Linda Pisti Basile Katehi-Tseregounis (born January 30, 1954) is a Greek-born American engineering professor and former university administrator. Katehi was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2006) for contributions to three-dimensional integrated circuits and on-wafer packaging and to engineering education. Katehi worked as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's provost from 2006 to 2009 and dean of engineering at Purdue University from 2002 to 2006. Beginning in 2009, she served as the sixth chancellor of the University of California, Davis. On April 27, 2016, University of California President Janet Napolitano removed Katehi from her post and placed her on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into possible violations of university policies over nepotism. On August 9, 2016, the UC President announced that she had accepted Katehi's resignation after the investigation found "numerous instances where Chancellor Katehi was not candid, that she exercised poor judgment, and violated multiple University policies." Katehi remained in her post as electrical engineering professor. Since fall 2019, Katehi has served as a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Early life and education Katehi was born in Athens and grew up on Salamis Island in Greece. After graduating from high school, Katehi was admitted to the National Technical University of Athens. In 1977, Katehi graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. She was one of the two women in her class of 189 students and has stated that this led to many difficulties and biases against her during that time. She has spoken publicly about this experience: "Engineering has always been a field where not too many women go. When I was an undergrad, there were only two women in a class of 189 in electrical and mechanical engineering. Only two." Katehi has stated that this motivated her to mentor women and other underrepresented minorities pursuing careers in engineering and the sciences. Katehi has stated that she was drawn to electrical engineering as a teenager in 1969, when she watched Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 Moon landing. While captivated by the astronauts, she was most inspired by the engineers in mission control on Earth. After two years working as a researcher at the Ministry of National Defense's Naval Research Lab in Athens, she was encouraged by a mentor to apply to graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles. She came to the United States in 1979. She went on to earn her master's degree and doctorate in electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1981 and 1984, respectively.
Career Katehi began her teaching career in Greece, as a lecturer. She taught at the National Technical University of Athens between 1977 and 1978. She then became a researcher at the Ministry of National Defence's Naval Research Lab in Athens, Greece. In her early US career, Katehi worked at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor from 1984 to 2001 as a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and as associate dean of academic affairs and graduate education starting in 1994. She was hired as the engineering dean at Purdue University in 2002. While there, she increased both the faculty by 15% and research funding within the engineering department. In 2005, Katehi became the first female provost and vice-chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After four years at the University of Illinois, Katehi became the 6th Chancellor of the University of California, Davis in 2009, succeeding Larry Vanderhoef. She was the first female chancellor of the university. Katehi's expertise is in circuit design and her research focuses on antennas. She holds 19 patents. Through her academic roles she has been a mentor to over 70 postdoctoral fellows. In addition to her university roles, Katehi was appointed by President George W. Bush to the committee on the National Medal of Science. She chaired the 12-member committee, along with the Secretary of Commerce's committee for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, until 2010. She was appointed to the FBI's National Security Higher Education Advisory Board in 2010. Katehi is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in 2011, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering where she chaired the committee on K–12 engineering education for two years.
Current position Since October 2019, Katehi has served as the O'Donnell Foundation Chair II Professor of Engineering and Distinguished Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. She also holds appointments as Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor of Intelligent Electronics. Her current research focuses on intelligent edge RF electronics, neuromorphic computing using analog memory, and the co-design of analog hardware with artificial intelligence algorithms. Funding for this work has come from BAE Systems, the State of Texas, and Texas A&M University's Targeted Proposal Teams initiative.
Technology transfer and entrepreneurship In December 1994, while at the University of Michigan, Katehi co-founded EMAG Technologies, Inc., located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company was established to commercialize her research in high-frequency circuit and antenna modeling using fast multiresolution-based computational methods. Since its founding, EMAG Technologies has employed more than 100 engineers and markets EM.Cube, described as the first high-frequency circuit and antenna software with extensive design capabilities, along with NEOSCAN, a portable electro-optic, fiber-based system for non-invasive vector near-field measurements. Katehi retained an ownership interest in the company throughout her subsequent academic positions.
Board memberships Member of the Board of textbook publisher John Wiley & Sons Member of the Board of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation Member of the Board of The Cyprus Institute Member of the Board of Valley Vision Member of the Board of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute Member of the Board of the Business Higher Education Forum
University of California, Davis
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