Matthew O’donnell BS, PhD

He earned his doctorate at Notre Dame in 1976. After graduation, he worked first as a graduate research and teaching fellow at Notre Dame, then as a senior research associate in physics and a research instructor in medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.Later, he took a post at Yale University as a research fellow in electrical engineering.

In 1980, O’Donnell moved to the private sector as a research and development physicist for General Electric Co. in Schenectady, N.Y. He joined the University of Michigan faculty in 1990 as a professor of computer science and electrical engineering. In 1998, he was named the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering. In 1999, he became chair of Michigan’s Biomedical Engineering Department.

He holds 50 patents and has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications. His research prowess is balanced with talent in the classroom — he won several engineering teaching awards at Michigan. He has been named new dean of the University of Washington College of Engineering and first holder of the Frank and Julie Jungers Endowed Deanship in Engineering.