Shekhar Bhansali, Alcatel-Lucent professor and chair of Florida International University (FIU)’s Department of ECE since 2011. He has 36 United States Patents, seven (7) invention disclosures, edited two (2) books and eight (8) book chapters, and published 139 journal papers and 200 conference papers. His research has received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), industry (SRI, Draper and JCG) and national laboratories like Sandia and Los Alamos.
As the chair of FIU’s Department of ECE, Dr. Bhansali has grown the department exponentially. He has developed new academic programs like a fully-online Master of Science in Network Security and started self-supporting master’s programs in electrical and computer engineering. Under his leadership, the all-new Bachelor of Science in Internet of Things was established, making FIU the first in the nation to offer this degree.
In addition, Dr. Bhansali has formed partnerships with local industry professionals and facilitated the signing of a partnership with Florida Power & Light (FPL) designating FIU as the primary academic partner in solar energy research. Through auxiliary programs, he’s doubled the size of doctoral students and post-doctoral research associates. The department has also grown in size when it comes to number of faculty members. To date, Bhansali has recruited 14 new faculty members and three new staff members. Bhansali also leads the Bio-MEMS and Microsystems Lab/Group at FIU and oversees the research of all of his graduate students. The department was ranked by US News and World Report in the 2017 rankings and continues to be ranked every year by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) for bachelor’s degrees awarded.
On a university level, Dr. Bhansali serves as a member of the President’s 2015-2020 strategic planning committee in an effort to meet the university’s metrics of success. He is also the co-director of FIU’s Bridge to the Doctorate program, helping underrepresented minority students complete doctoral degrees in STEM fields.
Prior to FIU, Dr. Bhansali was a professor at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. At USF, he conceptualized and led a number of inter-connected interdisciplinary graduate student research and training programs, including NSF-IGERT, NSF’s Bridge to the Doctorate and Alfred P. Sloan Doctoral Fellowship Programs to increase diversity, retention and graduation rates. Through these programs, he oversaw the education of over 150 graduate students with multiyear fellowships in the Colleges of Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and Medicine. A direct outcome of these programs was that USF moved into the top 10 PhD degree producers for African American and Hispanic students.
Dr. Bhansali has received numerous awards including the 2014 Top Scholar Award from FIU, the William R. Jones Outstanding Mentor Award from the Florida Education Fund and McKnight Foundation in both 2011 and 2009, the 2009 Mentor of the Year Award from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the 2004 Outstanding Mentor Award from the McKnight Foundation and the 2003 NSF CAREER award. Dr. Bhansali is on the editorial boards of ISSS (International Journal of Smart Structures and Sensors) Elsevier, Recent Patents in Nanotechnology, and Technology and Innovation.
Miami Dade College and FIU announce program to accelerate master’s engineering degree for MDC graduates, FIU News, June 12, 2020
Researchers awarded new patent to improve lives of Lymphedema patients FIU News, May 18, 2020
Shekhar Bhansali named a 2018 AAAS fellow, ECE Newsroom, November 28, 2018
