Message From The Dean's Desk

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to share that at its May 15, 2025 meeting, the University of Michigan Board of Regents approved the promotion of Dr. Samir Rawashdeh to full professor, Dr. Jaerock Kwon to associate professor with tenure, and the awarding of tenure to Dr. Xuan Zhou, associate professor, all in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

These promotions recognize their exceptional contributions to teaching, research, and service.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rawashdeh, Dr. Kwon, and Dr. Zhou on this important milestone and in thanking them for their dedication and impactful work within CECS.

Samir Rawashdeh, Full Professor with Tenure, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Dr. Samir Rawashdeh has been a part of the CECS community since 2014. During his time, he has been praised for his excellence in teaching, developing five new courses, supervising 24 senior design projects, and guiding 11 undergraduate guided study projects. He has also served as a thesis advisor and advised/co-advised one post-doctoral research fellow, nine doctoral students, and served on several dissertation committees. His involvement in research has been outstanding. As Principal Investigator, he has led 10 externally funded research projects, totaling over $1.69 million in funding. At UM-Dearborn he published 28 journal papers, and numerous conference papers, with a focus on robotics, machine vision, and autonomous systems. In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Rawashdeh provided valuable service to the academic community through participation on committees and editorial boards, as well as through organizing and reviewing academic conferences and journals.

Jaerock Kwon, Associate Professor with Tenure, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Joining CECS in 2020, Dr. Jaerock Kwon has had an outstanding academic journey. He spearheaded an overhaul of Robotics Engineering courses and curriculum and has taught four distinct courses, including one he significantly redesigned to incorporate the latest trends in deep learning. He is currently advising three PhD students and one DEng student. His research primarily focuses on bio-inspired perception and control systems based on embodied artificial intelligence in mobile robots and autonomous vehicles, with his research efforts supported by the National Science Foundation. As Principal and Co-Principal investigator he has obtained 11 externally funded grants and contracts totaling over $2.2 million. Additionally, he has excelled in service by being a member of various committees and served as President of KOCSEA (Korean Computer Scientists and Engineers Association in America).

Xuan Zhou, Associate Professor with Tenure, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Dr. Xuan Zhou joined CECS in 2022. He is an outstanding educator, accomplished scholar, and a rising star in the field of energy storage systems and battery technology. His exceptional teaching is reflected in the redevelopment of core courses and in consistently earning some of the highest evaluation ratings among ECE faculty. As a prolific researcher, he has secured over $5 million in grant funding and published extensively in high-impact journals, contributing significantly to advancements in his field. His dedicated service includes committee work, mentoring, and leadership in international conferences and journals, which highlight his strong commitment to academic excellence and professional contributions.

Sincerely,

Armen Zakarian
Interim Dean of CECS