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 Initiatives.
Quick Facts
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
Sun Selected as APS Fellow
ECE Distinguished Professor Nian Sun was selected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society by the Topical Group on Magnetism and its Applications (GMAG) for his innovations in high magnetization materials, magnetoelastic and magnetoelectric thin film materials, microsystems, and device physics.
Patent for Smart Reflectarray
ECE Professor and Interim Chair Josep Jornet was awarded a patent for “Smart metal-graphene hybrid reflectarray at THz frequencies.”
Patent for Color-Sensing Technology
ChE Affiliated Faculty Swastik Kar and ECE Associate Professor Sarah Ostadabbas were awarded a patent for “Device and method for color indentification.”
Ostadabbas Wins 2024 Cade Prize for Inventivity
ECE Associate Professor Sarah Ostadabbas received the 2024 Cade Prize for Inventivity in the technology category for AiWover, a groundbreaking spin-off from her lab that uses AI to transform visual monitoring of babies and toddlers and enhances both safety and developmental tracking.