RIT Names Director of Microsystems-Engineering Research and Education

Mustafa Abushagur of Brighton has been named professor of electrical engineering and director of microsystems-engineering research and education initiatives in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Abushagur, 51, comes to RIT from the University of Alabama at Huntsville where he was professor of electrical and computer engineering and professor of optical science and engineering. He led development of the university’s optical engineering degree program. He has also taught at the University of Rochester and the Association for the Institution of the Free University of Nuoro in Italy.

"I’m very excited about this opportunity to build the Ph.D. program in microsystems engineering at RIT," Abushagur says. "It’s a very dynamic new field at the cutting edge of technology and we’re getting into it at the right time. Our students will have an opportunity to be among the first in the nation to earn advanced degrees in the field."

"I’m excited to have Mustafa join our faculty and lead the microsystems engineering Ph.D. initiative," says Harvey Palmer, engineering college dean. "He has an entrepreneurial orientation, with superb academic credentials and an exceptional track record of research accomplishments. His many talents and varied professional experiences will be major assets to RIT."

A decision on approval of the microsystems engineering Ph.D. program by the state Department of Education is expected later this fall. If approved, students may be able to enter the program by winter quarter.

A specialist in optical communications, micro-photonic devices, signal processing and computing, Abushagur has been principal investigator or co-PI on 25 research grants totaling more than $12 million. He has published 68 papers and 30 conference presentations, written five book chapters and edited the book, Fourier Optics. He’s presently working on the book, Optical Fiber Systems.

Abushagur earned doctoral and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from California Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tripoli University. He founded LiquidLight Inc., a developer and manufacturer of optical network systems for the metro-access market, and Photronix, of Malaysia, a maker of fiber-optic components. He has consulted for the U.S. Army Missile Command, NASA, Boeing Co. and other firms. He holds one patent and has applied for three.

Note: According to a national survey by U.S. News & World Report, RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering ranks sixth in the nation among undergraduate and graduate engineering programs, offering degrees in computer, electrical, industrial and systems, mechanical, and microelectronic engineering, applied statistics and engineering science. RIT was the first university to offer undergraduate degrees in microelectronic and software engineering.

Founded in 1829, RIT has one of the nation’s oldest and largest cooperative education programs. The engineering college is named for Kate Gleason, the first female bank president in the United States and daughter of William Gleason, founder of what became Rochester-based Gleason Corp. Kate Gleason was America’s first woman engineering student and the first woman elected a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.