UH Cullen Engineering Names New Chair of ECE

Badrinath "Badri" Roysam, a professor at a private research university in New York, has been named chair of the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) department at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering.

Roysam is a professor of electrical, computer and systems engineering and professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y, which is known for its success in transferring technology from the laboratory to the marketplace. He also is associate director of the Bernard M. Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems, a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, and co-director of the Rensselaer Center for Open Source Software.

In addition to leading the largest department in UH's engineering college, Roysam will serve as Hugh and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor. Roysam starts work at UH on Oct. 1.

"Dr. Roysam brings a wealth of experience, expertise and fresh ideas to our programs," said Joseph W. Tedesco, Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean and Professor.

Roysam's core research discipline is the study of algorithms and high-speed computing for imaging and image analysis with applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. He is working on the tissue reactive response to implanted neuroprosthetic devices, mapping of gene transcription activity, automated neuron and vessel tracing, biological image change analysis, laser retinal surgery and assay automation.

Roysam is the principal investigator of a $2.4 million National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Partnerships grant as well as a $5.4 million Histology for Interface Stability over Time (HIST) grant to study brain tissue surrounding neuroprosthetic devices from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

"I'm impressed by the dynamism of the leadership at UH, especially Dean Tedesco, Provost (John) Antel and Chancellor (Renu) Khator," Roysam said. "I hope to chart a new course for the ECE department that will significantly elevate the department's standing by focusing on the signature thrust areas in energy and biomedicine. Houston offers unique opportunities in both of these areas."

Roysam received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1984, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Washington University, St. Louis in 1987 and 1989, respectively.

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