Michigan State University Professor Nelson Sepúlveda Alancastro has been named the chairperson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) effective April 1, 2026. He has served as interim chair since July 2024. Engineering Interim Dean John Papapolymerou said he is pleased Sepúlveda will continue to serve in a key leadership role.
“Nelson contributes extensive experience and energy to the ECE department and our college,” Papapolymerou said. “He provides the steady leadership and inspiration needed to develop practice-ready talent for Michigan and beyond and to pursue innovative research that addresses the greatest needs of our society.”
Sepúlveda joined the ECE department as faculty in 2011. Prior to his interim department chair role, he served in multiple positions in the department, including graduate recruitment coordinator starting in 2016 and associate chair for graduate studies in 2022.
A recognized leader for outstanding teaching and research, he received an NSF CAREER award, a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship, the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award, the MSU College of Engineering Withrow Teaching Excellence Award and the Withrow Sustained Excellence Award. He has been an IEEE Senior Member since 2011, and his research articles have been highlighted by news outlets and presented as the cover of scientific journals.
He has helped secure over $7M in external research funding for the college, and his own research focuses on the integration of phase-change materials, particularly vanadium dioxide, into smart micrometer-sized sensors and actuators and the use of ferroelectrets for self-powered sensors.
Sepúlveda started his academic career at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in 2006 as an assistant professor, where he led a multidisciplinary team in establishing the first cleanroom facilities at a higher-ed institution on the Island. During this time, he participated in several summer research programs for faculty at the Air Force Research Laboratories, National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, and the Cornell Center for Materials Research.
He completed his Ph.D. and master’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering at Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez Campus. As a graduate student, he was a fellow of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) program at Sandia National Laboratories.
Visit Sepúlveda’s faculty profile for more information.
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