Carl K. Berggren, the Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keathley Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT, has been appointed the new chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), effective January 15th.
“Carl’s unique interdisciplinary research combining electrical engineering, physics and materials science, along with his experience working in industry and government, make him the ideal person to lead the electrical engineering profession. I am confident that under his leadership the electrical engineering profession will continue to thrive,” said Ananta Chandrakasan, director of innovation and strategy, dean of the College of Engineering and Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
“Carl has made an incredible impact as a researcher and educator during his 20 years at EECS. Students and fellow faculty have praised his thoughtful approach to education and the attention he has paid to the teaching lab during his previous role as the department’s Undergraduate Experiment Officer. “He brings his passion for education and collaborative spirit to this new role and will undoubtedly be an excellent leader,” added Daniel Huttenlocker, dean of MIT’s Schwarzman School of Computer Science and the Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Bergren will join the EECS board, which reports jointly to the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the School of Engineering. EECS, MIT’s largest academic division, was restructured in 2019 as part of the school’s founding, splitting into three overlapping subunits: Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence and Decision-Making. The reorganization allowed each subunit to focus on faculty recruitment, mentoring and promotion, academic programs, and community building, while working with the others.
A member of the EECS faculty since 2003, Berggren has taught a variety of courses in the department, including 6.02 (Digital Communications), 6.002 (Electronic Circuits and Electronics), 6.1010 (Programming Fundamentals), 6.6400 (Quantum Physics and Applied Statistics), 6.9010 (Introduction to EECS with Connected Embedded Systems), 6.2400 (Introduction to Quantum Systems Engineering), and 6.6600 (Nanofabrication). Prior to joining EECS, Berggren spent seven years on staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Berggren has also been active in consulting and has experience working with industry and government agencies.
Bergren’s current research focuses on superconducting circuits, electronic devices, single-photon detectors for quantum applications, and optoelectronic systems. He leads the Quantum Nanostructures and Nanofabrication group, which develops nanofabrication techniques at length scales of a few nanometers. The group is using these techniques to push the limits of what is possible in photonic and electrical devices, with an emphasis on superconducting and free-electron devices.
Berggren has received numerous prestigious awards and honors throughout his career, including most recently being selected as a 2024 MIT MacVicar Fellow. Berggren is also a Fellow of the AAAS, IEEE, and the Kavli Foundation, and in 2015 received the Paul T. Forman Group Engineering Award from the Optical Society of America (now Optica). In 2016, he was awarded a Bose Fellowship, as well as the EECS Faculty Frank Quick Innovation Fellowship and the Burgess (’52) & Elizabeth Jamieson Excellence in Teaching Award.
Bergren will succeed Joel Voldman, who has served as the founding dean of the School of Electrical Engineering since January 2020.
“Joel has assumed a leadership role since being appointed associate dean of EECS in 2018. We are extremely grateful for his many contributions to EECS since then,” said Asu Ozdaglar, MathWorks Professor, chair of the EECS department and associate dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing. “I look forward to working with Carl in the coming years and continuing the exciting path he began in 2019.”
