2,200 students, 65 faculty, and $38M in annual research funding, with top-15 national rankings in both electrical and computer engineering.
  • Industry-shaping impact: Alumni founded major tech companies including Qualcomm, ViaSat, and Ubiquiti Networks, and the department counts a Nobel laureate and National Medal of Science recipient among its ranks.

Forward-looking research: Current work spans AI, quantum computing, biomedical engineering, and wireless communications, with flagship projects like sweat-powered health sensors and vision-restoring electrode arrays.

UC San Diego's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Celebrates Six Decades of Innovation and Impact

Department marks six decades of groundbreaking research, world-class education, and pioneering alumni

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at UC San Diego celebrated a significant milestone on April 10, 2026, marking six decades of educational excellence, transformative research, and technological innovation. The department, which traces its roots to the founding of the Applied Electrophysics department in 1965 under founding chair Henry Booker, has grown into a world-renowned institution shaping the future of technology.

ECE Chair Prof. Pamela Cosman delivers an opening address at the 60th Anniversary Celebration Event.

Since then, the ECE department has earned an outstanding reputation for producing top-tier engineers for industry and academia. The numbers tell a compelling story: The department boasts over 17,000 alumni, 2,200 current students, and a faculty of 65 award-winning professors. The graduate program now ranks 14th nationally in electrical, electronic, and communications engineering, and 12th in computer engineering.

Reflecting on the department's remarkable transformation, keynote speaker Gioia Messinger '84, an IoT pioneer and founder/former CEO of Avaak/Arlo, noted: "Sixty years ago this department didn't exist. The knowledge that defines our world didn't exist. It was built by people like the ones in this room. Few could have imagined what it would become."

Celebrating with Industry Leaders and Distinguished Alumni

The 60th anniversary celebration brought together prominent industry leaders and accomplished alumni who have shaped the technology landscape. The event featured two keynote speakers: Sanjay Jha, former CEO of Global Foundries and Motorola Mobility and former Chief Operating Officer of Qualcomm, and Gioia Messinger '84, founder and former CEO of Avaak/Arlo and a pioneering figure in Internet of Things technology.

A distinguished alumni panel moderated by True Xiong '05 (Sony) featured insights from:

  • Raheleh Dilmaghani PhD'10, currently at Naval Information Warfare Centers
  • Nicholas Comfoltey '06, Vice President at Global Foundries
  • Brett Walker MS'01, VP Technology at Qualcomm
  • Sam Knight '73, recipient of the 2019 True Triton Award

The panelists shared their career trajectories and insights on how their ECE education prepared them for leadership roles in some of the world's most innovative technology companies, highlighting the department's enduring impact on the technology industry and the values of innovation and excellence that define the ECE community. The celebration also included remarks from former department chairs Charles Tu (1999-2003), Paul K. L. Yu (2003-2007), Lawrence E. Larson (2007-2011), and Bill Lin (2019-2024), who reflected on the department's evolution and celebrated its accomplishments across multiple generations of leadership.

Research That Changes Lives

What truly sets the department apart is its commitment to research that bridges the gap between theoretical innovation and real-world impact. Recent research accomplishments include a sweat-powered health sensor, mobile batteries for grid resilience, and high-density electrode arrays that could enable vision-restoring transplantation. Beyond these flagship projects, ECE researchers continue to push boundaries in artificial intelligence, wireless communications, biomedical engineering, and quantum computing.

The department now generates over $38 million in annual research funding, supporting cutting-edge work across multiple laboratories and research centers. During the celebration, faculty highlighted five key research areas: Communications and Networking, Circuits and Microelectronics, Data/Signals and Secure Computing, Photonics/Devices and Quantum Technologies, and Healthcare Engineering and Intelligent Systems.

Nurturing the Next Generation

The department's impact extends far beyond its laboratories. ECE provides students with hands-on experience through specialized courses, makerspace facilities, and research internship programs. The Spring/Summer Research Internship Program (SRIP) and Engineering Psychiatry Research Program (EPRP) have become hallmarks of ECE's commitment to mentoring young engineers.

Notable alumni have gone on to found pioneering companies including Qualcomm, Linkabit, ViaSat, Cymer, Ubiquiti Networks, and Maxlinear. Among its distinguished alumni and faculty are a Nobel laureate, a National Medal of Science recipient, and numerous members of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering.

Looking Forward

As the department celebrates this milestone, it remains committed to its core mission: educating the next generation of engineers, conducting transformative research, and translating discoveries into technologies that benefit society. With new initiatives in emerging areas such as AI-driven systems, advanced manufacturing, and sustainable energy, ECE is well-positioned for another era of innovation.

Department leadership echoed this vision. "This department never forgets that its purpose is to help the students," said Prof. Albert (Al) Pisano, Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering. Vice Chair of ECE Prof. Patrick Mercier added, "ECE can help pave the way. We have a lot of capabilities here, and we're really excited to look forward to the future."

Join the Next Chapter

The department invites alumni, industry partners, and supporters to stay engaged as ECE continues to shape the future of technology. To learn more about the event, visit ece60.ucsd.edu. Those interested in supporting the department's mission can visit ece.ucsd.edu/give.