Our Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department contributes significantly to Portland State's designation as premier urban research institution. It is a hub of world-class, applied research designed to tackle pressing global issues. As an ECE student, you'll have the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge, hands-on research alongside our expert faculty, who are innovative leaders in their fields. This research not only contributes to global knowledge but also brings real-world perspectives directly into your classroom experience.
Research Focus Areas
Like our curriculum, ECE research focuses on three core focus areas:
- Computing Architectures, Environmental Sensing and Monitoring (ESM), and Power Engineering. Within these areas, our faculty and students explore a wide range of critical topics, including:
- Machine learning and intelligent robotics
- Biomedical signal processing
- Wind and ocean renewable power generation
- Wireless communications and integrated circuit design
- Emerging computing paradigms
The depth of this work is exemplified in our Computing Architectures research, where students and faculty develop new hardware architectures, programming models, and algorithms for new computing paradigms.
Impactful Projects & Facilities
Our research connects directly to real-world challenges. Students and faculty collaborate on high-impact projects where you can learn to protect the power grid, develop new sensors for diseases like Parkinson's, and use machine learning to monitor pollution or prospect for geothermal energy.