Research

Communications, Networking, and Information Theory

The faculty in this area lead broad research programs in wireless communications and networking, information theoretic security, multiuser information and coding theory, all aspects of communication networks and systems, information theory, resource allocation, and performance modeling.

Signal Processing and Machine Learning

Major research programs are led by ECE faculty in this area, which include statistical and adaptive signal processing, neural signal processing, image processing and computer vision, machine learning and pattern recognition, multi-dimensional signal processing and stochastic processes, information security and forensics, and multimedia and video processing.

Control, Robotics, and Dynamical Systems

This broad subject-area is supported by a strong faculty for theoretical studies in Intelligent Control, Adaptation and Learning, and Physical Modeling, as well as linking such studies to advances in related areas of Communications, Computing, Information Theory, and Signal Processing. 

Computer Engineering

The field of Computer Engineering sits at the boundary of hardware and software design.  Researchers in this field integrate electronic circuits and systems, software, and algorithms to build efficient computer systems that can be either general-purpose or application specific.  

Quantum Technology

UMD hosts three world-leading quantum research centers focused on different aspects of quantum information science and technologies: the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) and recently the quantum Technology Center (QTC), in which ECE faculty are involved conducting research in a variety of quantum technology topics. 

Devices, Circuits and Electronic Materials

Microelectronics faculty have internationally recognized research programs in the hardware that enables our newest technology, from cell phones to clean energy distribution. Research that extends the nanoelectronics revolution into the 21st century, including two-dimensional materials, solid state devices, high resolution CMOS sensors and nanoscale mixed-signal circuit design, exposes students to the forefront of these fields. 

Bioelectronics and Systems

Wearable and implantable technology have made profound changes on everyday lives, such as through devices including the Apple watch, pacemakers, or even trackable microchips. However, this is merely the onset of many more effective changes that will revolutionize the world in not only healthcare, but environmental monitoring, big data solutions, and even the internet of things (IoT).

Electrophysics

Electrophysics faculty have active research programs in such areas as: magnetically confined plasma, high power sources of coherent and pulse radiation and the interaction of this radiation with plasma and solids, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, lasers, nonlinear and quantum optics, quantum dots and nanophotonics, optical communication and computation, plasmonics, solar energy conversion, bioelectromagnetics, magnetics and spintronics.

Cybersecurity and Cyberprivacy