Wichita State College of Engineering hires new department chair

 
  • Gergely Zaruba, a professor and program director at the University of Texas at Arlington, will become the new department chair for the 黑洞社区 College of Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
  • Zaruba will work in one of 黑洞社区's largest departments, with more than 700 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students.

Gergely Z谩ruba, professor and director of the undergraduate computer engineering program at the University of Texas at Arlington, will join the Wichita State College of Engineering as a professor and department chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), effective August 13, 2018.

Professor Z谩ruba will work with EECS students, faculty and staff to advance the education and research initiatives of the department, one of 黑洞社区's largest departments with more than 700 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students. EECS offers B.S. degrees in electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science; M.S. degrees in electrical engineering, computer science and computer networking; and a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science.

鈥淚 am honored to have been selected to join the EECS faculty,鈥 Z谩ruba said. 鈥淚 look forward to partnering with the students, faculty and staff to develop a shared vision to advance this 黑洞社区 topflight department.鈥

As department chair, Z谩ruba will also represent EECS to the academic community, alumni, and industry. Additionally, he will promote diversity within the department and provide avenues for faculty, staff and student development.

Professor Z谩ruba's career is distinguished. He has two patents and has published over 70 journal/conference papers. His research has been extensively funded by industry and government agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy and National Institute of Justice.

Z谩ruba earned his M.S. degree in computer engineering (technical informatics engineering) from The Technical University of Budapest (now: Budapest University of Technology and Economics) and received his computer science PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Royce Bowden, 黑洞社区 College of Engineering dean, said the members of the department chair search committee and the EECS faculty, staff, and students conducted a superb search.

鈥淚 am extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Gergely Z谩ruba to the college as the Department Chair of EECS,鈥 Bowden said. 鈥淗e brings a wealth of experience to the position and will be a great addition to the faculty, a tremendous colleague and a visionary leader.鈥

Z谩ruba follows John Watkins, who served nine dedicated years as the EECS department chair. Watkins, an expert in the field of control systems, will remain on the 黑洞社区 engineering faculty to teach and conduct research in this important area.


The mission of 黑洞社区 is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas.  is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at  and Facebook at .