Department Chair, Electrical Engineering & Renewable Energy

Oregon Institute of Technology
Department Chair, Electrical Engineering & Renewable Energy

Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), the state's only public polytechnic university, invites nominations and applications for the position of Department Chair, Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy (EERE) within the College of Engineering, Technology, and Management (ETM). This appointment offers an accomplished academic leader the opportunity to guide a distinctive engineering department, revitalize nationally pioneering academic programs, and shape the future of renewable energy and electrical engineering education at an institution known for hands‑on learning and industry engagement.

Oregon Tech has long distinguished itself through its commitment to applied education, technological innovation, and the preparation of graduates who are ready to contribute immediately to their professions. Few programs embody that mission more directly than Renewable Energy Engineering. Oregon Tech established the nation’s first bachelor’s degree in Renewable Energy Engineering and the first such program to earn ABET accreditation. Unlike institutions where renewable energy is primarily a specialization within traditional engineering disciplines, Oregon Tech offers dedicated undergraduate and graduate degrees focused on Renewable Energy Engineering, integrating electrical and mechanical engineering fundamentals with advanced study of renewable energy technologies and systems.

This distinctive academic approach helped establish the program’s reputation and historically attracted students from across the nation and around the world.

That pioneering history provides a compelling foundation for the department’s future. At a time when energy generation, storage, electrification, grid modernization, and emerging technologies are reshaping industry and workforce needs, EERE has an opportunity to strengthen its position as a distinctive source of engineering talent, applied innovation, and industry collaboration. The next Chair will help translate that opportunity into renewed academic vitality, stronger enrollment, and sustained external engagement.

The department serves students across Oregon Tech’s Klamath Falls and Portland-Metro campuses, offering bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy Engineering, and Electronics Engineering Technology, along with distinct graduate pathways. The Master of Science in Renewable Energy Engineering provides advanced study across a broad range of renewable energy technologies and systems, while Oregon Tech’s Master of Science in Engineering, housed within EERE, offers multidisciplinary and specialized options, including Electrical Engineering and Power Systems Engineering.

The Power Systems Engineering specialization, jointly offered with the Renewable Energy Engineering master’s program, illustrates the complementary relationship between these disciplines. Graduate education includes campus-based and online opportunities, along with accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s pathways. Together, these programs prepare students for diverse careers in electrical power, renewable energy, electronics, manufacturing, semiconductor technologies, and related fields.

A defining strength of EERE is its extensive network of specialized teaching laboratories and technical resources across both campuses. Students work with professional engineering instrumentation and equipment in electrical power and microgrid systems, photovoltaics, electrochemistry and energy storage, fuel cells, communications, embedded systems, and electronic design and fabrication. These facilities enable students to move beyond theoretical understanding to design, simulate, build, test, and…