January 15, 2009

Interim head of Electrical and Computer Engineering named

V. Balakrishnan
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Balakrishnan assumes the position that had been held by Mark J.T. Smith, who has been named the new dean of Purdue's Graduate School. Balakrishnan's appointment is effective Tuesday (Jan. 20).

"We are fortunate to have someone with Ragu's passion for engineering and leadership abilities available to step into this crucial role," said Leah H. Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "I'm sure the transition will be seamless for our students and faculty."

Balakrishnan received a degree in electronics and communication from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1985. He earned a master's degree in statistics and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. 

He came to Purdue in 1994 as an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering. He was promoted to professor in 2003. He was the school's assistant head for strategic initiatives and director of graduate admissions in 2003-04, and the associate head for instruction from 2004-07. Since August 2007, he has been the College of Engineering's associate dean for research.

Balakrishnan's primary research interests are in applying numerical techniques, especially those based on convex optimization, to engineering applications.

He received the President of India gold medal from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1985; the Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research in 1997; and the Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and the Honeywell Award for excellence in teaching in 2001, both from Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was named a Purdue faculty scholar in 2008.

The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with more than 1,500 students and 85 faculty members, is the largest academic school at Purdue. It has the highest volume of research among all the university's schools and departments.

Writer: Judith Barra Austin, (765) 494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu

Sources:   Leah H. Jamieson, (765) 494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu

Venkataramanan (Ragu) Balakrishnan, (756) 494-2122, ragu@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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