Dear ECE Department Heads, Faculty Members, and Administrators,
We are excited to invite students in your department to apply to Impact: Redefining Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty (iREDEFINE), an NSF-sponsored workshop that helps PhD students and postdoctoral scholars explore and prepare for faculty careers in ECE. Designed to strengthen the pipeline of new faculty entering academia, iREDEFINE combines high-impact programming with unparalleled networking opportunities. Past participants have consistently rated the sessions as “very valuable” and reported increased interest, confidence, and preparation to pursue an academic career. We invite you to share this opportunity with your students so they, too, can benefit from this transformative program.
As in past years, iREDEFINE will be held in parallel with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) Annual Conference & ECExpo. The iREDEFINE Fellows will take part in dedicated programming designed to encourage and facilitate their path into academia. The close ties with ECEDHA provide a unique opportunity for the iREDEFINE Fellows to also attend general ECEDHA sessions, present their research to department chairs, and participate in mock interviews. This year iREDEFINE will take place March 21–22, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. iREDEFINE Fellows will receive a professional development grant (up to $2,000) to cover registration for the ECEDHA Annual Conference, hotel accommodations, meals, and travel expenses.
iREDEFINE Eligibility
Eligible candidates are PhD students and postdoctoral scholars, ideally no more than two years away from completion of their PhD degree, who are interested in pursuing an academic career. As part of the application, each applicant will be asked to provide the name and contact information of their department chair and academic advisor. The iREDEFINE team will then email a brief recommendation form to those individuals. The form asks a few questions about the applicant’s eligibility and suitability for the program, no full recommendation letter is required.
iREDEFINE Application Process
Students are asked to complete the online application by Monday, December 1, 2025. Completed recommendation forms are due by Friday, December 12, 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
In addition to nominating your students, we hope you will also join us in New Mexico for the ECEDHA Annual Conference & ECExpo. ECEDHA has been in existence for more than 50 years and maintains an active membership of nearly 300 chairs from across the United States and Canada. ECEDHA’s four-day Annual Conference is the only program of its kind for department heads in electrical and computer engineering. It brings together prominent figures from academia, government, and industry to deliver presentations on emerging key technologies, panels on the latest teaching innovations, and sessions addressing the most pressing issues facing ECE.
Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
Agnieszka Miguel & Barbara Marino
|
|