Chakrabarty Reappointed Chair of Duke ECE
Krishnendu Chakrabarty has been reappointed chair of Duke Electrical and Computer Engineering and will hold a new three-year term extending to June 2023

Krishnendu Chakrabarty has been reappointed as chair of Duke’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and will hold a new three-year term extending to June 2023.
Chakrabarty has belonged to the Duke faculty since 1998 and has served as chair of Duke ECE since September 2017, leading the department through a period of sustained growth and development. Since Chakrabarty took the helm as chair, ECE has expanded its tenure-track faculty by 27 percent, with 47 tenure-track faculty members anticipated by June 2022—including many new computer engineering faculty hired jointly with the Department of Computer Science. Research expenditures, meanwhile, have increased by nearly 36 percent to $34 million in FY2019.
“Krish Chakrabarty is an accomplished scholar and inventor whose brilliance is perhaps equaled by his humility,” said Ravi Bellamkonda, Vinik Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, in announcing the appointment. Chakrabarty, the John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor of Computer Science at Duke University, is a Fellow of the IEEE, ACM, and AAAS, a recipient of the National Science Foundation Early Faculty (CAREER) Award, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the Humboldt Research Award, Technical Achievement Awards from the IEEE Computer and Circuits and Systems societies, the Technical Excellence Award from the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and the winner of “best paper” awards too numerous to list here. He also holds 13 US patents.
“As chair, Krish has chosen to work behind the scenes to spotlight the accomplishments of his colleagues and their students, and campaigned tirelessly to hire amazing faculty, recruit the best and brightest students, and create an environment of collaboration and creativity where original research can flourish,” said Bellamkonda. “Duke ECE will surely continue its upward trajectory under Krish’s thoughtful leadership and dedication to the health and growth of the whole department.”
Over his next term of leadership, Chakrabarty will prioritize building upon the department’s reputation as a research force to be reckoned with, particularly in its signature strengths of quantum computing, metamaterials and machine learning. Special attention will also be paid to initiatives to enhance computing at Duke in partnership with other schools across the university, as well as to further diversify both the graduate student body and the faculty in order to bring the best minds to Duke and ECE.
“As a community, Duke ECE’s talents span the most incredible spectrum,” said Chakrabarty. “Our department is home to luminaries and pioneers, whose research is revolutionizing the way we gather, process and secure information. Our educational programs are among the most innovative, forward-looking and agile. The ECE faculty and staff have created an amazingly collegial environment and our outstanding students are a constant source of revitalization and inspiration. I thank the dean and our faculty for their support and partnership. It is both a pleasure and a privilege for me to have the continuing opportunity to foster our forward momentum.”