Abshire Named Chair of SBU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Pamela Abshire has been named chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University, effective September 1, 2025.

Prior to her appointment at Stony Brook, Professor Abshire was affiliated with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, which she joined in 2001. She also maintained an appointment with the Institute for Systems Research and affiliations with the Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, the Maryland NanoCenter, the Maryland Robotics Center, and the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program.

Abshire earned her bachelor of science in physics, with honors, from the California Institute of Technology. She worked for three years as a research engineer in the Bradycardia Research Department of Medtronic, Inc. before graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a master of science and a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering. As a graduate student, she worked with Professor Andreas Andreou in the Sensory Communications and Microsystems Lab.

Abshire has an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary research program that focuses on several timely topics in the design of integrated circuits informed by biology. Specializing in the fields of VLSI circuit design and bioengineering, her research focuses on better understanding and exploiting the tradeoffs between performance and resources in natural and engineered systems, including hybrid devices incorporating CMOS, MEMS, optoelectronics, microfluidics and biological components.

Andrew Singer, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said, “Professor Abshire is an outstanding scholar and visionary leader. We look forward to seeing our Department of Electrical Engineering grow under her leadership and innovation.”

Abshire has a distinguished record of leadership and service to the technical community, the United States government, the University of Maryland, and to her collaborators, colleagues, and students.

Named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2018 for contributions to CMOS biosensors, she is the recipient of multiple awards recognizing teaching, research and service. She received an NSF CAREER award, IEEE Northern Virginia Section’s Volunteer of the Year Award, and the University of Maryland’s Invention of the Year in the physical sciences category for “Cell Sensor Based Pathogen Detection.” She was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland in 2021. She also co-founded The Academic Life, a STEM mentoring program that has presented 13 workshops at various conferences and institutions.

Abshire has authored 160+ publications and 3 patents. She served on the Emerging Technology and Research Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Commerce (2008-2018), on the Board of Governors for the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (2013-2018 and 2024-2026), the IEEE Fellow Committee (2019-2021 and 2025-2026), as general co-chair for the 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems, on the Microsystems Exploratory Council for the DARPA Microsystem Technology Office, as general co-chair for the 2023 IEEE International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, and as technical program co-chair for the 2025 IEEE Biomedical Circuit and Systems Conference.

Abshire follows Interim Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Leon Shterengas.