Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Northeastern University College of Engineering
Student looking through microscope

Research

Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research

The Electrical and Computer Engineering department nourishes a vibrant research environment motivated by our dedicated faculty and graduate students. Our research programs are funded by many government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Department of Homeland Security, and numerous local and national industries.

Research activities at the ECE Department can be classified by research areas and by research centers and institutes. The department offers eight research areas of focus and is either the lead or partner of nine research centers and institutes.

Faculty also conduct research in their labs. View faculty profiles to learn about their research, including work being conducted in their laboratories. Also, view our Annual Reports and college-wide research efforts.

Quick Facts

$52M

external research awards (FY2024)

91

tenured/tenure-track faculty

12+

research centers and institutes (leading or affiliated with)

Research Strengths

Our research strengths encompass the full gamut of cutting-edge ECE technologies: embedded systems and internet-of-things, robotics and cyber-human systems, networking (mobile/wireless as well as the Internet of the future), big data analytics and machine learning. Northeastern’s historic strengths in ECE include communications and digital signal processing, power and control systems, power electronics, RF/microwave magnetic materials, device technologies, and computer engineering.

Biomedical Research and Collaborations

Northeastern ECE faculty are engaged in a range of biomedical projects in collaboration with fellow world-class researchers in the Boston-area medical community. These projects span all disciplinary areas and include MEMS/NEMS sensors for biological detection; applications of wireless technology in biomedical implants; biomedical imaging hardware and signal processing; brain-computer interface technologies; disease detection and tracking; and many more.

Recent News

More News
Image for Building on Strength A Decade of Progress in Flexible Electronics
Faculty

Building on Strength A Decade of Progress in Flexible Electronics

ECE Professor Ravinder Dahiya published an editorial titled “Building on strength: a decade of progress in flexible electronics” to mark the 10th anniversary of npj Flexible Electronics, in which he is one of the editors-in-chief.

Image for Closing the Loop: AI-Driven Predictive Modeling for Printed Electronics
Faculty

Closing the Loop: AI-Driven Predictive Modeling for Printed Electronics

ECE Assistant Professor Benyamin Davaji will present an end-to-end framework for AI-driven predictive modeling and closed-loop control in printed electronics during a NextFlex webinar on May 28.

Image for New Guidelines Aim to Make Technology Research More Accessible and Easier to Verify
Faculty

New Guidelines Aim to Make Technology Research More Accessible and Easier to Verify

ECE Professor Miriam Leeser and her co-authors examine the evolution of research transparency in their editorial, “Artifact Evaluation in the FPGA Community and in ACM TRETS,” published in ACM Transactions on Reconfigurable Technology and Systems.

Image for Groundbreaking Research on MIMO Wireless Networks
Faculty

Groundbreaking Research on MIMO Wireless Networks

ECE Assistant Professor Francesco Restuccia received the 2026 IEEE INFOCOM Best Paper Award for his research on “BANDWEAVE: Enhanced Channel Estimation in MIMO Networks with Multi-Band Fusion,” which highlights his groundbreaking research on MIMO wireless networks.