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Samir El-Ghazaly to Lead NSF Division of Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems

Samir El-Ghazaly to Lead NSF Division of Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems

Samir El-Ghazaly


August 20, 2013

Samir M. El-Ghazaly, Distinguished Professor, Department Head, and Twenty-First Century Leadership Chair in Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, joins the National Science Foundation (NSF) as director of the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG).  His term at NSF begins today.

El-Ghazaly's leadership and research experience spans academia, industry, and government. From 2002 to 2007 he was a professor and head of the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His academic career began in the department of electrical engineering at Arizona State University. El-Ghazaly also has conducted research at universities and centers in Europe, as well as at Motorola and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the U.S. From 2009 to 2012 he served as an ECCS program director, while retaining his academic position.

 "The Directorate for Engineering is honored to extend a warm welcome to Dr. El-Ghazaly, who brings deep expertise and great leadership to NSF," said ENG Assistant Director Pramod Khargonekar. "His broad understanding of the research frontiers and national challenges, as well as the concerns of students and early-career researchers, will benefit both NSF and community we serve."

El-Ghazaly's research has focused on microwave and millimeter-wave semiconductor devices and circuits, semiconductor device simulations, electromagnetics, antennas, and numerical techniques applied to monolithic microwave integrated circuits. He has authored or co-authored 5 book chapters and nearly 200 publications.

El-Ghazaly received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and his B.S.E. and M.S.E. in electronics and communications engineering from Cairo University. He has served the engineering community with distinction, particularly as chair of the IEEE Periodicals Committee, as President of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, and as editor-in-chief for the IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters. El-Ghazaly has received numerous recognitions and awards, and he is a Fellow of IEEE.

ECCS has an annual budget of more than $100 million for fundamental research and education to advance robotics, nanoelectronics, wireless platforms, photovoltaics, and the smart grid, as well as other national priorities. The division also supports state-of-the-art instrumentation, the Science and Technology Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science, and the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network.    

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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