9/29/2020
Professor Jeff Shamma has been named the new head of the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering (ISE) at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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Professor Jeff Shamma has been named the new head of the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering (ISE) at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Professor Shamma will also be named the Jerry S. Dobrovolny Chair in ISE. His appointment will begin December 12, 2020, pending approval of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
Over the past six years, Prof. Shamma has been a Professor of Electrical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. From 2015 to 2018, he served as the Chair of the Electrical Engineering Program at KAUST. Prior to joining KAUST, he was Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA (1999-2007) and Professor and Julian T. Hightower Chair of Systems and Control at Georgia Tech (2007-2014) .
Professor Shamma’s research focuses on three major thrusts: human-machine networks, autonomous systems, and distributed autonomy, which will have a great impact on the multidisciplinary activities of the Center for Autonomy located at the Coordinated Science Lab (CSL). His expertise in these areas will enhance the strategic vision for this new center. At KAUST, Prof. Shamma established the Robotics, Intelligent Systems, and Control (RISC) Laboratory, and, since 2018, he has served as the Director of the Center of Excellence for NEOM Research at KAUST. Before joining KAUST, he led two Air-Force-supported Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) projects. His research accomplishments have been recognized by the Donald P. Eckman Award, and he became an IEEE Fellow in 2006 and IFAC Fellow in 2016.
Dr. Shamma’s exemplary research record with several national and international recognitions attests to the excellence of his work. His vast array of mentorship, service, and leadership experience will allow him to have an immediate, positive impact for the department. He will bring enhanced capability and prestige to the ISE Department, college, and university.
Dr. Shamma added “Thank you all for the vote of confidence in inviting me to become part of ISE. I am very excited about this opportunity and eager to meet new faces and learn more about the department, college, and campus in the coming days. I look forward to our collectively working together to see ISE reach new heights in its mission of education and research.”