Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Research

ECE researchers work in a wide range of power and energy systems, ranging in scale from nanoscale electronics to autonomous vehicles to the power grids that span continents. Examples of specific research projects include developing techniques to allow the Navy to use energy more effectively on ships, better understanding the performance of the electric generators that power our cities and improving the ability of power distribution systems to connect renewable resources for a brighter future. Faculty are developing lightweight ultra-compact high-efficiency electric powertrains for vehicles, ships, and aircraft, designing power electronic converters for solar power and battery management systems, and building better integration systems for solar and wind turbine power generation, smart grids and buildings. 

ECE researchers working in this area are making hardware and software work better as an integrated system, giving computer systems better performance and security. Applications of this work are widespread, improving the computers embedded in cars, dishwashers, hearing aids, pacemakers, and consumer electronics. With billions of devices now connected to the internet and each other through the Internet of Things (IoT), a central focus of this research area is designing low-power and high-security embedded computers that are protected against cyber-attacks. 

Explosive growth in artificial intelligence and machine learning is fueling new capabilities in medicine, aerospace, manufacturing, and consumer products. Examples of ECE research in this area include the development of brain-machine interfaces for advanced medical treatments for loss of vision and mobility, as well as the creation of virtual reality environments for physical rehabilitation and behavioral therapy for autism. In the area of acoustic signal processing, researchers are using ultra low-frequency sound to identify defects in products and even tell whether there are worms or insects in agricultural imports such as apple crops without damaging them. Speech processing researchers are using Automatic Speech Recognition technology to create language learning and pronunciation training systems that will help second language learners improve their speech patterns. In the area of imaging, ECE researchers are working on computational photography methods that increase video resolution and allow the creation of 3D stereo models from a single camera image and designing methods for using structured light and hyperspectral imaging to improve 3D scanning and information extraction from visual data.

Our lives are filled with devices that rely on electromagnetic signals: cell phones, medical equipment, military and space systems, power systems, and more. The engineers that design, repair and improve these systems rely on computer models to understand how electromagnetic signals behave in complex environments. ECE researchers working in this area are developing new and improved computer modeling methods and software tools. Applications include designing better communication systems for submarines, spacecraft, or consumer electronics. Even a small amount of improvement in the accuracy and speed of electromagnetic software models can make a huge difference in the capabilities of the resulting applications and products. 

Nanotechnology involves design and characterizing materials and devices whose structures can be measured in nanometers. A nanometer is 10-9 meters – about 1/75000 of the width of a human hair, or the width of two silicon atoms. Faculty in ECE do nanoscale and microscale (10-6 meters) research, related to topics including chemical and biological sensors, solar cell research, and quantum computing. ECE is also the home to the multidisciplinary Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

Research in controls relates to characterizing and controlling the behavior of complex input-output systems, often through feedback mechanisms. Control theory has application to a wide variety of disciplines ranging from economics to manufacturing. The area of controls and manufacturing is also closely related to the University of Kentucky’s Lean Systems Program and the Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing.