Indian-origin professor to head MIT's academic dept

Boston: Indian-origin academician Anantha Chandrakasan has been named head of MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), the largest academic department at the prestigious American institute.

Chandrakasan, the Joseph F and Nancy P Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will assume his new role beginning July 1.

He will take over from Eric Grimson, who was named MIT's chancellor in February.

EECS is the largest academic department at MIT. Nearly 30 per cent of undergraduates at the institute major in the department's programmes.

"As the largest academic department in the School of Engineering, and at MIT, EECS and its faculty are involved in an exceptional range of intellectual, educational and research activities," School of Engineering Dean Ian Waitz said.