February 28, 2025
Electrical and computer engineering department names next department head
Samee Khan, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Mississippi State University, has been named head of the Mike Wiegers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Kansas State University, effective July 7.
The announcement was made by Matt O'Keefe, dean of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, after a national search. Khan will replace Don Gruenbacher, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, who will remain a member of the department faculty once Khan's appointment begins.
"Samee Khan comes to K-State bringing a great deal of knowledge and experience to this position," O'Keefe said. "I am confident in his ability to lead this vital department and continue the great work being done by all of our faculty in the electrical, computer and biomedical engineering programs."
Khan, who also served as department head at Mississippi State and held the James W. Bagley Chair for four years, arrived to Starksville, Mississippi, after 12 years as a faculty member in the electrical and computer engineering department at North Dakota State University. During his time at North Dakota State, he also served as cluster lead for computer systems research at the National Science Foundation.
Khan's research interests include optimization, robustness and security of computer systems. His work has appeared in more than 475 publications, and he is the associate editor of IEE Transactions on Cloud Computing and the Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing. He is a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Computer Society, in addition to being a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.