Michael Wu becomes the first Thomas R. Brown Leadership Chair

ECE department head Michael Wu has taken up the mantle as the first Thomas R. Brown Leadership Chair. Wu, who became ECE’s head in 2022, called the chair not only an honor for himself but a milestone for a department that is growing quickly and leading crucial efforts in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, among other fields. 

“This endowment comes at a perfect time to support new initiatives,” said Wu, who joined the U of A from Old Dominion University, where he was the Batten Chair of Cybersecurity and director of the School of Cybersecurity. 

The Brown Foundations are the legacy of Thomas R. Brown and the Burr-Brown Corp., which he co-founded. U of A graduates contributed greatly to Burr-Brown’s success, said Brown family members, and the foundations support scholars and programs across campus.

The funds will benefit machine learning education and research across campus, said Wu. For example, the department recently opened a lab focused on modern machine learning, a branch of AI that enables computer systems to learn from data and make decisions autonomously.

“We can upgrade lab equipment, hire student assistants, and offer the facility to researchers from Engineering and outside the college,” said Wu. “AI is a powerful tool for analyzing data, making predictions and navigating complicated situations. There’s strong potential for interdisciplinary work across fields, including humanities and arts.”