College welcomes new academic leaders
Two Ohio State University College of Engineering departments welcomed new leaders on September 1. Professor Hesham El Gamal is the new chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor Samir Ghadiali is the chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Hesham El Gamal
“Hesham is an innovative and entrepreneurial faculty member who understands and values the increased role of industrial partnerships in both education and research,” said College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams, the Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean’s Chair. “His vision for electrical and computer engineering is appropriately creative and novel, and will build on the legacy of Joel Johnson, who has propelled the department to new heights.”
A highly regarded scholar and inventor, El Gamal’s research focuses on information theory, coding theory, wireless communication, game theory and machine learning. He holds 15 U.S. patents.
El Gamal received BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Cairo University, and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park. Before joining the Ohio State ECE faculty in 2001, he was a senior member of the technical staff of Hughes Network Systems’ Advanced Development Group.
El Gamal succeeds Professor Joel Johnson who has served as chair since 2014.
Samir Ghadiali
“We have embraced the increasingly important role of engineering in advancing health care solutions,” said Dean David B. Williams. “Through that lens, Samir’s collaborative nature, desire to discover and innate ability to lead aligns very well with our expectations of this growing department.”
Ghadiali earned a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University and a MS and PhD in biomedical engineering from Tulane University. Before arriving at Ohio State in 2008 as an associate professor, he was the Frank Hook assistant professor of bioengineering at Lehigh University.
Ghadiali succeeds Professor Richard Hart, who has served as chair since 2006.
In addition, R. Scott Osborne was appointed assistant dean for research for the college. He is currently serving as the interim vice president overseeing the university’s Corporate Engagement Office, including technology commercialization and economic development.
