Ph.D. positions in Electrical and Computer Engineering – Fall 2025 / Spring 2026 Admission

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has multiple opportunities for students to embark on a fully funded Ph.D. journey within a research-intensive institution. Our students work closely with globally acclaimed researchers in cutting-edge domains such as devices and materials, electromechanical and energy systems, embedded systems (including IoT and edge computing), and electromagnetics.

Student benefits include:

• A competitive stipend
• Tuition waiver
• Health insurance coverage
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities that foster excellence in research.

Ph.D. students are sought for multiple projects, including but not limited to:

Apply here: https://slate.ua.edu/apply/

Department's website and research areas: https://ece.eng.ua.edu/research/

Open projects:

Intelligent Sensor & Wireless System, Prof. Nathan Jeong shjeong@eng.ua.edu

Advanced Signal Processing and Machine Learning Algorithms for Autonomous Vehicles, Prof. Shunqiao Sun ssun21@eng.ua.edu

Transportation Electrification and Power Distribution Decarbonization: decision making under uncertainties using optimization and reinforcement learning, Prof. Lusha Wang lusha.wang@ua.edu

PT Sensors for Monitoring Chronic Diseases; An Integrated Opioid Sensor System; Monitoring of Microplastic Pollution Using Integrated Sensing Technology. Prof. Mark Cheng mmcheng@eng.ua.edu

Tuscaloosa, AL: 

The University of Alabama is located in the heart of Tuscaloosa, home to one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation, along with a very mild climate and a low cost of living. Tuscaloosa is a 4‐hour drive to the Gulf Coast where you will find some of the most breathtaking beaches in the world!

https://visittuscaloosa.com

EEO/AA Policy

The University of Alabama is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Employer.

Our research is focused in four areas:

DEVICES AND MATERIALS

This research area is focused on fundamental and applied research on materials and devices. Active research includes magnetic materials for electromagnetic devices in electric machines; synthesis of nanomaterials for electronic and photonic nanodevices; oxide materials for MEMS piezoelectric and multiferroic sensors/actuators. A group of ECE faculty work on a broad spectrum of solid-state devices, including solar cells, sensors, and terahertz (THz) biomedical imaging.

ELECTROMAGNETICS

Electromagnetics involves solving Maxwell’s four equations and is the underpinning of the electromagnetic device and system design. Maxwell’s equations describe the law of electricity and magnetism. Electromagnetics applies the four equations to electromagnetic device performance analysis. Microwave communications, radio propagation in antennas, microwave millimeter engineering, remote sensing, and object imaging are based on electromagnetics’ dynamic field.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

This research area is focused on computing systems in all aspects and applications. Active research by the UA ECE faculty includes robotics, intelligent sensors, computer vision, machine learning and deep learning, wearable sensors, security and privacy in computing systems, intelligent wireless communications and networks, big data, tele-healthcare, systems-on-chip, virtual reality, IoT devices, biosensors, implantable devices, and autonomous driving, flying, and underwater vehicles. The research area also covers embedded system hardware (microcontrollers and FPGAs), digital signal/image processing, real-time systems, and biomedical applications of computing devices.

ELECTROMECHANICAL AND ENERGY SYSTEMS

This research area focuses on the design, development, and control of electrical systems and combined electrical and mechanical systems. On the electrical system side, research activities include Electric Power and Energy Systems and Power Electronics with modern applications covering renewable energy systems, microgrids, vehicle grid integration, smart grid, energy internet, etc. Within the sub-discipline of power electronics, several faculty are involved in design and optimization of high-performance converters utilizing emerging wide-bandgap semiconductor technology including Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices. Management and mitigation of electromagnetic interference (EMI) in high-frequency SiC and GaN converter systems is also an active area of research within the department. On the integrated electrical and mechanical system side, research activities include Electric Machines, Energy Conversion, and Motion Control Systems with modern applications covering electric vehicles, wind energy conversion, smart homes and buildings, process automation, robotics, etc.