The College of Engineering at Iowa State University has appointed Raj Aggarwal, a former Rockwell Collins executive, as adjunct professor in the college’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE) and managing director of advanced research and technology.
Aggarwal’s work as adjunct professor will consist primarily of departmental and college service, including his continued assistance with the ECpE department’s external advisory board in seeking and recruiting new members.
“We look forward to having Raj on board to expand the department’s research program and collaboration and build external relationships,” said Arun K. Somani, ECpE department chair.
In the role of managing director, Aggarwal will raise the national and international visibility of the engineering college in areas such as sustainability, energy, information and decision sciences, biosciences, and critical infrastructure. The work will involve collaborations with engineering faculty, the Center for Industrial Research and Service, and the office of the university’s vice president for research and economic development.
Research funding is becoming an increasingly important component of the college’s budget structure. Earlier this year, the college announced that funding for grants and contracts during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 (July 1 to September 30, 2009) totaled $35 million, which was more than double the amount for the same time the previous year. The funding came from 152 awards to faculty from numerous government agencies and industry sponsors.
“Dr. Aggarwal brings valuable experience and an outstanding record of success to the College of Engineering,” said Balaji Narasimhan, associate dean for research and graduate studies. “We look forward to the partnerships he can build between Iowa State and industry, which will lead to large-scale funding from agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, and others.”
Since 1998, Aggarwal had served as vice president of research and technology at Rockwell Collins. While there, he focused on external collaborations to build a customer-funded research and development enterprise that exceeded $20 million. He earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Purdue in 1974.