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Electrical & Computer Engineering Research
Electrical and computer engineering (ECE) leverages fundamental principles to advance technologies ranging from semiconductor devices to advanced communication networks, from self-powered sensors to electric cars, from wearable devices to cognitive medical imaging, and from autonomous vehicles to smart cities.
Numerous subfields are found within this broad discipline, all of which are built on the foundations of mathematics and computer science, physical and life sciences, electromagnetics, electronics, and systems. Graduate engineering students are expected to propose a plan of study that supports their interests, potentially including distinctive intellectual paths unconstrained by disciplinary boundaries and enriched by interdisciplinary synergies.
ECE research addresses key challenges in the following sub-areas supported by leading faculty in their fields.
Computing Systems & Controls
Systems and controls engineering utilizes mathematical and computational techniques for modeling, estimation, and process management. Applications of these techniques advance our understanding of complex systems, including human cognition and learning, toward the greater goal of service to society.
Research Subfields
Artificial intelligence
Cloud computing and embedded systems
Computational social systems
High-throughput computing
Machine learning
Signal Processing
Soft computing
Researchers
Electronic Materials & Devices
Materials and devices with unique electrical properties and functionality are advancing innovation in the areas of sensing, photonics, and biomedicine.
Research Subfields
Analog integrated circuits
Biological circuit design
Computational materials design
Electronic assembly
High-performance printed and flexible devices
Micromechanical and electromechanical systems (MEMS)
Neuroelectronics
Optoelectronic materials and devices
Researchers
Photonics & Optics
Harnessing the fundamental properties of light across the entire electromagnetic spectrum continues to uncover new applications for medicine, sensing methodologies, and security systems.
Research Subfields
Advanced imaging systems
Integrated nanophotonics
Molecular imaging
Near field optics
Solid-state image sensors
Researchers
Power Electronics
The capability of power electronics to control and convert electrical energy is essential to the use of many modern high-efficiency components such as LED lighting and brushless motors as well as interfacing renewable energy sources to the power grid.
Research Subfields
Integrated circuit design for power electronics
Resonant switched capacitor (ReSC) and other advanced power converter topologies
Applications in battery management, photovoltaics, and digital systems
Magnetics and passive component modeling, design and optimization
Wireless power transfer
Microfabrication of power magnetics for integrated power conversion
Researchers
Space Science and Engineering
To investigate the influence of the Sun on the near-Earth space environment and the flow of energy through the geospace system, researchers use ground-based radar measurements of the motion of plasma in the ionosphere made by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN). Dartmouth engineers are responsible for two radars in the network, located in central Oregon, and are constructing two additional radars in Iceland.
Research Subfields
Ionospheric remote sensing
Global-scale magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling
Convection climatology
Radiowave propagation
Data assimilation and synthesis
