The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Oct. 12) ratified a named leadership position for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. V. "Ragu" Balakrishnan, the current head, was confirmed as the first Michael and Katherine Birck Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Professor Balakrishnan has been head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering since 2010. He served as interim head of the school in 2009-10. He came to Purdue in 1994 as an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering and was promoted to professor in 2003. He was the school's assistant head for strategic initiatives and director of graduate admissions in 2003-04, and the associate head for instruction from 2004-07. From 2007-10, he was the College of Engineering's associate dean for research.

Professor Balakrishnan received a degree in electronics and communication from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1985. He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1989, and a master's degree in statistics and a doctorate in electrical engineering in 1992 from Stanford University.