Message from Chair
Welcome to Vanderbilt ECE!
Our Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is home for world-class teaching and research, specializing in interdisciplinary research in devices, systems, and signals. Electrical and Computer Engineers design the technologies behind all modern electronics, including the computational devices, computational materials, signal processing, and machine learning as these systems interact with the physical world. We pride ourselves on immersive education, creative problem solving, close mentorship, and interdisciplinary research. Our focus areas are in:
- Electronic devices, circuits, and computing hardware
- Design and analysis of digital devices integrated with physical systems
- Signal & image processing, communications, computer vision, and control systems
- Photonics and optoelectronics
Our curriculum emphasizes problem solving, design experiences, and immersive education. Across our degree programs, we emphasize devices, system engineering, and signal processing / machine learning. Our curricula are flexible to allow specialization within focus areas. Our faculty and students have close relationships with Vanderbilt’s trans-departmental institutes, including Institute for Space Defense Electronics (ISDE), Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) , and Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE). We have deep research relationships with Vanderbilt University Medical Center ranging from biocompatible devices, nano sensing systems, medical imaging, and surgical engineering.
The capstone of our undergraduate curriculum is the immersive Senior Design Project, which brings together an interdisciplinary team of engineers to solve cutting edge problems. Prior teams have gone on to start companies, lead to new industry products, and kickstart research careers. Many of our students at all levels engage in research with faculty in ECE and beyond. We encourage independent study projects during the academic year for both undergraduate and master’s students. Additionally, we offer summer opportunities for undergraduate research in collaboration with the School of Engineering and the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) programs.
As a department and individual faculty, we are committed to our community. We partner with Vanderbilt’s Center for Science Outreach and Research Experiences for High School Students to offer research experiences for pre-college students. Our faculty collaborate with VUMC for community outreach, including with the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Institute of Image Science (VUIIS), Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.
Our faculty are renowned leaders in their respective fields, extraordinary teachers, and dedicated mentors. The ECE department offers accredited undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. At the graduate level, we offer M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs in Electrical Engineering. Our undergraduate and graduate curricula are constantly refined to meet real-world demands and rapid changes in technology. We are committed to our core values of education, research, and inclusive excellence.
Electrical and Computer Engineers develop breakthrough technologies from software for mobile devices to artificial intelligence and machine learning, solid-state circuits, to smart healthcare systems that transform every aspect of our lives. With such opportunities and the impact of technology, there is no better time to consider a career in ECE. On behalf of the ECE faculty, I invite you to explore and learn more about the exceptional opportunities available in our educational and research programs. If you have questions or comments, please, do not hesitate to contact us .
Bennett Landman, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vanderbilt University School of Engineering