As the technology industry grows each year, so does the need for experts who create innovations that fuel this sector and educate the workforce that powers it.
With this demand in mind, UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) has broken a hiring record with a total of 39 new faculty members joining the college’s seven departments in Fall 2025. This marks the third consecutive academic year that CECS has appointed more than 30 new faculty members, although it’s the first time this many have started in one semester.
The new professors, instructors and lecturers bring a wide range of expertise to the college, ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity to hypersonics and semiconductors. Michael Georgiopoulos, dean of CECS, says the new faculty’s breadth of knowledge aligns with the university’s strategic plan and enhances its reputation.
“The College of Engineering and Computer Science has hired several faculty members in the areas of AI, energy, digital twins and hypersonics, among others,” Georgiopoulos says. “It has expanded the college’s research and educational expertise in areas that are of national importance and are in line with UCF’s vision of being Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology University.”
A total of eight new faculty are UCF alums, with three who graduated this past summer. Ali Gordon, the dean of graduate affairs, attributes this to the quality of the college’s graduates.
“In recent hiring cycles, applications for faculty positions here in CECS have been very high,” Gordon says. “Landing a professor or lecturer role here is more challenging every year. The success that our alumni have exhibited in attaining positions here speaks to the excellence of our college and its programs.”
The college is expected to bring aboard five additional faculty members in the spring semester, bringing the total number of new hires for the academic year to 44. Learn more about the electrical and computer engineering faculty below.
Saikat Dey
Assistant Professor
Dey’s research focuses on the design, modeling and optimization of power electronic converters and the use of semiconductors in efficient power conversion solutions. He earned his doctoral degree from Arizona State University and previously worked as a power electronic design engineer for Tagore Technology, which is currently part of GlobalFoundries.
Sreeram Sundaresh ’18MS ’23PhD
Lecturer
Sundaresh returns to his alma mater this fall, having earned his master’s degree and doctoral degree in electrical engineering from UCF. He previously worked at Intel Corporation, focusing on the development of etch stop materials. His expertise lies in semiconductor processing, thin film deposition and material characterization with proficiency in techniques such as photolithography, radio frequency sputtering, plasma deposition and electrical transport measurements. Throughout his academic and professional career, he has contributed extensively to research in semiconductor materials, publishing more than 14 peer-reviewed papers in esteemed journals such as the ECS Journal of Solid-State Science and Technology and Coatings.
Christopher Iannello
Professor of Practice
Prior to joining UCF, Iannello served as NASA’s longest-tenured Technical Fellow for electrical/power, acting as the agency’s senior-most authority on spacecraft and launch vehicle electrical systems. Iannello has been intimately involved in the design, integration, test and flight operations of nearly every major spacecraft and launch system in the U.S. civil and commercial space sectors. His unique insight spans the full landscape of design, manufacturing and test philosophies — from conventional NASA methodologies to the most current commercial approaches. At UCF, Iannello will collaborate with other faculty to develop the best space electrical curriculum in the nation, develop critical space sector service and test capabilities at UCF, foster new collaborations to advance space exploration and student education, and work with the power electronics research faculty in the department.