Research
Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research
The Electrical and Computer Engineering department nourishes a vibrant research environment motivated by our dedicated faculty and graduate students. Our research programs are funded by many government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Department of Homeland Security, and numerous local and national industries.
Research activities at the ECE Department can be classified by research areas and by research centers and institutes. The department offers eight research areas of focus and is either the lead or partner of nine research centers and institutes.
Faculty also conduct research in their labs. View faculty profiles to learn about their research, including work being conducted in their laboratories. Also, view our Annual Reports and college-wide research efforts.
Quick Facts
external research awards (FY2024)
tenured/tenure-track faculty
research centers and institutes (leading or affiliated with)
Research Strengths
Our research strengths encompass the full gamut of cutting-edge ECE technologies: embedded systems and internet-of-things, robotics and cyber-human systems, networking (mobile/wireless as well as the Internet of the future), big data analytics and machine learning. Northeastern’s historic strengths in ECE include communications and digital signal processing, power and control systems, power electronics, RF/microwave magnetic materials, device technologies, and computer engineering.
Biomedical Research and Collaborations
Northeastern ECE faculty are engaged in a range of biomedical projects in collaboration with fellow world-class researchers in the Boston-area medical community. These projects span all disciplinary areas and include MEMS/NEMS sensors for biological detection; applications of wireless technology in biomedical implants; biomedical imaging hardware and signal processing; brain-computer interface technologies; disease detection and tracking; and many more.
Recent News
Engineering Innovation Makes Quantum Technology More Reliable
Evan Clifford, E’26, electrical engineering, and ECE Assistant Professor Marco Colangelo published their research on “High polarization extinction superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors through grating engineering” in the Journal of Optics.
Tiwari Nominated for 2025 HPCWire Readers’ Choice Award
ECE Associate Professor Devesh Tiwari was nominated for the 2025 HPCWire Readers’ Choice Award in the category of Outstanding Leadership in HPC.
Shi Named AI2050 Early Career Fellow
ECE Assistant Professor Weiyan Shi was selected as an AI2050 Early Career Fellow by Schmidt Sciences, a prestigious honor recognizing exceptional researchers shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence.
Colangelo Receives Embassy of Italy Award for Quantum Technology
ECE Assistant Professor Marco Colangelo was selected as the winner of the Embassy of Italy Award for Quantum Technology for his remarkable contributions to the field of quantum technologies, addressing the important challenge of realizing reliable and efficient detection of single photons for building scalable quantum information processing architectures.