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Prem Kumar named interim engg chair at Northwestern
Kumar, a Northwestern faculty member since 1986, researches quantum communications, photonic computing and fiber-based quantum networks.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 07, May 2026
- 17:37 EDT
- 21
Prem Kumar / Northwestern University
Indian-American physicist and quantum communications expert Prem Kumar was named interim chair of Northwestern University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, effective Sept. 1.
Kumar will succeed Randall Berry, who is stepping down after serving two terms as chair, and will lead the department while Northwestern Engineering conducts a global search for the next John A. Dever Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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A faculty member at Northwestern since 1986, Kumar is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Center for Photonic Communication and Computing. His research focuses on quantum communications and information processing, quantum sensing and imaging, and fiber-optic communications.
His work includes developing advanced photonic devices and systems for communication and computing, increasing technological speeds through optical systems, and building networks and devices that use quantum mechanics for secure communications and networking.
Kumar is also developing tools for generating, distributing and ultrafast processing of quantum entanglement, while using quantum light for precision measurements, sensing and imaging.
In announcing the appointment, Northwestern Engineering Dean Christopher Schuh said the field of electrical and computer engineering is at “an inflection point,” with its importance to science, industry and society continuing to grow. Schuh said Kumar would provide leadership during a critical transition period for the department.
Kumar is a life fellow of the IEEE and has also been named fellow of the American Physical Society, Optica, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, SPIE and the Institute of Physics. From 2013 to 2017, he served as a program manager in DARPA’s Defense Science Office.
Kumar earned a Ph.D. in physics from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1980, an M.Sc. in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1976, and a B.Sc. in physics from the University of Delhi in 1974.
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