Iowa State is a Research I university, which means you can participate in pioneering research. Graduate students in our department can customize their master’s or PhD degree program by choosing to specialize their research and classroom study in one of the following core focus areas:
Current Graduate Student Research Focus Areas
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Bioengineering
Bioengineering
Researchers in this focus area develop innovative micro- and nanoscale devices and materials for the study of biological entities such as microorganisms, cells, proteins, DNA, and single molecules. The use of nanotechnology, combined with our state-of-art computational and imaging tools, enable us to pursue cutting-edge research in this research area.
Current research areas
- BioMEMs and microfluidics
- Organ-on-chip, microbiota-organ-on-chip, nanoprobes for neuronal stimulation and recordings, smart contact lens
- Bio-inspired optics and robotics
- Biophotonics
- Bio-atomic force microscopy
- Medical ultrasound imaging and therapy
- Biological image-processing and patter recognition
- Biomagnetism and biomagnetic therapy
- Bioinformatics
- Bioinformatics and systems biology or Bioimaging
- Atomic Force Microscopy
Faculty Expertise
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Communications and Signal Processing
Communications and Signal Processing
The communications and signal processing group focuses on innovative research in the areas of wireless communications and signal processing. The diversity of expertise in this group facilitates leading-edge research in signal processing and communications.
Current research areas
- Statistical signal processing
- Cooperative communications
- CDMA
- MIMO
- Network coding
- Signal processing for computer vision
- Biomedical imaging
- Ultra-wide bandwidth communications
- Bioinformatics
- Modeling and visualization of uncertain information
- Nanoscale systems
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Computing Systems
Computing Systems
Our mission is to advance the theory and practice of computing systems, focusing on topics such as systems performance, efficiency, security, reliability, and trustworthiness in general. Example research initiatives include developing microarchitectures for high-integrity, security, privacy, and energy efficiency; designing embedded systems, high-speed processors, and memory systems; building advanced data storage systems; developing intermittent sensing, computing, and networking systems such as ultra-low-power IoT (Internet of Things); developing ultra-performance network systems such as those of 5G and beyond.
Current research areas
- Wireless, ad hoc and sensor networks
- Intermittent sensing, computing, and networking systems
- Trustworthy computing and networking: QoS, security, safety, predictability etc.
- Software-defined networking and cyber-physical-human systems
- Optical networking
- Data structures and algorithms for distributed computer systems
- Middleware solutions
- File and storage systems
- Edge, cloud and big data systems
- High-performance computing systems
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Electric Power and Energy Systems
Electric Power and Energy Systems
The Electric Power and Energy Systems group is one of the most active and innovative university groups in the country for electric power research. Primary research thrusts include power system dynamics and control, operational decision-making, distribution systems, reliability and resilience, cascading blackouts, voltage security, economic systems and markets, asset management, wind and solar energy systems and grid integration, distributed energy, and system planning.
Current research areas
- Macrogrid design
- Multi-energy systems integration
- Power system dynamics and control
- Power system economics and market designs
- Generation system scheduling
- Impact of distributed energy resources (DERs) on power system security
- Transmission, distribution and cyber co-simulation framework
- Advanced computation techniques for voltage stability assessment and control
- Reliability and resilience of transmission and distribution systems
- Analysis and mitigation of blackouts, including cascading outages
- Applications of probability, optimization, complex systems, and nonlinear systems to power systems
- Power distribution system and microgrid modeling, analysis, and optimization
- Energy conversion and control of wind and photovoltaic solar resources
- Data analytics and machine learning for power systems
- Electrical energy storage
- Life testing, reliability modeling, and lifetime prediction of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems
- Cyber physical system (CPS) security for power grids
- Cybersecurity for DERs
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Electromagnetics, Microwave, and Nondestructive Evaluation
Electromagnetics, Microwave, and Nondestructive Evaluation
Research activities in this area are focused on computational electromagnetics, electromagnetic properties and behavior of materials, microwave circuits and systems, microwave remote sensing, optical communications, and electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation.
Current research areas
- Nanoscale electrostatics
- Triboelectricity
- Optical devices and systems
- Medical ultrasound
- Ultrasound therapy
- Ultrasound bioeffects
- Ultrasound nondestructive evaluation
- Medical imaging
- Real-time, high-resolution imaging system development
- Microwave millimeter wave sensor development
- Evaluation of non-conductive composites
- Nonlinear and high-power techniques
- Antenna analysis and design
- Fast and efficient algorithms in computational electromagnetics
- Metamaterials
- Electromagnetic wave propagation and scattering
- Modeling of VLSI interconnects on silicon and signal integrity
- Inverse scattering and nondestructive evaluation
- Eddy current NDE
- Ultrasonic NDE
- Evaluation of layered composite structure
- Materials characterization
- Millimeter wave imaging and diagnoses of human skin
- Reconfigurable RF circuits for multi-band/multi-mode ratios
- Design of high sensitivity, high dynamic range sensor interface circuits
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Engineering Education
Engineering Education
Research in engineering education seeks to ensure that graduates have the right mix of technical expertise, creativity, and ability to contribute to today’s collaborative, global work world. Our faculty are investigating multiple practices to enhance student engagement and learning, thereby achieving critical student learning outcomes.
