Brian Michael Beck, Nivedita Bhattacharya, and Alagapan Sankaraleengam all received promotions during the 2026 Spring semester.
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Three Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering academic and research faculty received promotions following the 2026 academic year.
Academic professional Brian Michael Beck was promoted to senior academic professional, lecturer Nivedita Bhattacharya to senior lecturer, and research scientist II Alagapan Sankaraleengam to senior research scientist.
Learn more about the faculty below:
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Brian Michael Beck
Senior Academic Professional
Beck’s primary role is assistant director of the undergraduate instructional laboratories. This includes both teaching and managing the curricula for courses in the ECE instructional laboratories and telecommunications technical interest group.
Beck previously held the title of research engineer II at the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Information and Communications Laboratory. His work there centered on basic and applied research in signal processing and wireless communications, with an emphasis on waveform design for cognitive radio applications.
He earned the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech in 2016, with a research focus on signal processing for sensor localization and radio tomographic imaging. He remains passionate about students and teaching and has taught many courses of record since 2013.
Nivedita Bhattacharya
Senior Lecturer
Bhattacharya's teaching focuses on semiconductor devices, nanoelectronics, and integrated circuit design at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her courses aim to build foundational understanding and practical skills in electronic materials and device physics.
Her teaching of ECE 2040 Circuit Analysis has been recognized with a Course Instructor Opinion Survey (CIOS) Award by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).
Bhattacharya’s research explores advanced device architectures, electronic transport phenomena, and the development of novel materials for electronic and optoelectronic applications.
She integrates experimental and theoretical approaches to address challenges in device performance, reliability, and scalability. Research actively involves collaboration with students to foster innovation at the intersection of materials science and electrical engineering.
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Alagapan Sankaraleengam
Senior Research Scientist
Sankaraleengam co-directs the Structured Information for Precision Neuroengineering Lab (SIPLab), under the direction of Julian T. Hightower Chaired Professor Christopher Rozell
His work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, machine learning, and neuroengineering, with a particular focus on advancing precision medicine for psychiatric disorders.
In 2024, Sankaraleengam and Rozell won the Georgia Tech Chapter Sigma Xi Best Faculty Paper Award, along with biomedical engineering Associate Professor Shu Jia, for their research identifying a crucial biomarker that helps track recovery from the most severe forms of depression. He is also a recipient of the highly competitive KL2 transition award from the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance.
Sankaraleengam’s academic background includes a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Florida and postdoctoral training at UNC Chapel Hill and Georgia Tech.
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