Fred Beyette has been named the founding chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the University of Georgia College of Engineering. His appointment is effective August 1.
Beyette is currently a professor of electrical engineering and computing systems at the University of Cincinnati.
“Dr. Beyette has distinguished himself through excellence in teaching and research throughout his career, ” said College of Engineering Dean Donald Leo. “His appointment as founding school chair reflects his reputation for top-quality research, his enthusiasm and effectiveness as an instructor, and his vision for leading the school and college to even greater heights.”
Fred Beyette
The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering was established this year as the UGA College of Engineering organized its administrative structure in response to the rapid growth of its educational and research programs. The new organizational structure of the college is designed to promote interdisciplinary teaching, research and service activities while advancing the development of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in electrical and computer systems engineering.
“As I learned more about UGA’s commitment to creating a world-class College of Engineering and the incredible level of talent within the college faculty, staff and administration it became clear that the UGA College of Engineering and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering are primed to achieve great things in the coming years,” Beyette said. “Being a part of the administration, faculty and staff that will make those things happen is really the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Beyette earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at Colorado State University. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, he joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 1996. In addition to his duties as a professor, Beyette has served as associate department head for electrical engineering and as graduate program coordinator. He has trained 55 students at the master’s, doctoral and fellow levels and has mentored more than 125 undergraduate research/senior design students.
Over the past decade, Beyette’s research has focused on developing point-of-care devices for medical and health monitoring applications – including devices that guide the diagnosis and treatment of acute neurologic emergencies such and stroke and traumatic brain injury. His work has resulted in 12 patent applications.
“I am really looking forward to sharing how incredible UGA Engineering and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering are with the rest of the national and international engineering community,” Beyette said. “As we build a world-class engineering college that’s embedded within a top tier national university with a strong liberal arts tradition, we will become a model for excellence in engineering education and research.”