Faculty Expertise
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Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Microelectronics and Photonics
Microelectronics and Photonics
Research teams in the microelectronics and photonics focus area develop new materials, fabrication, and device technologies at the micro/nanoscale for use in next-generation electronic circuits, solar cells, visual displays, sensors, and optical communications.
Current research areas
- Photovoltaics
- Thin-film transistors
- Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
- Sensors, actuators, and micromachines
- Photonic crystals
- Negative-index materials
- Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs)
- Organic solar cells
- Plasma materials processing
- Plasmonic devices
- Bioelectronics
- III-V semiconductor materials and devices
- Nanomaterials and nanofabrications
- Additive manufacturing
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Network Systems
Network Systems
Our mission is to advance the theory and practice of network systems, focusing on topics such as systems performance, efficiency, security, reliability, and trustworthiness in general. Example research initiatives include developing microarchitectures for high-integrity, security, privacy, and energy efficiency; designing embedded systems, high-speed processors, and memory systems; building advanced data storage systems; developing intermittent sensing, computing, and networking systems such as ultra-low-power IoT (Internet of Things); developing ultra-performance network systems such as those of 5G and beyond.
Current research areas
- Wireless, ad hoc and sensor networks
- Intermittent sensing, computing, and networking systems
- Trustworthy computing and networking: QoS, security, safety, predictability etc.
- Software-defined networking and cyber-physical-human systems
- Optical networking
- Data structures and algorithms for distributed computer systems
- Middleware solutions
- File and storage systems
- Edge, cloud and big data systems
- High-performance computing systems
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Secure and Reliable Computing
Secure and Reliable Computing
Research teams in the secure and reliable computing focus area are a focal point for new and innovative research targeted at the problems in security and asset protection facing the world today. Our diversity of resources facilitates leading edge research in problem areas requiring scientific, engineering, and social expertise.
Current research areas
- Intrusion detection
- Denial of service attacks
- Attack tolerant networks
- Reliable networking
- Fault tolerant systems
- Computer security education
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Software systems
Software systems
Our goal is to advance the state-of-the-art research and education in design, modeling, and algorithmic techniques for building reliable, secure software often for safety and mission critical applications. The specific focus includes (1) modeling, design, verification, and automated analysis and synthesis of complex software; (2) design and analysis of novel resource management and security algorithms for real-time and distributed computing systems; and (3) design and analysis of efficient algorithms for computationally challenging problems that arise in computational biology, computational physics, weather forecasting, and precision agriculture.
Current research areas
- Parallel and distributed computing
- Bioinformatics and computational science
- Software engineering with focus on tools to improve productivity and reliability
- Software security
- Real-time and embedded systems
- Computer forensics
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Systems and controls
Systems and controls
The controls and dynamical systems research is at the forefront of control theory and novel applications of controls perspectives. Recent thrusts are providing exciting results that pertain to interactions of information theory and control theory, discrete event systems, distributed control, dynamical systems viewpoints to control, and controls and systems perspectives to nanotechnology. The controls and systems group has strong interactions with a large controls-related faculty across the campus. The group also collaborates across disciplines.
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
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Very-large-scale integration (VLSI)
Very-large-scale integration (VLSI)
Research teams in the VLSI focus area perform cutting-edge research on the emerging challenges in VLSI design. The research covers both design and test of analog, digital, mixed-signal and RF integrated circuits at the system, circuit and layout levels.
Current research areas
- Physical Design CAD
- Design for Manufacturability
- Microwave VLSI circuits
- Integrated antennas
- High speed testing
- Automated testing
- Trusted and secure processor and hardware
- Reconfigurable embedded systems
- A/D and D/A Converters
- Op Amp design
- High-Speed Communication Circuits
- Built-in Self Test (BIST) of Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuits
- Layout techniques for Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuits
- Power management design for Mixed-Signal SoCs
- Wireless power transfer systems for bioimplants and mobile electronics
- High-frequency, fast-response, small-form-factor and low-cost voltage regulators for SoCs
- GaN-based high-ratio power converters for data center
- Isolated DC-DC converters for medical, industrial and automotive applications
Faculty Expertise in related Strategic Research Areas
Graduate students also may select the ECpE department as their home department to pursue a degree in one of the following interdepartmental degree programs: