ECE Annual Awards Ceremony of 2025
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at The University of Texas at Dallas proudly recognized the achievements of its students, faculty, and staff at the 2025 ECE Awards Ceremony. The event, held annually, honours excellence in doctoral research, teaching, and departmental service across one of the university’s most research-active departments.
This year, the department celebrated 41 Ph.D. graduates of 2024, continuing a strong tradition of advanced research output. Three doctoral students were honoured with the prestigious Doctoral Dissertation Award for their exceptional scholarly contributions and real-world impact
Doctoral Dissertation Award Recipients:
The awards were decided by a faculty committee based on publication quality, innovation, and potential for long-term impact.
Dr. Mojtaba Afshar
Dissertation: “Advanced Bearing Condition Monitoring for Electrical Machines”
Advisor: Prof. Bilal Akin
“Dr. Afshar’s work represents a paradigm shift in AI-driven control and diagnostics for industries ranging from manufacturing to electric mobility and is already gaining attention from industry leaders. His innovations have led to a patent showcasing original technology innovation, three first-authored journal papers and two first-authored conference papers showcasing novel AI approaches, two co-authored journal papers and two co-authored conference papers that underscore the depth and breadth of his collaborative research” said Dr. Dinesh Bhatia, the ECE Department Head.
Dr. Md. Imtiaz Rashed
Dissertation: “Modernizing Hardware Circuits through High-Level Synthesis”
Advisor: Prof. Benjamin Carrion Schaefer
“Dr. Rashid developed a Verilog-to-C compiler that produces optimized C code suitable for High-Level Synthesis. This approach allows legacy circuits to be re-synthesized with modern design constraints, enhancing performance, reducing power consumption, and improving security, earning 2 academic journal papers, 10 conference papers and a Best Paper Award at GLSVLSI 2022” said the Advisor Professor Benjamin Carrion Schaefer.
Dr. Thomas J. Broadfoot
Dissertation: “Transistor Level Programmable Fabrics for Cost-Effective IC Redaction”
Advisors: Profs. Carl Sechen and Yiorgos Makris
“Dr. Thomas’s groundbreaking work has resulted in a U.S. patent, multiple large-scale research grants from Boeing, NSF, CHEST, Raytheon, and AFRL, and six co-authored research papers. His dissertation led to the creation of a startup, TRAP-ICs, co-founded with his advisors to commercialize a novel TRAnsistor-level Programmable (TRAP) fabric. His dissertation led to the creation of a startup, TRAP-ICs, co-founded with his advisors to commercialize a novel TRAnsistor-level Programmable (TRAP) fabric”, highlighted by the Advisor Profs. Carl Sechen.
Teaching Excellence in the Spotlight
The event also honoured excellence in education and mentorship across undergraduate and graduate programs.
Graduate Teaching Excellence Award:
Dr. Randall Lehman, recognized for his outstanding impact on graduate-level education.
Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Awards:
Dr. Mehrdad Nourani
Dr. Matthew Heins
Teaching Assistant Awards
Presented to Danial Kazemikia and Sameer Dhole for their dedication to instructional support and student engagement.
Staff Excellence Awards
Staff members Scott Conner and Kevin Rogers were also honoured with Staff Excellence Awards, acknowledging their pivotal roles in ensuring the department’s operations and student support remain world-class.
Scott Conner
“We are proud to recognize the tireless work of our faculty, students, and staff. It’s their energy, creativity, and passion that make ECE at UTD such a vibrant place to learn and innovate,” said one of the organizers.
From cutting-edge dissertations to inspiring classroom leadership and behind-the-scenes dedication, the 2025 ECE Awards reflect the department’s ongoing commitment to excellence in all dimensions of academic life.
The ECE department at UT Dallas remains at the forefront of research and education in circuits and systems, computing systems, power and energy, semiconductor devices, and signals and systems. These are guided by a mission to prepare tomorrow’s engineers through excellence in every form.